The burden of mycobacterial disease in ethiopian cattle: implications for public health.
BACKGROUND
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a debilitating disease of cattle. Ethiopia has one of the largest cattle populations in the world, with an economy highly dependent on its livestock. Furthermore, Ethiopia has one of the highest incidence rates of human extrapulmonary TB in the world, a clinical presentation that is often associated with transmission of M. bovis from cattle to humans.


RESULTS
Here we present a comprehensive investigation of the prevalence of bTB in Ethiopia based on cases identified at slaughterhouses. Out of approximately 32,800 inspected cattle, approximately 4.7% showed suspect tuberculous lesions. Culture of suspect lesions yielded acid-fast bacilli in approximately 11% of cases, with M. bovis accounting for 58 of 171 acid-fast cultures, while 53 isolates were non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Strikingly, M. tuberculosis was isolated from eight cattle, an unusual finding that suggests human to animal transmission.


CONCLUSIONS
Our analysis has revealed that bTB is widely spread throughout Ethiopia, albeit at a low prevalence, and provides underpinning evidence for public health policy formulation.
TB Research Group, Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, United Kingdom.
Stefan
S
Berg
Rebuma
R
Firdessa
Meseret
M
Habtamu
Endalamaw
E
Gadisa
Araya
A
Mengistu
Lawrence
L
Yamuah
Gobena
G
Ameni
Martin
M
Vordermeier
Brian D
BD
Robertson
Noel H
NH
Smith
Howard
H
Engers
Douglas
D
Young
R Glyn
RG
Hewinson
Abraham
A
Aseffa
Stephen V
SV
Gordon
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D017931:DNA Primers; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015995:Prevalence; D013045:Species Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*
D017931:DNA Primers