title: Avian tuberculosis of zoonotic importance at a zoo on the Bogotá Andean plateau (Sabana), Colombia.
abstract: Given that exposure to captive wild animals at circuses or zoos can be a source of zoonotic infection, a case and control study was carried out with a collection of exotic fowl at a zoo in Bogotá, Colombia. The presence of Mycobacterium avium-II was directly related to the death of birds kept in the original enclosure, and of 50% of a group of sentinel birds. Failure to detect the organism in a control group of birds outside the enclosure indicated that the infection was limited to the original enclosed area. We demonstrated that M. gordonae-IV was disseminated in all organs from 1 bird with macroscopic granulomatous lesion, a finding which has not been reported previously. We emphasize the importance of establishing handling norms to reduce the risk of zoonotic transmission.
authors.affiliation: The LaSalle University, College of Veterinary Medicine, FMV-ULS, Bogotá DC, Colombia.
authors.forename: Angela del Pilar
authors.initials: Adel P
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Clara Inés
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Leon
authors.forename: Martha Inírida
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Guerrero
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neira
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: German
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D001717:Birds; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D009162:Mycobacterium avium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014379:Tuberculosis, Avian / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000382:microbiology