title: Use of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis rapid lateral flow test for assessment of non-specific tuberculin responses in silvered langurs (Trachypithecus cristatus ultima).
abstract: Nonspecific responses to intradermal tuberculin skin testing (TST) have been frequently documented in silvered langurs (Trachypithecus cristatus ultima) at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo. A commercial rapid lateral flow immunoassay (RT) for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis antibodies was employed to assess this test's correlation with TST results and tuberculosis status. Twenty-two silvered langurs were tested with both TST and RT. TST results were characterized into three groups as nonspecific tuberculin responses (n=9), responses to avian tuberculin only (n=6), or negative (n=7). Rapid lateral flow test results were negative in 20 of 22 individuals with equivocal results in two avian tuberculin responders. There was no difference in RT results between TST groups (P = 0.178). Rapid lateral flow test results were not in agreement with mammalian old tuberculin TST results (kappa = 0.08) but showed raw agreement with tuberculosis status (proportion of overall agreement = 0.909). Results suggest the RT assay may useful in the confirmation of nonspecific TST responders in silvered langurs.
authors.affiliation: Global Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York 10460-1099, USA. tgeoroff@rwpzoo.org
authors.forename: Timothy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Georoff
authors.forename: Paul P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Calle
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McAloose
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Barrie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D002520:Cercopithecidae; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014374:Tuberculin Test / Q000662:veterinary*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*