title: Implications and challenges of tuberculosis in wildlife ungulates in Portugal: a molecular epidemiology perspective.
abstract: Mycobacterium bovis and, more rarely, Mycobacterium caprae, may cause zoonotic bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in an extensive range of animal species. In Portugal, during 2009, a remarkable raise of bTB incidence was registered in cattle along with an increase of new cases in wildlife. In this work, we reassess and update the molecular epidemiology of bTB in wild ungulates by including 83 new M. bovis and M. caprae isolates from wild boar and red deer obtained during 2008-2009. Spoligotyping identified 27 patterns in wild ungulates, including 11 patterns exclusive from deer and five from wild boar. The genetic relatedness of wildlife and livestock isolates is confirmed. However, the relative prevalence of the predominant genotypes is different between the two groups. Contrasting with the disease in livestock, which is widespread in the territory, the isolation of bTB in wildlife is, apparently, geographically localized and genotypic similarities of strains are observed at the Iberian level.
authors: INRB, I.P.-LNIV - Instituto Nacional dos Recursos Biológicos, Laboratório Nacional de Investigação Veterinária, Unidade de Sanidade Animal, Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Estrada de Benfica 701, 1549-011 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors: Mónica V
authors: MV
authors: Cunha
authors: Filipa
authors: F
authors: Matos
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Canto
authors: Teresa
authors: T
authors: Albuquerque
authors: João R
authors: JR
authors: Alberto
authors: José M
authors: JM
authors: Aranha
authors: Madalena
authors: M
authors: Vieira-Pinto
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Botelho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D003670:Deer / Q000382:microbiology*; D005843:Geography; D015994:Incidence; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058889:Molecular Typing / Q000662:veterinary; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000382:microbiology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*