title: A pilot study exploring the use of breath analysis to differentiate healthy cattle from cattle experimentally infected with Mycobacterium bovis.
abstract: Bovine tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a zoonotic disease of international public health importance. Ante-mortem surveillance is essential for control; however, current surveillance tests are hampered by limitations affecting ease of use or quality of results. There is an emerging interest in human and veterinary medicine in diagnosing disease via identification of volatile organic compounds produced by pathogens and host-pathogen interactions. The objective of this pilot study was to explore application of existing human breath collection and analysis methodologies to cattle as a means to identify M. bovis infection through detection of unique volatile organic compounds or changes in the volatile organic compound profiles present in breath. Breath samples from 23 male Holstein calves (7 non-infected and 16 M. bovis-infected) were collected onto commercially available sorbent cartridges using a mask system at 90 days post-inoculation with M. bovis. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and chromatographic data were analyzed using standard analytical chemical and metabolomic analyses, principle components analysis, and a linear discriminant algorithm. The findings provide proof of concept that breath-derived volatile organic compound analysis can be used to differentiate between healthy and M. bovis-infected cattle.
authors.affiliation: Animal Population Health Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America ; United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Christine K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Randal S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Stahl
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Wildlife Livestock Disease Investigations Team, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nol
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, Iowa, United States of America.
authors.forename: W Ray
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, Iowa, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mitchell V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Wildlife Livestock Disease Investigations Team, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jack C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rhyan
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kurt C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: VerCauteren
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Wildlife Livestock Disease Investigations Team, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McCollum
authors.affiliation: Animal Population Health Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Salman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001944:Breath Tests / Q000379:methods; D002417:Cattle; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014380:Tuberculosis, Bovine / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000175:diagnosis*