title: Disseminated Mycobacterium bovis infection in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) with cerebral involvement found in Portugal.
abstract: A total of 49 road-killed red foxes were used for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) in Portugal. MTC infection was detected by PCR in 10 red foxes (20.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 8.8-31.2%) and confirmed in three (6.1%; 95% CI 0.0-7.9%) of them by microbiological culture. The complex was detected in 20 tissues out of 441 by PCR techniques (4.5%; 95% CI 16.3-23.7%) and in seven tissues out of 441 (1.6%; 95% CI 4.6-9.4%) by culture. MTC was most frequently detected in the brain (8.2%) and in the mediastinal lymph nodes (8.2%). The seven cultures obtained were positive for M. bovis by PCR-based genotyping of the MTC targeting genomic deletions. This study confirms the presence of disseminated M. bovis in red foxes in Portugal, and it is the first report in the world of the natural infection in the animals' brains.
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Agriculture, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco , Castelo Branco, Portugal .
authors.forename: Ana C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Figueira
authors.forename: Maria H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.forename: Márcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.forename: Ana P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Ana C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Coelho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005589:Foxes / Q000382:microbiology*; D005838:Genotype; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Epidemiology; Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex; Red foxes