title: Association of quantitative interferon-γ responses with the progression of naturally acquired Mycobacterium bovis infection in wild European badgers (Meles meles).
abstract: Bovine tuberculosis is one of the biggest challenges facing cattle farming in Great Britain. European badgers (Meles meles) are a reservoir host for the causal agent, Mycobacterium bovis. There have been significant recent advances in diagnostic testing for tuberculosis in humans, cattle and badgers, with the development of species-specific assays for interferon-γ (IFN-γ), an important cytokine in tuberculous infections. Using data collected from longitudinal studies of naturally infected wild badgers, we report that the magnitude of the IFN-γ response to M. bovis antigens at the disclosing test event was positively correlated with subsequent progression of disease to a seropositive or excreting state. In addition, we show that the magnitude of the IFN-γ response, despite fluctuation, declined with time after the disclosing event for all badgers, but remained significantly higher in those animals with evidence of disease progression. We discuss how our findings may be related to the immunopathogenesis of natural M. bovis infection in badgers.
authors.affiliation: National Wildlife Management Centre, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Nympsfield, Gloucestershire, UK.
authors.forename: Alexandra J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.forename: Robbie A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Delahay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D045969:Mustelidae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology*; D014373:Tuberculin; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D014373:Tuberculin; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: badger; bovine tuberculosis; interferon-γ
references.citation: Vet Microbiol. 2002 May 1;86(3):183-9
references.pmid: 11900953
references.citation: PLoS One. 2010 Jun 17;5(6):e11196
references.pmid: 20585404
references.citation: Infect Agents Dis. 1996 Mar;5(2):73-81
references.pmid: 8721044
references.citation: Epidemiol Infect. 2013 Jul;141(7):1445-56
references.pmid: 23537573
references.citation: Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2009 Jan 15;127(1-2):174-80
references.pmid: 18986710
references.citation: Curr Mol Med. 2007 May;7(3):319-25
references.pmid: 17504116
references.citation: Epidemiol Infect. 1987 Apr;98(2):145-54
references.pmid: 3549340
references.citation: Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2008 Mar 15;122(1-2):35-45
references.pmid: 18082897
references.citation: J Anim Ecol. 2007 Mar;76(2):348-60
references.pmid: 17302842
references.citation: BMC Vet Res. 2009 Nov 17;5:42
references.pmid: 19919697
references.citation: Prev Vet Med. 2005 Mar 15;67(4):237-66
references.pmid: 15748755
references.citation: Immunology. 2005 Jan;114(1):101-11
references.pmid: 15606800
references.citation: PLoS One. 2009 Dec 14;4(12):e8257
references.pmid: 20011589
references.citation: Vaccine. 2009 Jan 14;27(3):402-9
references.pmid: 19010372
references.citation: Vaccine. 2011 May 12;29(21):3782-90
references.pmid: 21440035
references.citation: Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2006 May-Jul;86(3-4):191-7
references.pmid: 16584923
references.citation: Aust Vet J. 1977 May;53(5):214-6
references.pmid: 901321
references.citation: J Clin Microbiol. 2008 Apr;46(4):1498-500
references.pmid: 18272706
references.citation: J Infect Dis. 2008 Apr 1;197(7):941-3
references.pmid: 18419531
references.citation: J Infect Dis. 2010 Jan 1;201(1):15-9
references.pmid: 19938975
references.citation: Tubercle. 1987 Jun;68(2):119-25
references.pmid: 3310347
references.citation: Epidemiol Infect. 2013 Jul;141(7):1458-66
references.pmid: 23522097
references.citation: Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2011 Mar;18(3):373-9
references.pmid: 21228141
references.citation: PLoS One. 2011;6(9):e24905
references.pmid: 21935486
references.citation: Infect Immun. 2002 Jun;70(6):3026-32
references.pmid: 12010994
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(12):e49833
references.pmid: 23251352
references.citation: Infect Immun. 2003 Aug;71(8):4297-303
references.pmid: 12874305
references.citation: Epidemiol Infect. 2013 Jul;141(7):1429-36
references.pmid: 23290694
references.citation: Clin Infect Dis. 2005 Jan 15;40(2):273-8
references.pmid: 15655747
references.citation: J Hyg (Lond). 1977 Aug;79(1):155-60
references.pmid: 328766
references.citation: Trends Mol Med. 2007 May;13(5):175-82
references.pmid: 17418641
references.citation: Lancet. 2008 Jul 12;372(9633):164-75
references.pmid: 18620952
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2011 Jun 22;278(1713):1913-20
references.pmid: 21123260
references.citation: Hum Reprod Update. 2005 Jul-Aug;11(4):411-23
references.pmid: 15817524
references.citation: Nat Rev Microbiol. 2010 Mar;8(3):242; author reply 242
references.pmid: 20084059
references.citation: Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2008 Nov;39(5):503-8
references.pmid: 18556589
references.citation: Epidemiol Infect. 2008 Oct;136(10):1350-61
references.pmid: 18047751
references.citation: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Jul 24;104(30):12434-9
references.pmid: 17640915
references.citation: Tuberculosis (Edinb). 2008 May;88(3):235-43
references.pmid: 18083067
references.citation: Epidemiol Infect. 1993 Aug;111(1):9-19
references.pmid: 8348937
references.citation: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2006 Oct 1;174(7):831-9
references.pmid: 16799072
references.citation: BMC Infect Dis. 2010 Jul 23;10:220
references.pmid: 20653946
references.citation: J Hyg (Lond). 1986 Aug;97(1):27-36
references.pmid: 3525672
references.citation: PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e43285
references.pmid: 22912846
references.citation: Vet Rec. 2008 Sep 20;163(12):357-61
references.pmid: 18806280
references.citation: Vaccine. 2009 Jan 1;27(1):28-37
references.pmid: 18977269
references.citation: Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2007 Oct 15;119(3-4):204-13
references.pmid: 17628695
references.citation: J Clin Microbiol. 2002 Feb;40(2):704-6
references.pmid: 11826002
references.citation: Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2010 Jan 1;181(1):87-93
references.pmid: 19797760
references.citation: Proc Biol Sci. 2013 Aug 07;280(1768):20131634
references.pmid: 23926157
references.citation: Respir Med. 1992 Nov;86(6):481-4
references.pmid: 1470704
references.citation: Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2007 Mar;11(3):350-2
references.pmid: 17352104
references.citation: Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2005 Oct 18;108(1-2):45-51
references.pmid: 16140388