Association between vitamin D supplementation and severity of tuberculosis in wild boar and red deer.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic disease affecting humans and other mammal species. Severity of TB caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans seems to be influenced by nutritional factors like vitamin D3 intake. However, this relationship has been scarcely studied in cattle and other mammals infected with Mycobacterium bovis. The aim of this work was to assess if wildlife reservoirs of M. bovis show different levels of TB severity depending on the level of vitamin D found in serum after supplementation with vitamin D3. Forty hunted wildlife mammals were included in this study: 20 wild boar and 20 red deer. Ten wild boar and ten red deer had been supplemented with a vitamin D3-enriched food, whereas the remaining animals had received no supplementation. TB diagnosis was carried out in each animal based on microbiological isolation of M. bovis. Animals infected with M. bovis were then classified as animals with localized or generalized TB depending on the location and dissemination of the lesions. Furthermore, serum levels of vitamin D2 and D3 were determined in each animal to evaluate differences not only between supplemented and non-supplemented animals but also between those with localized and generalized TB. Levels of vitamin D3 found in both, supplemented wild boar and red deer, were significantly higher than those found in the non-supplemented animals. Interestingly, higher levels of vitamin D3 were observed in animals suffering localized TB when compared to animals with generalized TB suggesting that vitamin D3 concentration correlates negatively with TB severity in these wildlife reservoirs.
Innovación en Gestión y Conservación de Ungulados S.L., Calle Diego María Crehuet 29, CP 10003 Cáceres, Spain; Red de Grupos de Investigación en Recursos Faunísticos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad s/n, CP 10003 Cáceres, Spain. Electronic address: driscope@gmail.com.
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Risco
Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, UK.
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Salguero
Innovación en Gestión y Conservación de Ungulados S.L., Calle Diego María Crehuet 29, CP 10003 Cáceres, Spain; Red de Grupos de Investigación en Recursos Faunísticos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad s/n, CP 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
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Cerrato
Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, UK.
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Gutierrez-Merino
Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Biosciences and Medicine, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, UK.
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Lanham-New
Department of Signal Theory and Communications, Rey Juan Carlos University, Camino del Molino s/n, CP 28943 Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain.
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Barquero-Pérez
Red de Grupos de Investigación en Recursos Faunísticos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad s/n, CP 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
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Hermoso de Mendoza
Innovación en Gestión y Conservación de Ungulados S.L., Calle Diego María Crehuet 29, CP 10003 Cáceres, Spain; Red de Grupos de Investigación en Recursos Faunísticos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad s/n, CP 10003 Cáceres, Spain.
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Fernández-Llario
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002112:Calcifediol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003670:Deer; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000502:physiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D014815:Vitamins; D002112:Calcifediol
Red deer; Tuberculosis; Vitamin D; Wild boar