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Tuberculosis in Southern Brazilian wild boars ( Sus scrofa ): First epidemiological findings
Author(s) -
Maciel A. L. G.,
Loiko M. R.,
Bueno T. S.,
Moreira J. G.,
Coppola M.,
Dalla Costa E. R.,
Schmid K. B.,
Rodrigues R. O.,
Cibulski S. P.,
Bertagnolli A. C.,
Mayer F. Q.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
transboundary and emerging diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.392
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1865-1682
pISSN - 1865-1674
DOI - 10.1111/tbed.12734
Subject(s) - zoonosis , mycobacterium bovis , tuberculosis , herd , veterinary medicine , biology , epidemiology , mycobacterium tuberculosis complex , population , mycobacterium tuberculosis , polymerase chain reaction , medicine , environmental health , pathology , gene , biochemistry
Summary Bovine tuberculosis ( bTB ) is a zoonosis caused mainly by Mycobacterium bovis that affects domestic and wild animals. In Brazil, there are no epidemiological studies on tuberculosis in wild animal populations and their possible role in the disease maintenance in cattle herds; thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of tuberculosis in wild boars in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Tissue samples of animals hunted under government consent were submitted to histopathology and M. bovis polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ) as screening tests; the positive samples were subsequently submitted to bacterial isolation, the gold standard diagnosis. Eighty animals were evaluated, of which 27.9% and 31.3% showed histopathological changes and M. bovis genome presence, respectively. Moreover, 23.8% of the animals had at least one organ with isolates classified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex ( MTC ). Three hunting points were risk factors for positive results on screening tests. This study shows the occurrence of tuberculosis in a wild boars’ population, and raise the possibility of these animals to play a role as disease reservoirs in southern Brazil. These results may help to improve the Brazilian tuberculosis control programme, as well as elucidate the circulation of mycobacteria in this country.