Abstract
Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic disease of economic importance in livestock, but may also infect wild animals and occasionally humans. Its principal infective agent is Mycobacterium bovis. The present study was undertaken to examine the possible involvement of wildlife in the M. bovis life cycle in the Pantanal and to assess their potential role as a wild animal reservoir for this disease. DNA samples were obtained from 14 wild animals, namely 4 pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), 9 feral pigs (Sus scrofa), and 1 coati (Nasua nasua). A region of the hsp65 gene, present in all mycobacteria, was amplified and seven species of Mycobacterium were identified. Mycobacterium avium was present in 50 % of the samples and in all three animal species. Unsurprisingly, several non-tuberculosis mycobacteria species, such as Mycobacterium saskatchewanense, Mycobacterium parafinicum, and Mycobacterium parascrofulaceum were also detected. One sample from a deer exhibited high sequence similarity to M. bovis reference strains, which was confirmed through analysis using a 24-locus MIRU-VNTR genotyping. The results highlight the need for targeted M. bovis surveillance.
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Albertti, L.A.G., Souza-Filho, A.F., Fonseca-Júnior, A.A. et al. Mycobacteria species in wild mammals of the Pantanal of central South America. Eur J Wildl Res 61, 163–166 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-014-0866-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-014-0866-4