Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains isolated from livestock and wild animals in Italy suggests the need for a different eradication strategy for bovine tuberculosis. Issue 2 (3rd December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Amato, B.; Di Marco Lo Presti, V.; Gerace, E.; Capucchio, M. T.; Vitale, M.; Zanghì, P.; Pacciarini, M. L.; Marianelli, C.; Boniotti, M. B.
• Is Part Of: Transboundary and emerging diseases. Volume 65:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: e416
• Page End: e424
• Publication Date: 2017-12-03
• Subjects: livestock -- MIRU‐VNTR -- Mycobacterium bovis -- spoligotypes -- wildlife; Veterinary medicine -- Periodicals; 636.089
• DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12776
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1865-1674

Abstract

Summary: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is an important zoonosis, which has been re‐emerging in different ecological scenarios. In Sicily, Italy, from 2004 to 2014, an anatomopathological survey for tuberculosis‐like lesions both in farmed and wild animals was performed. The isolates were genotyped using spoligotyping and Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Units‐Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (MIRU‐VNTR) techniques. High prevalence of lesions was observed for cattle (4%), pigs (4.9%) and wild boars (6.8%), and a total of 625 Mycobacterium bovis isolates were identified. Genotyping analysis showed the presence of 37 different spoligotypes including fifteen spoligotypes not present in other Italian regions and 266 MIRU‐VNTR profiles. Spoligotype SB0120 exhibited the highest prevalence in cattle (50%) and pigs (56%) and the highest genetic variety with 126 different MIRU‐VNTR profiles. The isolation of M. bovis in a farmer underlines the importance of M. bovis identification during the human TB diagnostic processes. This study supported the use of the genotyping analysis as a valuable tool for the evaluation of the epidemiological role of pigs and other domestic reservoirs such as goats and the role of wildlife in the maintenance of bTB infection.