Prevalence and molecular characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in cattle and humans, Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Globally, the highest burden of bovine and human tuberculosis resides in Africa and Asia. Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading single infectious killer after severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARSCOV-2). Bovine TB remains a treat to wild and domesticated animals, humans and hinders international trade in endemic countries like Nigeria. We aimed at determining the prevalence of bovine and human tuberculosis, and the spoligotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in cattle and humans in Maiduguri. METHODS: We conducted a cross sectional study on bovine and human tuberculosis in Maiduguri, Borno state. We calculated sample size using the method of Thrusfield. Lesions suggestive of TB from 160 slaughtered cattle were obtained from Maiduguri Central Abattoir. Sputum samples from humans; 82 abattoir workers and 147 suspected TB patients from hospitals/clinics were obtained. Lesions and sputum samples were cultured for the isolation of Mycobacterium spp. Positive cultures were subjected genus typing, deletion analysis and selected isolates were spoligotyped. Data was analysed using SPSS VERSION 16.0. RESULTS: Prevalence of 32.5% (52/160) was obtained in cattle. Damboa local government area (LGA), where majority of the infected animals were obtained from had 35.5% bTB prevalence. All categories analysed (breed, age, sex, body conformation and score) had P-values that were not significant (P > 0.05). Sputum culture revealed a prevalence of 3.7% (3/82) from abattoir workers and 12.2% from hospitals/clinics. A significant P-value (0.03) was obtained when positive culture from abattoir and that of hospitals/clinics were compared. Out of the 52 culture positive isolates obtained from cattle, 26 (50%) belonged to M. tuberculosis complex (MTC) and 17/26 (65.4%) were characterized as M. bovis. In humans, 7/12 (58.3%) MTC obtained were characterized as M. tuberculosis. Spoligotyping revealed SB0944 and SB1025 in cattle, while SIT838, SIT61 of LAM10_CAM and SIT1054, SIT46 of Haarlem (H) families were obtained from humans. CONCLUSIONS: Cattle in Damboa LGA need to be screened for bTB as majority of the infected animals were brought from there. Our findings revealed the presence of SB0944 and SB1025 spoligotypes from cattle in Borno state. We isolated M. tuberculosis strain of the H family mainly domiciled in Europe from humans.

Identification of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides from slaughtered cattle in two transboundary states of North­eastern Nigeria.

This study aimed to perform molecular typing of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides from slaughtered cattle in Adamawa and Taraba States, north­eastern Nigeria. A total of four hundred and eighty (480) samples of lung tissues, nasal swabs, ear swabs and pleural fluids were collected from cattle at slaughter and processed according to standard laboratory protocols. Identification and confirmation were achieved with specific PCR and PCR­RFLP. An overall M. mycoides subsp. mycoides isolation rate of 6.87% (33/480) was obtained. In Adamawa State, 12 (10.91%) isolates of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides came from both, lung tissues and pleural fluids. While in Taraba State, 5 (7.14%) and 4 (5.71%) isolates of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides came from lung tissues and pleural fluids, respectively. The samples from nasal and ear swabs from the study states were negative for M. mycoides subsp. mycoides. Thirty­three out of the 37 culture positive isolates were confirmed to be Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides with the production of a band equivalent to 574­bp. Molecular typing with restriction endonuclease Vsp1 results in the two bands of 180­bp and 380­bp. In conclusion, the study has established an isolation rate of 6.87% for M. mycoides subsp. mycoides. Measures to strengthen movement control in order to minimise the spread of this dreaded disease of cattle were recommended.