Specificity of the tuberculin skin test is modified by use of a protein cocktail containing ESAT-6 and CFP-10 in cattle naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis.

The mycobacterial immunodominant ESAT-6 and CFP-10 antigens are strongly recognizable in tuberculosis-infected cattle, and they do not elicit a response in cattle without infection. In addition, they are absent in most environmental mycobacterial species, and therefore, their use can be an alternative to purified protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin in the development of a more specific skin diagnostic test in cattle. The aim of the current study was to assess the potential of an ESAT-6 and CFP-10 (E6-C10) protein cocktail in a skin test format in naturally tuberculosis-infected and paratuberculosis-infected cattle. We also included MPB83 as a third component in one of the protein cocktail preparations. The protein cocktail was tested at different dose concentrations (5, 10, and 15 µg per protein). The best skin response to the E6-C10 protein cocktail was obtained with 10 µg. Subsequently, this concentration was tested in 2 herds with high and low bovine tuberculosis prevalence, the latter with paratuberculosis coinfection. Our data show that the E6-C10 cocktail allows identification of an important proportion of animals that PPDB is not able to recognize, especially in low-prevalence herds. The protein cocktail did not induce reactions in tuberculosis-free cattle or in paratuberculosis-infected cattle. Addition of MPB83 to the protein cocktail did not make any difference in the skin reaction.