Serological test performance for bovine tuberculosis in cattle from herds with evidence of on-going infection in Northern Ireland.

The ability to accurately identify infected hosts is the cornerstone of effective disease control and eradication programs. In the case of bovine tuberculosis, accurately identifying infected individual animals has been challenging as all available tests exhibit limited discriminatory ability. Here we assess the utility of two serological tests (IDEXX Mycobacterium bovis Ab test and Enfer multiplex antibody assay) and assess their performance relative to skin test (Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin; SICCT), gamma-interferon (IFNγ) and post-mortem results in a Northern Ireland setting. Furthermore, we describe a case-study where one test was used in conjunction with statutory testing. Serological tests using samples taken prior to SICCT disclosed low proportions of animals as test positive (mean 3% positive), despite the cohort having high proportions with positive SICCT test under standard interpretation (121/921; 13%) or IFNγ (365/922; 40%) results. Furthermore, for animals with a post-mortem record (n = 286), there was a high proportion with TB visible lesions (27%) or with laboratory confirmed infection (25%). As a result, apparent sensitivities within this cohort was very low (≤15%), however the tests succeeded in achieving very high specificities (96-100%). During the case-study, 7/670 (1.04%) samples from SICCT negative animals from a large chronically infected herd were serology positive, with a further 17 animals being borderline positive (17/670; 2.54%). Nine of the borderline animals were voluntarily removed, none of which were found to be infected post-mortem (no lesions/bacteriology negative). One serology test negative animal was subsequently found to have lesions at slaughter with M. bovis confirmed in the laboratory.

Accuracy of PCR, mycobacterial culture and interferon-γ assays for detection of Mycobacterium bovis in blood and milk samples from Egyptian dairy cows using Bayesian modelling.

The number of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) infected dairy herds in Egypt is growing and this calls for accurate and reliable diagnostic methods at cow level for cost-effective bTB eradication as culling of the whole herd is not economically sustainable. The present study aimed to estimate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of PCR, mycobacterial culture and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) assays for Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) detection in blood and milk samples from dairy cows in Egyptian dairy herds within a Bayesian framework. As a secondary objective, the distribution of true within-herd prevalence of M. bovis infection was estimated. Blood and milk samples were collected from 245 Holstein dairy cows in 11 Egyptian dairy herds and subjected to PCR, mycobacterial culture and IFN-γ testing. With respect to the detection of M. bovis in blood, IFN-γ recorded higher Se [0.97 (95% Posterior Credible Interval (PCI): 0.87-1.00)] than PCR [0.68 (95% PCI: 0.53-0.95)] and culture [0.22 (95% PCI: 0.13-0.37)]. However, Sp estimates of PCR [0.98 (95% PCI: 0.95-1.00)], culture [0.99 (95% PCI: 0.98-1.00)] and IFN-γ [0.97 (95% PCI: 0.88-1.00)] were comparable. As for milk samples, Se estimate of PCR [0.29 (95% PCI: 0.01-0.60)] was higher than that of culture [0.08 (95% PCI: 0.001-0.23)]. However, the Sp estimates of both tests were statistically similar. The estimated true within-herd prevalences of M. bovis varied across the tested bovine subpopulations and ranged between 0.06 and 0.66. In conclusion, IFN-γ registered a similar overall performance to PCR but was superior to mycobacterial culture. With its good accuracy and wide applicability, IFN-γ lends itself to use in the Egyptian bTB eradication program.

Biomarkers of cell-mediated immunity to bovine tuberculosis.

Whole blood based assays, particularly interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release assays (IGRAs), are used for the diagnosis of both bovine and human tuberculosis (TB). The aim of the current study was to evaluate a panel of cytokines and chemokines for potential use as diagnostic readouts indicative of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection in cattle. A gene expression assay was used to determine the kinetics of the response to M. bovis purified protein derivative and a fusion protein consisting of ESAT-6, CFP10, and Rv3615c upon aerosol infection with ∼104 cfu of M. bovis. The panel of biomarkers included: IFN-γ, CXCL9, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL3, TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-1Ra, IL-22, IL-21 and IL-13. Protein levels of IFN-γ, CXCL9, and CXCL10 were determined by ELISA. Findings suggest that CXCL9, CXCL10, IL-21, IL-13, and several acute phase cytokines may be worth pursuing as diagnostic biomarkers of M. bovis infection in cattle.

Evaluation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lipoarabinomannan antigen assay and rapid serology blood test for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is prevalent in dairy cattle in Ethiopia. Currently used diagnostic tools such as the single intradermal comparative tuberculin test (SICTT) are time consuming and labor intensive. A rapid, easy-to-use and cost-effective diagnostic test would greatly contribute to the control of bTB in developing countries like Ethiopia. In the present study, two point-of-care diagnostic tests were evaluated for the detection of bTB: LIONEX® Animal TB Rapid test, a membrane-based test for the detection of antibodies to Mycobacterium bovis in blood and ALERE® Determine TB Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) Ag, an immunoassay for the detection of lipoarabinomannan (LAM) antigen (Ag) of mycobacteria in urine. A combination of the SICTT and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) test was used as the gold standard for the validation of these point-of-care tests, as it was not feasible to slaughter the study animals to carry out the historical gold standard of mycobacterial culture. A total of 175 heads of cattle having three different bTB infection categories (positive SICTT, negative SICTT, and unknown SICTT status) were used for this study. RESULT: The sensitivity and specificity of TB LAM Ag were 72.2% (95% CI = 62.2, 80.4) and 98.8% (95% CI = 93.6, 99.7), respectively, while the sensitivity and specificity of the LIONEX Animal TB rapid test assay were 54% (95% CI = 44.1 64.3) and 98.8% (95% CI = 93.6, 99.7) respectively. The agreement between TB LAM Ag and SICTT was higher (κ = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.65-0.94) than between TB LAM Ag and IFN-γ (κ = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.52-0.81). The agreement between LIONEX Animals TB Rapid blood test and SICTT was substantial, (κ = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.49-0.77) while the agreement between LIONEX Animal TB rapid blood test and IFN-γ test was moderate (κ = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.40-0.67). Analysis of receiver operating curve (ROC) indicated that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for TB LAM Ag was 0.85 (95% CI = 0.79-0.91) while it was 0.76 (95% CI; =0.69-0.83) for LIONEX Animal TB rapid test assay. CONCLUSION: This study showed that TB LAM Ag had a better diagnostic performance and could potentially be used as ancillary either to SICTT or IFN-γ test for diagnosis of bTB.

Impact of Mycobacterium bovis-induced pathology on interpretation of QuantiFERON®-TB Gold assay results in African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer).

The cytokine interferon gamma-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) is a sensitive biomarker of Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection in African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer). However, elevated levels of IP-10 in QuantiFERON®-TB Gold (QFT) unstimulated whole blood compromises the utility of this biomarker. In this study, IP-10 and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) concentrations in whole blood samples from M. bovis culture-confirmed buffaloes with varying degrees of pathological changes (n = 72) and uninfected controls (n = 70) were measured in the IP-10 release assay (IPRA) and IFN-γ release assay (IGRA), respectively. Findings suggest that concentrations of both cytokines in QFT Nil tubes were higher in infected buffaloes with macroscopic pathological changes consistent with bovine tuberculosis compared to uninfected controls, and IGRA values increased with more severe pathological changes in infected buffaloes (p < 0.05). Finally, in culture-confirmed buffaloes with IPRA-negative and IGRA-positive test results, most animals were also those with the most advanced pathology. We conclude that IP-10 and IFN-γ concentrations measured in QFT Nil tubes may provide insight into the presence of M. bovis pathology in infected buffaloes. Furthermore, this study highlights the value in evaluating cytokine production in both antigen-stimulated and unstimulated samples when interpreting cytokine release assay results.

Interleukin 8 and Pentaxin (C-Reactive Protein) as Potential New Biomarkers of Bovine Tuberculosis.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is caused by Mycobacterium bovis During the early stage of infection, greater than 15% of M. bovis-infected cattle shed mycobacteria through nasal secretions, which can be detected by nested PCR. To compare the differences in the protein profiles of M. bovis-infected cattle that were nested PCR positive (bTBPCR-P) and M. bovis-infected cattle that were nested PCR negative (bTBPCR-N) and to screen for biomarkers that will facilitate the early and accurate detection of bTB, we investigated the protein expression profiles of serum and bovine purified protein derivative (PPD-B)-stimulated plasma among bTBPCR-P (n = 20), bTBPCR-N (n = 20), and uninfected cattle (NC; n = 20) by iTRAQ labeling coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (iTRAQ-2D LC-MS/MS). After comprehensive analysis, we selected 15 putative differentially expressed serum proteins and 15 plasma proteins for validation by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) with the same cohort used in the iTRAQ analysis. Four serum and five PPD-B-stimulated proteins were confirmed in follow-up enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. PPD-B-stimulated interleukin 8 (IL-8) displayed the potential to differentiate M. bovis-infected cattle from NC, with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.9662, while PPD-B-stimulated C-reactive protein (CRP) displayed the potential to differentiate bTBPCR-P from bTBPCR-N, with an AUC value of 1.00. Finally, double-blind testing with 244 cattle indicated that the PPD-B-stimulated IL-8 test exhibited good agreement with traditional tests (κ > 0.877) with a >90% relative sensitivity and a >98% relative specificity; the PPD-B-stimulated CRP test displayed good agreement with nested PCR (κ = 0.9117), with an observed 94% relative sensitivity and 97% relative specificity. Therefore, the PPD-B-stimulated IL-8 and CRP tests could be used to detect bTB and to differentiate bTBPCR-P from bTBPCR-N.

Serum haptoglobin response in red deer naturally infected with tuberculosis.

The analysis of haptoglobin (Hp) serum concentration is a very sensitive, but non-specific, indicator of inflammation or infection. Methods to accurately diagnose infection in vivo in wildlife are usually constrained by low sensitivity due to the effects of stress on individual immune response and the challenging logistics of performing tests in the wild. Firstly, we sought to determine serum Hp concentration in red deer (Cervus elaphus) naturally infected with bovine tuberculosis (TB). Secondly, we assessed the complementary diagnostic value of serum Hp levels in conjunction with the cervical comparative skin test (CCT) performed in a subsample (n = 33). Serum Hp concentrations were significantly higher in TB-infected individuals (based on the presence of macroscopic lesions confirmed by culture) compared to those uninfected. In addition, serum Hp significantly changed with the type of animal handling, with captured and handled animals showing higher levels of Hp than hunted animals. Four out of 6 TB positive individuals that tested negative to the CCT (false negatives) showed Hp levels higher than the 95th percentile of healthy animals. These findings indicate that an acute phase response develops in animals with TB. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time that an acute phase protein can provide a complementary assessment for specific diagnosis tests in wild species.

Characteristics of Mycobacterium bovis infected herds tested with the interferon-gamma assay.

The IFN-γ (interferon gamma) assay is used in Ireland as an ancillary diagnostic test to the single intradermal comparative tuberculin test (SICTT) to maximise the detection of Mycobacterium bovis infected animals (bTB) in cattle herds. Understanding the relationships between herd and animal risk factors and IFN-γ test results is critical to enable the development and evaluation of policy measures on how best to use the test. In this study, we set out to characterise Irish herds with IFN-γ test positive animals in terms of herd size, number of SICTT reactors and number of IFN-γ positive tests, and to evaluate the IFN-γ test in terms of the test cut-off values. The results showed that larger herds with more SICTT reactors were likely to have more IFN-γ positives in the herd, and herds with an IFN-γ test positive animal that was also positive for bTB lesions at post-mortem had higher numbers of IFN-γ positive animals in the herd. Raising the cut-off values for the IFN-γ test only marginally decreased the combined sensitivity of the IFN-γ and the SICTT for diagnosis of bTB lesioned animals. The analysis has provided valuable information on the performance of the IFN-γ test as it is used under current bTB infection levels in Ireland.

Antigen-specific interferon-gamma release is decreased following the single intradermal comparative cervical skin test in African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer).

Effective disease management of wildlife relies on the strategic application of ante-mortem diagnostic tests for early identification and removal of M. bovis-infected animals. To improve diagnostic performance, interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) are often used in conjunction with the tuberculin skin test (TST). Since buffaloes are major maintenance hosts of M. bovis, optimal application of bovine TB diagnostic tests are especially important. We aimed to determine whether the timing of blood collection relative to the TST has an influence on IFN-γ production and diagnostic outcome in African buffaloes. Release of IFN-γ in response to bovine purified protein derivative (PPD), avian PPD and PC-HP® and PC-EC® peptides was measured by Bovigam® and an in-house IGRA in a group of Bovigam®-positive and - negative buffaloes at the time the TST was performed and three days later. There was significantly lower IFN-γ release in response to these antigens post-TST in Bovigam®-positive buffaloes, but no significant changes in Bovigam®-negative buffaloes. Also, a significantly greater proportion of buffaloes were Bovigam®-positive prior to the TST than three days later. We therefore recommend that blood samples for use in IGRAs be collected prior to or at the time the TST is performed to facilitate the correct identification of greater numbers of IGRA-positive buffaloes.

Detection of mycobacterial small RNA in the bacterial culture supernatant and plasma of patients with active tuberculosis.

Bacterial small RNA (sRNA) has been shown to play an important role in control of bacteria virulence, stress response and physiological metabolism by post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. However, there were few reports about bacterial sRNA as a biomarker of infection. To test the potential role of sRNA in indicating infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, total RNA were extracted from the filtrated bacterial cultural supernatant. After synthesis of cDNA by reverse transcription, four Mycobacterial sRNAs including ASdes, ASpks, AS1726, and AS1890, which have been experimentally confirmed by Kristine B in the year of 2009, were detected by real time PCR. The specificity was verified by sequencing of the amplified products. Moreover, we demonstrate that the presence of sRNA Asdes in plasma of 55.56% (15/27) TB patients and 25.00% (6/24) normal controls with BCG vaccination (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that bacterial non-coding sRNA can be detected from either bacterial culture supernatants or patient's plasma. Detecting of Mycobacterial sRNA provides a rapid and relatively noninvasive approach for diagnosing disease and could be developed as a biomarker to identify patients with active tuberculosis to help make informed decisions about proper therapies.1.

Bayesian estimation of ELISA and gamma interferon test accuracy for the detection of bovine tuberculosis in caudal fold test-negative dairy cattle in Kuwait.

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in Kuwait; cattle identified as TB-positive using the caudal fold test (CFT) are culled. We used a Bayesian approach to estimate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of the IFNγ assay and ELISA, which are not routinely used in Kuwait in CFT-negative dairy cattle. Blood samples from CFT-negative cattle ( n = 384) collected from 38 dairy farms were tested by IFNγ assay and ELISA. The Se and Sp (95% CI) of the IFNγ were 85.0% (67.6-95.3%) and 90.4% (86.7-95.3%), respectively, whereas estimates for the ELISA were 61.1% (33.1-84.6%) and 85.4% (81.7-88.8%). TB prevalence (95 CI%) in CFT-negative cattle was estimated as 2.6% (0.5-9.5%). The IFNγ assay may play a role as an ancillary test for the identification of Mycobacterium bovis-infected cattle that are undetected by CFT.

Evaluation of antigen specific interleukin-1ß as a biomarker to detect cattle infected with Mycobacterium bovis.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a major world-wide health problem that has been difficult to control, due to the lack of an effective vaccine and limited ability of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the ancillary whole blood interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release assay (IGRA) to detect all infected animals. A 6 h cytokine flow cytometric IFN-γ (CFC) assay was developed in effort to overcome these limitations and expand methods for studying the mechanisms of bTB immunopathogenesis. The present study was conducted to evaluate IL-1ß as a biomarker to use in conjunction with the IFN-γ CFC assay to improve the diagnostic accuracy for bTB. Three animal groups with predefined Mbv infection status were used for analysis of IL-1ß in plasma from whole blood cultures stimulated with ESAT-6/CFP-10 for 20-24 h. Parallel stimulations were performed for enumeration of IFN-γ producing T cells. Data analysis showed that Mbv infected animals have a higher frequency of IFN-γ producing CD4+ T cells and plasma IL-1ß than animals exposed to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) or uninfected control animals, with a significant correlation between the two readouts, thus allowing differentiation between the three animal groups. IL-1ß has the potential to serve as an additional biomarker for detecting cattle infected with Mbv.

Detection of Lipomannan in Cattle Infected with Bovine Tuberculosis.

Early and rapid detection of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is critical to controlling the spread of this disease in cattle and other animals. In this study, we demonstrate the development of an immunoassay for the direct detection of the bovine bTB biomarker, lipomannan (LM) in serum using a waveguide-based optical biosensor. We apply an ultra-sensitive detection strategy developed by our team, termed lipoprotein capture, that exploits the pull-down of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) nanodiscs from cattle blood that allows for the recovery and detection of associated LM. We also profile the change in the expression of these TB biomarkers as a function of time from a small set of samples collected from studies of bovine TB-infected cattle. We demonstrate for the first time the direct detection of bovine LM in serum, and clearly show that the biomarker is expressed in detectable concentrations during the entire course of the infection.

Antigen-Specific IP-10 Release Is a Sensitive Biomarker of Mycobacterium bovis Infection in Cattle.

The most widely used ante-mortem diagnostic tests for tuberculosis in cattle are the tuberculin skin test and the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release assay, both of which measure cell-mediated immune responses to Mycobacterium bovis infection. However, limitations in the performance of these tests results in a failure to identify all infected animals. In attempting to increase the range of diagnostic tests for tuberculosis, measurement of the cytokine IP-10 in antigen-stimulated blood has previously been shown to improve the detection of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis infection, in humans and African buffaloes (Syncerus caffer), respectively. In the present study, 60 cattle were identified by the single intradermal comparative tuberculin test as tuberculosis reactors (n = 24) or non-reactors (n = 36) and the release of IFN-γ and IP-10 in antigen-stimulated whole blood from these animals was measured using bovine specific ELISAs. There was a strong correlation between IP-10 and IFN-γ production in these samples. Moreover, measurement of the differential release of IP-10 in response to stimulation with M. bovis purified protein derivative (PPD) and M. avium PPD distinguished between reactor and non-reactor cattle with a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI, 86%-100%) and a specificity of 97% (95% CI, 85%-100%). These results suggest that IP-10 might prove valuable as a diagnostic biomarker of M. bovis infection in cattle.

Molecular detection of Mycobacterium bovis in cattle herds of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to direct detect Mycobacterium bovis in milk (n = 401) and blood (n = 401) samples collected from 401 dairy cows of 20 properties located in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting the region of difference 4 (RD4). Risk factors possibly associated with bovine tuberculosis (BTB) were also evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 802 samples analyzed, one milk (0.25%) and eight blood (2%) samples were positive for M. bovis in the qPCR and their identities were confirmed by sequencing. Animals positive for M. bovis were found in six (30%) of the 20 properties visited. None of the risk factors evaluated were statistically associated with BTB. CONCLUSIONS: M. bovis DNA was detected in one milk sample what may pose a risk to public health because raw milk is commonly consumed in Brazil.

Identification and evaluation of new Mycobacterium bovis antigens in the in vitro interferon gamma release assay for bovine tuberculosis diagnosis.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a common zoonotic disease, caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), responsible for significant economic losses worldwide. Its diagnosis is based on the detection of cell mediated immunity under the exposure to protein purified derivative tuberculin (PPD), a complex and poorly characterized reagent. The cross-reactivity to non-tuberculous mycobacterium species (false-positive results) has been crucial to develop a more proper antigen. In the present study, we selected six M. bovis Open Reading Frames (Mb1992, Mb2031c, Mb2319, Mb2843c, Mb2845c and Mb3212c) by in-silico analysis and evaluated them in experimental and natural infection; none of these antigens had been previously assessed as diagnostic antigens for bTB. The reactivity performance was tested in animals with both positive and negative Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) results as well as in cattle infected with Mycobacterium avium subesp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The six recombinant antigens individually induced an IFN-γ response, with overall responder frequency ranging from 18.3 to 31%. Mb2845c was the most valuable antigen with the potential to discriminate TST-positive cattle from either TST-negative or MAP infected animals. Mb2845c showed similar performance to that observed with ESAT-6 and PPD-B among TST and MTC specific-PCR positive animals, although this result needs to be proven in further studies with a higher sample size. Our data confirm the feacibility to implement bioinformatic screening tools and suggest Mb2845c as a potential diagnostic antigen to be tested in protein cocktails to evaluate their contribution to bTB diagnosis.

An evaluation of the use of immunoglobulin A antibody response against mycobacterial antigens for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle.

Antibody responses are useful indicators of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle. Many studies have evaluated the ability of immunoglobulin G (IgG) to serodiagnose bovine tuberculosis (TB). In the current study, immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG responses against the MPB70 and MPB83 antigens of M. bovis, the 38 kDa phosphate-binding lipoprotein (PstS1) that is a well-known serodiagnostic M. tuberculosis antigen, and a newly identified protein, termed Rv1483c, were compared in M. bovis-infected and noninfected cattle as well as in field samples. The diagnostic utility of the IgA antibody to MPB70 and MPB83 for bovine TB was superior or comparable to that of the IgG antibody, and the sensitivity of serodiagnosis increased when the results of antigen binding by IgA and IgG were combined. The sensitivities of the IgG and IgA antibodies to the Rv1483c and PstS1 proteins were significantly lower than those to MPB70 and MPB83, and no diagnostic utility for Rv1483c was observed in field samples. Importantly, the IgA antibody reacted strongly to the MPB70 and MPB83 antigens and differentiated cattle with TB from healthy cattle in a multiantigen printed immunoassay. The results of this study support the feasibility of using IgA antibody against the MPB70 and MPB83 antigens to detect bovine TB. In addition, approaches using assays for both IgA and IgG antibodies may increase detection accuracy.

Milk yield and reproductive performance of Holstein cows testing positive for bovine tuberculosis.

The objective of this study was to determine if high milk-yielding Holstein cows testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) are affected in their reproductive performance and milk yield. For this purpose, 1044 healthy cows and 105 bTB reactor cows were used. Tuberculosis reactor cows were from four large commercial dairy operations from the same region which were transferred from their barns to an isolated dairy facility. Cows free from this disease were placed in the same barn as the bTB reactor cows but in an isolated division and served as control animals. The analysis of variance with a general linear model for binary data showed that the reproductive performance of bTB reactors was impaired; overall pregnancy per artificial insemination differed (P < 0.05) between bTB reactor and non-reactor cows (16.9 vs. 20.7%). Cows that were TB reactors required 4.7 ± 2.9 services per pregnancy compared with 4.3 ± 2.8 for control cows (P > 0.05). The intervals between calving and conception were similar between bTB reactors (154 ± 78 days) and control animals (150 ± 80 days). Control cows tended (P = 0.08) to produce more milk than bTB reactors over a 305-day lactation (10,684 ± 1720 vs. 10,345 ± 1736; mean ± SD). Serum metabolites indicative of nutritional stress did not differ between bTB reactor and non-reactor cows. It was concluded that both reproductive performance and milk yield decreased marginally in bTB reactor cows, which explains the reluctance of milk producers to get rid of these animals.

Diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis using a metal oxide-based electronic nose.

Electronic noses (e-noses) have been used for environmental monitoring, standardization of medicinal flavourings, food safety tests and diagnosis of infectious diseases based on the statistical analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is officially diagnosed using the intradermal skin test (IST), which is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Therefore, a more convenient and rapid test with greater sensitivity would be advantageous as prescreening test. In this study, we used a metal oxide sensor (MOS) type e-nose to analyse VOCs in a bTB-infected (n = 11) and bTB-free (n = 10) sera, from cattle whose health status was confirmed using the IST, and pathological and bacteriological examinations. The differences in VOCs from bTB-infected and bTB-free sera detected by the e-nose were statistically analysed using principal components and discriminant factor analyses. bTB-infected and bTB-free sera could be discriminated by MOS type e-nose, and analysing time per sample was only 20 min. VOC analysis using a MOS e-nose was a rapid and automated prescreening method to diagnose bTB, and can be used to select bTB-suspect cattle for IST confirmation. Further studies are required to estimate test sensitivity and specificity. Significance and impact of the study: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle is diagnosed using the intradermal skin test (IST); however, this method is very time-consuming and labour-intensive. We analysed volatile organic compounds that are obtained from serum using a metal oxide sensor type of electronic nose to discriminate between TB-infected and TB-free sera. This simple and automated technique will be useful to prescreen bTB-suspects and reduce the time and labour required to perform the IST.

Mannosylated lipoarabinomannan in serum as a biomarker candidate for subclinical bovine tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Early and unambiguous detection of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), a significant disease of cattle worldwide, is necessary to control the spread of infection to other animals and humans. Current testing strategies are laborious, time consuming and heavily reliant on host responses that do not distinguish bTB from other mycobacteria. We report the presence of a pathogen signature, liparabinomannan (LAM), as a potential biomarker for bTB infection. FINDINGS: Fifty-five animals (uninfected [n = 33], bTb [n = 10] and exposed cases [n = 12]) from a well characterized bovine serum repository were screened for the presence of LAM using a commercially available ELISA. Analysis showed that LAM had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 91.7% for bTB detection (bTB positive versus bTB exposed animals). CONCLUSION: LAM detection easily separated bTB infected animals from bTB exposed and negative controls. We propose that pathogen related markers, such as LAM, should be included with current testing strategies as a battery diagnostic for bTB.