Pulmonary Disease due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a Horse: Zoonotic Concerns and Limitations of Antemortem Testing.
Abstract: A case of pulmonary tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis was diagnosed in a horse. Clinical evaluation performed prior to euthanasia did not suggest tuberculosis, but postmortem examination provided pathological and bacteriological evidence of mycobacteriosis. In the lungs, multiple tuberculoid granulomas communicating with the bronchiolar lumen, pleural effusion, and a granulomatous lymphadenitis involving mediastinal and tracheobronchial lymph nodes were found. Serologic response to M. tuberculosis antigens was detected in the infected horse, but not in the group of 42 potentially exposed animals (18 horses, 14 alpacas, 6 donkeys, and 4 dogs) which showed no signs of disease. Diagnosis of tuberculosis in live horses remains extremely difficult. Four of 20 animal handlers at the farm were positive for tuberculous infection upon follow-up testing by interferon-gamma release assay, indicating a possibility of interspecies transmission of M. tuberculosis.
Publication Date: 2012-04-09 PubMed ID: 22567544PubMed Central: PMC3337517DOI: 10.1155/2012/642145Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Animal Health
- Case Reports
- Clinical Examination
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Transmission
- Disease Treatment
- Epidemiology
- Equine Health
- Horses
- Infectious Disease
- Lung Health
- Mycobacterium
- Post Mortem
- Public Health
- Pulmonary Health
- Respiratory Disease
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Zoonotic Diseases
Summary
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The article discusses a rare case of pulmonary tuberculosis in a horse and the difficulties in diagnosing the disease before the animal’s death. It also flags potential zoonotic transmission concern, as four of the animal handlers at the farm tested positive for tuberculosis.
Research Objectives
- The researchers in this study aim to explore an unusual instance where a horse was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- They aim to discuss the challenges of diagnosing this condition in horses before they die (antemortem testing) and potential zoonotic threats – that is, the possibility of the disease transferring from animals to humans.
Methods and Findings
- The case subject here was a horse that did not signal clinical symptoms of tuberculosis before being euthanised.
- It was only after the horse’s death – through postmortem examination – that there was pathological and bacteriological evidence of mycobacteriosis, or tuberculosis in the animal.
- Looking at the horse’s lungs, the researchers found multiple tuberculoid granulomas (clusters of immune cells, often indicative of chronic inflammation), pleural effusion (buildup of fluid between the layers of tissue lining the lungs), and a granulomatous lymphadenitis involving mediastinal and tracheobronchial lymph nodes.
- Also, although they found a positive serologic response to M. tuberculosis antigens in the infected horse, none of the 42 animals potentially exposed to it – including 18 horses, 14 alpacas, 6 donkeys, and 4 dogs – showed signs of the disease or reacted to the antigens.
Implication and Conclusions
- One major conclusion from this study is that the diagnosis of tuberculosis in live horses remains extremely difficult.
- In a zoonotic context, the research also suggests that M. tuberculosis, traditionally considered a human-specific pathogen, might also be transmitted to other animals and back to humans.
- Four of the 20 people who handled the animals at the farm were found to be infected with tuberculosis, which may indicate interspecies transmission of M. tuberculosis.
- Therefore, there may be a broader public health concern relating to the potential zoonotic transmission of M. tuberculosis.
Cite This Article
APA
Lyashchenko KP, Greenwald R, Esfandiari J, Lecu A, Waters WR, Posthaus H, Bodmer T, Janssens JP, Aloisio F, Graubner C, Grosclaude E, Piersigilli A, Schiller I.
(2012).
Pulmonary Disease due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a Horse: Zoonotic Concerns and Limitations of Antemortem Testing.
Vet Med Int, 2012, 642145.
https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/642145 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Research and Development Department, Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc., 3661 Horseblock Road, Medford, NY 11763, USA.
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Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Conte F, Panebianco A. Potential Hazards Associated with Raw Donkey Milk Consumption: A Review. Int J Food Sci 2019;2019:5782974.
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