Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tuberculosis outbreak in English Foxhounds tested in England 2016-2017
By O'Halloran, Conor et al.·Published in Transboundary and emerging diseases·2018·Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: An outbreak of tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis infection in a pack of English Foxhounds (2016-2017).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A pack of about 180 English Foxhounds in England was found to have an outbreak of tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis, a rare infection in dogs. During testing, 97 of the hounds (59%) showed positive results for the infection, with some having visible lesions confirmed during post-mortem examinations. Unfortunately, some of the infected dogs had to be euthanized due to the severity of the disease. This situation highlights the importance of using specific tests to identify tuberculosis in dogs, and further research is needed to improve these diagnostic methods.
People also search for: dog tuberculosis symptoms · English Foxhound health issues · Mycobacterium bovis in dogs
Abstract
Mycobacterium bovis can cause tuberculosis (TB) in social mammals including lions, cattle and man, but canine infections are considered rare. In 2016/17 we investigated a M. bovis TB outbreak in a pack of approximately 180 Foxhounds within the bovine TB Edge Area of England. We employed a combination of immunological tests including an interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) and a serological assay (DPP VetTB, Chembio). Test-positive hounds were euthanased and subjected to post-mortem examination (PME). Overall 164 hounds were tested; 97 (59%) responded positively to at least one test. Eighty-five (52%) dogs responded to M. bovis antigens by IGRA while only 21 (12.9%) had detectable serological responses. At PME three hounds (3.1%) had visible lesions (VL) due to M. bovis infection, later confirmed by culture. Samples from 24 non-VL hounds were cultured and M. bovis infection was confirmed in a further three hounds (11%). This study is the first investigation and report of an outbreak of M. bovis TB in a canine species. We establish that, in principle, diagnostic tests used for identifying infected individuals of other species can effectively be used in the dog. Further work is urgently needed to establish the sensitivity and specificity of the testing approach used in this study for future clinical application.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30058193/