Review on the Epidemiology, Public Health and Economic Importance of Bovine Tuberculosis

Abstract

Bovine tuberculosis has been widely distributed throughout the world and it has been a cause for great economic loss in animal production and productivity. In a large number of countries bovine tuberculosis is a major infectious disease among cattle, other domesticated animals, and certain wildlife reservoirs. Transmission to humans constitutes a public health problem, and conditions such as culture of consuming raw milk, keeping cattle in close proximity to the owner house and immune suppressive disease can exacerbate the disease. Bovine tuberculosis is characterized by formation of granulomas in tissue especially the lungs, lymph nodes, liver, intestines and kidneys. Infection in cattle is usually diagnosed in the live animal on the basis of delayed hypersensitivity reactions, necropsy, histopathological and bacteriological techniques. Rapid nucleic acid methodologies, such as the polymerase chain reaction, may also be used although these are demanding techniques and should only be used when appropriately validated. Due to the grave consequences of Mycobacterium bovis infection on animal and human health, it is necessary to introduce rigorous control measures to reduce the risk of the disease in human and animal populations. The introduction of proper food hygiene practices and stronger inter sectorial collaboration between the medical and veterinary professions is vital to the control of the disease. Since it is chronic bacterial disease which requires a rigorous and lengthy anti-bacterial treatment which is costly to treat, prevention of the disease is better than curing the diseased one.

Keywords: Bovine Tuberculosis, Epidemiology, Public health important.