Isolation of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> complex (MTBC) from dairy cows in China

Abstract

Eleven thousand five hundred and eighty non-blood samples from dairy cows were subjected to mycobacterium culture and genotyping. As a result, a total of 142 isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MBTC) were identified. Among them, 65 were Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while 77 Mycobacterium bovis. The genotype of M. tuberculosis strains was mainly Beijing family. In addition, the isolation rates of MTBC were 33.89% for lung lymph nodes, 2.81% for nasal swabs, and 3.95% for pharyngeal swabs from cattle positive to tuberculin skin test, respectively. This evidence implied that M. tuberculosis infection in cattle is a new risk to public health and should be paid more attention.

Key words: Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, cows, tuberculosis, zoonosis.