Marleen van der Most
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Despite the official bovine tuberculosis free status, Mycobacterium bovis sporadically causes tuberculosis (TB) in non-bovine mammals in the Netherlands. In early 2023, two domestic cats from unrelated households were diagnosed with M. bovis following euthanasia due to severe respiratory symptoms. In one household, three additional cats were euthanized, with post-mortem confirmation of M. bovis infection. An epidemiological link was hypothesized but not supported by genetic analysis, as the isolates from the two households differed in spoligotype and by at least 500 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Commercial raw pet food was suspected as the probable source, but this could not be confirmed.
Given the zoonotic potential of M. bovis, human contacts were screened using the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA). Lung lesions were detected by computed tomography in a TST-positive, IGRA-negative contact and M. bovis DNA was isolated from a lung biopsy. This DNA contained specific SNPs also identified in the feline M. bovis isolates from the respective household, supporting the hypothesis of intra-species M. bovis transmission. All TST-positive contacts received antibiotic therapy.
These cases indicate that TB should be considered in the differential diagnosis of respiratory conditions in companion animals and highlight the need for One Health vigilance to prevent M. bovis transmission among humans, companion animals, wildlife, and livestock.
Keywords
Feline tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, Zoonosis, Human transmission, Officially bTB free (OTF) country, The Netherlands
| Registration ID |
ECVM25-67
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| Professional Status of the submitter, who is also the speaker |
PhD Student
|
Marleen van der Most
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Susanna Commandeur
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Jeroen Koomen
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Lucien van Keulen
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Annemieke Dinkla
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Xander Luinenburg
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Marieke Escher
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Marloes Heijne
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Ad Koets
(Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, the Netherlands)
Pieter Jacobs
(Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Ingrid Keur
(Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Guy Grinwis
(Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Erik Weerts
(Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Els Broens
(Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Richard Anthony
(National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands)
Miranda Kamst-van Agterveld
(National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the Netherlands)
Karin Rebel
(Municipal Health Service, Department of TB control, Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Erik Huisman
(Municipal Health Service, Department of TB control, Zutphen, the Netherlands)
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