Miller Michele, Buss Peter, Hofmeyr Jennifer, Olea-Popelka Francisco, Parsons Sven, van Helden Paul
1 Department of Science and Technology/National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research/Medical Research Council Centre for Tuberculosis Research/Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 19063, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa.
J Wildl Dis. 2015 Apr;51(2):493-7. doi: 10.7589/2014-07-170. Epub 2015 Feb 3.
Diagnosis of tuberculosis in wildlife often relies on postmortem samples because of logistical challenges and lack of field-friendly techniques for live animal testing. Confirmation of infection through detection of infectious organisms is essential for studying the pathogenesis and epidemiology of disease. We describe the application of a technique to obtain respiratory samples from free-ranging living lions to facilitate detection of viable Mycobacterium bovis under field conditions. We identified M. bovis by mycobacterial culture and PCR in tracheobronchial lavage samples from 8/134 (6.0%) lions tested in Kruger National Park, South Africa. This confirms the respiratory shedding of viable M. bovis in living lions. The implications of these results are that infected lions have the potential to transmit this disease and serve as maintenance hosts.
由于后勤方面的挑战以及缺乏适用于活体动物检测的野外友好型技术，野生动物结核病的诊断通常依赖于死后样本。通过检测感染性生物体来确认感染对于研究疾病的发病机制和流行病学至关重要。我们描述了一种从自由放养的活体狮子获取呼吸道样本的技术应用，以利于在野外条件下检测存活的牛分枝杆菌。我们通过分枝杆菌培养和聚合酶链反应（PCR）在南非克鲁格国家公园检测的134头狮子中的8头（6.0%）的气管支气管灌洗样本中鉴定出了牛分枝杆菌。这证实了存活的牛分枝杆菌在活体狮子中的呼吸道排菌。这些结果表明受感染的狮子有可能传播这种疾病并充当维持宿主。
