A review of infection of wildlife hosts with Mycobacterium bovis and the diagnostic difficulties of the 'no visible lesion' presentation

The pathology, frequency and diagnostic implications of 'no visible lesion' (NVL) tuberculosis (Tb), i.e. infection with Mycobacterium bovis in the absence of macroscopic lesions, are described in a wide taxonomic range of wildlife hosts. Information collected and evaluated on the definiti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New Zealand veterinary journal 2009-06, Vol.57 (3), p.122-131
Main Authors: Gavier-Widén, D, Cooke, MM, Gallagher, J, Chambers, MA, Gortázar, C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenoids - microbiology
Adenoids - pathology
Animal and Dairy Science
Animals
Animals, Wild - microbiology
Autopsy - veterinary
Bovine tuberculosis
brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)
cervids
Diagnosis
Diagnosis, Differential
Disease Vectors
Eurasian badger (Meles meles)
European wild boar (Sus scrofa)
Feral animals
ferrets (Mustela furo)
Husdjursvetenskap
Lymph Nodes - microbiology
Lymph Nodes - pathology
Mycobacterium bovis
Mycobacterium bovis - isolation & purification
Palatine Tonsil - microbiology
Palatine Tonsil - pathology
Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis - diagnosis
Tuberculosis - epidemiology
Tuberculosis - transmission
Tuberculosis - veterinary
Tuberculosis in animals
Veterinary Science
Veterinärmedicin
wildlife
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Description
Summary:The pathology, frequency and diagnostic implications of 'no visible lesion' (NVL) tuberculosis (Tb), i.e. infection with Mycobacterium bovis in the absence of macroscopic lesions, are described in a wide taxonomic range of wildlife hosts. Information collected and evaluated on the definition and occurrence of NVL Tb, histopathological characteristics, post-mortem techniques to detect minimal lesions, and diagnostic difficulties revealed most Tb-infected individuals with NVL had minute tuberculous lesions, which were difficult to see by eye. Acidfast organisms (AFO) were sometimes detected in the lesions. Ideally, mycobacterial culture of pools of lymph nodes and/or oropharyngeal tonsils is necessary for the accurate diagnosis of Tb in the absence of macroscopic lesions. At a very minimum, the diagnostic methods applied for studying the prevalence of Tb in the population should be clearly described, to allow comparison between studies.
ISSN:0048-0169
1176-0710
1176-0710
DOI:10.1080/00480169.2009.36891