Putative volatile biomarkers of bovine tuberculosis infection in breath, skin and feces of cattle

• Published in: Molecular and cellular biochemistry 2023-11, Vol.478 (11), p.2473-2480
• Main Authors: Brebu, Mihai, Simion, Violeta Elena, Andronie, Viorel, Jaimes-Mogollón, Aylen Lisset, Beleño-Sáenz, Kelvin de Jesús, Ionescu, Florina, Welearegay, Tesfalem Geremariam, Suschinel, Raluca, de Lema, Jose Bruno, Ionescu, Radu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Ammonia; Analysis; Animal health; Biochemistry; Biological markers; Biological properties; Biological samples; Biomarkers; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Bovine tuberculosis; Breath; Camphene; Cancer Research; Cardiology; Cattle; Communicable diseases; Cymene; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Farms; Feces; Gas chromatography; GC-MS; Infectious diseases; International trade; Life Sciences; Limonene; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medical Biochemistry; Organic acids; Organic compounds; Phenols; Propanol; Public health; Skin; Statistical analysis; Toluene; Tuberculin; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis in cattle; VOCs; Volatile biomarkers; Volatile organic compounds
• ISSN: 0300-8177; 1573-4919; 1573-4919
• DOI: 10.1007/s11010-023-04676-5

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is an infectious disease with significant impact on animal health, public health and international trade. Standard bTB screening in live cattle consists in injecting tuberculin and measuring the swelling at the place of injection few days later. This procedure is expensive, time-consuming, logistically challenging, and is not conclusive before performing confirmatory tests and additional analysis. The analysis of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by non-invasive biological samples can provide an alternative diagnostic approach suitable for bTB screening. In the present study, we analyzed VOC samples emitted through the breath, feces and skin of 18 cows diagnosed with bTB from three farms from Romania, as well as of 27 negative cows for bTB from the same farms. Analytical studies employing gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry revealed 80 VOCs emitted through the breath, 200 VOCs released by feces, and 80 VOCs emitted through the skin. Statistical analysis of these compounds allowed the identification of 3 tentative breath VOC biomarkers (acetone; 4-methyldecane; D-limonene), 9 tentative feces VOC biomarkers (toluene; [(1,1-dimethylethyl)thio]acetic acid; alpha-thujene; camphene; phenol; o-cymene; 3-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-pentanol; 2,5-dimethylhexane-2,5-dihydroperoxide; 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol), and 3 tentative skin VOC biomarkers (ammonia; 1-methoxy-2-propanol; toluene). The possible pathway of these volatile biomarkers is discussed.