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. 2022 Mar;53(1):421-431.
doi: 10.1007/s42770-021-00650-9. Epub 2021 Nov 12.

Intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test in the diagnosis of caprine tuberculosis

Carlos Augusto Scacchetti de Almeida  1 , Caio R Dos Santos  2 , Nilson Roberti Benites  3 , Ricardo S Jordão  4 , Érica Chimara  5 , Fernando José Benesi  6 , Sergio S de Azevedo  7 , Márcio Garcia Ribeiro  8 , Sônia Regina Pinheiro  3
Affiliations

Intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test in the diagnosis of caprine tuberculosis

Carlos Augusto Scacchetti de Almeida et al. Braz J Microbiol. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Tuberculosis remains one of the most important infectious diseases with well-known zoonotic nature that affect humans, wildlife, and domestic animals, including goats. Nonetheless, no intradermal tuberculin test has been standardized for caprine diagnosis of tuberculosis. The present study investigated the intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test (ICCTT) in the diagnosis of tuberculosis among 60 goats from farms with history of tuberculosis. The cutoff applied to goats was based on a study where goats had been experimentally infected with Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium. Clinical examination, bacteriological culture, and histopathological staining were assessed to the diagnosis. Isolates compatible with mycobacteria were subjected for molecular diagnosis based on gyrB-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and PCR restriction-enzyme analysis (PRA) of hsp65 gene by BstEII and HaeIII, namely PRA-hsp65 assay. From all goats, 60% (n = 36/60), 3.3% (n = 2/60), and 36.7% (n = 22/60) showed positive, inconclusive, and negative reactions, respectively. Out of 36 goats with ICCTT positive, 75% (n = 27/36) had isolation of mycobacteria and were detected M. bovis by gyrB-RFLP. Molecular diagnosis and histopathological findings compatible with tuberculosis showed 86.1% (n = 31/36) concordance with the ICCTT. When compared ICCTT with M. bovis isolation, gyrB-RFLP, and histopathology, the better arithmetic means of sensitivity and specificity were 2.5 mm for ICCTT compared with M. bovis isolation and gyrB-RFLP, and 4.55 mm when compared with histopathology. Both receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves presented statistical significance (P < 0.001). The identification of other mycobacteria, e.g., M. kansasii, M. flavescens, M. avium, M. florentinum, M. lentiflavum, M. simiae, and Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, not influenced positive results in ICCTT. The concordance between bacteriological, histopathological, and molecular identification with ICCTT findings indicate that the tuberculin test may be used as a valuable tool for diagnosis of caprine tuberculosis and reinforce the importance of association of methods to diagnostic of the disease from animal origin.

Keywords: Goats; Mycobacterium bovis; PRA-hsp65; Tuberculin tests; gyrB-RFLP.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The shaved skin areas show inoculation region of avian (cranial) and bovine (caudal) tuberculin antigen to perform the intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test in a goat. State of São Paulo, Brazil
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pulmonary abscess caused by Mycobacterium bovis in a goat at necropsy after positive reaction in intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test. State of Minas Gerais, Brazil
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
ROC curve with the comparison of intradermal cervical tuberculin test with M. bovis isolation/gyrB-RFLP (A) and histopathology (B)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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