<i>Mycobacterium bovis</i> in pet cats

O’Halloran, Conor; Gunn‐Moore, Danièlle; Reed, Nicki; Vickers, Julie; Dettmering, Eili; Ioannidi, Olympia; Murtagh, Kevin

doi:10.1136/vr.k4452

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…However, the magnitude of risk posed by these organisms is currently unknown. O'Halloran et al (2018) have suggested the possibility of indoor domestic cats being infected by Mycobacterium bovis via raw feeding, although evidence of infection and of transmission route(s) in the cited cases remains uncertain (Middlemiss & Clark 2018).…”

Section: Miscellaneousmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards

Davies

Lawes

Wales

2019

J of Small Animal Practice

125

121

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There is a recent trend to feed pet dogs and cats in Britain and other developed countries on raw meat and animal by‐products using either commercial preparations or home recipes. This shift from heat‐treated processed food has been driven by perceived health benefits to pets and a suspicion of industrially produced pet food. The diets of wild‐living related species have been used as a rationale for raw feeding, but differences in biology and lifestyle impose limitations on such comparisons. Formal evidence does exist for claims by raw‐feeding proponents of an altered intestinal microbiome and (subjectively) improved stool quality. However, there is currently neither robust evidence nor identified plausible mechanisms for many of the wide range of other claimed benefits. There are documented risks associated with raw feeding, principally malnutrition (inexpert formulation and testing of diets) and infection affecting pets and/or household members. Surveys in Europe and North America have consistently found Salmonella species in a proportion of samples, typically of fresh‐frozen commercial diets. Another emerging issue concerns the risk of introducing antimicrobial‐resistant bacteria. Raw pet food commonly exceeds hygiene thresholds for counts of Enterobacteriaceae. These bacteria often encode resistance to critically important antibiotics such as extended‐spectrum cephalosporins, and raw‐fed pets create an elevated risk of shedding such resistant bacteria. Other infectious organisms that may be of concern include Listeria, shiga toxigenic E scherichia coli , parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii and exotic agents such as the zoonotic livestock pathogen Brucella suis, recently identified in European Union and UK raw pet meat imported from Argentina.

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Section: Miscellaneousmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards

Davies

Lawes

Wales

2019

J of Small Animal Practice

125

121

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“…Small rodents have also been observed to frequent badger setts and would be a common feature of the farmed and built environment. The relatively recent recognition of “bite and fight” wounds around the heads of affected cats has led to the intriguing suggestion that, either, these cats have been exposed and infected directly by affected rodents, or the exposed bite and fight wounds have been infected and contaminated by the environment [ 92 ]. Direct contact between cats and badgers seems unlikely.…”

Section: How Might the Environment Become Contaminated By mentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. bovis Survival in the Environment Confound Bovine Tuberculosis Control and Eradication? A Literature Review

Allen

Ford

Skuce

2021

Veterinary Medicine International

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Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one of the globe’s most common, multihost zoonoses and results in substantial socioeconomic costs for governments, farming industries, and tax payers. Despite decades of surveillance and research, surprisingly, little is known about the exact mechanisms of transmission. In particular, as a facultative intracellular pathogen, to what extent does survival of the causative agent, Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. bovis (M. bovis), in the environment constitute an epidemiological risk for livestock and wildlife? Due largely to the classical pathology of cattle cases, the received wisdom was that bTB was spread by direct inhalation and exchange of bioaerosols containing droplets laden with bacteria. Other members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) exhibit differing host ranges, an apparent capacity to persist in environmental fomites, and they favour a range of different transmission routes. It is possible, therefore, that infection from environmental sources of M. bovis could be a disease transmission risk. Recent evidence from GPS-collared cattle and badgers in Britain and Ireland suggests that direct transmission by infectious droplets or aerosols may not be the main mechanism for interspecies transmission, raising the possibility of indirect transmission involving a contaminated, shared environment. The possibility that classical pulmonary TB can be simulated and recapitulated in laboratory animal models by ingestion of contaminated feed is a further intriguing indication of potential environmental risk. Livestock and wildlife are known to shed M. bovis onto pasture, soil, feedstuffs, water, and other fomites; field and laboratory studies have indicated that persistence is possible, but variable, under differing environmental conditions. Given the potential infection risk, it is timely to review the available evidence, experimental approaches, and methodologies that could be deployed to address this potential blind spot and control point. Although we focus on evidence from Western Europe, the concepts are widely applicable to other multihost bTB episystems.

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“…22 Contrary to the common presentation of feline TB as cutaneous lesions on non-pedigree adult cats that hunt, we recently published our findings regarding three highly unusual systemic/abdominal cases of TB caused by M bovis that had occurred in young pedigree cats with no outdoor access in two households in England. 23,24 Of particular note, both of these households are located well within areas of the country deemed to be low risk for M bovis in cattle and other animal species. However, we noted that all three cats had been fed a commercially available complete raw food diet and that the epidemiological significance of this was unclear at the time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, we noted that all three cats had been fed a commercially available complete raw food diet and that the epidemiological significance of this was unclear at the time. Following the publication of letters in the Veterinary Record and Veterinary Times, 23,24 we have now identified and investigated a total of five households infected with M bovis involving 13 cats. Here we report on all of the households and show that the raw food diet is epidemiologically implicated as a possible source of these infections.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tuberculosis due toMycobacterium bovisin pet cats associated with feeding a commercial raw food diet

O’Halloran

Ioannidi²,

Reed³

et al. 2019

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

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Objectives Mycobacterium bovis, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, can infect cats and has proven zoonotic risks for owners. Infected cats typically present with a history of outdoor lifestyle and hunting behaviour, and cutaneous granulomas are most commonly observed. The aim of this study is to describe an outbreak of tuberculous disease commencing with six young cats, living exclusively indoors in five different households across England, being presented to separate veterinarians across the UK with a variety of clinical signs. Methods Investigations into the pyogranulomatous lesions, lymphadenopathy and/or pulmonary disease of these cases consistently identified infection with M bovis. Infection was confirmed by PCR, where possible, or was indicated with a positive interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), where material for PCR was unavailable. Incontact, cohabiting cats were screened by IGRA and follow-up testing was undertaken/advised where results were positive. A lifestyle investigation was undertaken to identify the source of infection. Results Six clinically sick cats and seven in-contact cats were identified with evidence of M bovis infection. Five clinical cases were either too sick to treat or deteriorated despite therapy, giving a mortality rate of 83%. Lifestyle investigations revealed the common factors between clusters to be that affected cats had mycobacterial infections speciated to M bovis, were exclusively indoor cats and were fed a commercially available raw food product produced by a single manufacturer. The Food Standards Agency, Animal & Plant Health Agency, Public Health England and the food manufacturer concerned have been notified/informed. Other possible sources of exposure for these cats to M bovis were explored and were excluded, including wildlife contact, access to raw milk, the presence of rodent populations inside the buildings in which the cats lived and exposure to known infectious humans. Conclusions and relevance Upon investigations, our results provide compelling, if circumstantial, evidence of an association between the commercial raw diet of these cats and their M bovis infections.

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Mycobacterium bovis in pet cats

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards

Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards

Does Mycobacterium tuberculosis var. bovis Survival in the Environment Confound Bovine Tuberculosis Control and Eradication? A Literature Review

Tuberculosis due toMycobacterium bovisin pet cats associated with feeding a commercial raw food diet

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