Tuberculosis prevalence and risk factors for water buffalo in Pará, Brazil

Abstract

The prevalence of and possible risk factors for tuberculosis were studied in water buffalo from Pará, Brazil. In this study, 3,917 pregnant and nonpregnant female Murrah and Mediterranean buffaloes were studied; 2,089 originated from Marajó Island, and 1,108 were from the mainland. The comparative cervical tuberculin test was used as a diagnostic test for tuberculosis in these animals. The prevalence of positive buffaloes was 3.5 % (100/2,809) on Marajó Island and 7.2 % (80/1,108) on the mainland. The municipalities with the highest tuberculosis prevalence rates in animals were Ipixuna do Pará (10.1 %), Marapanim (9.8 %), Chaves (9.4 %), Paragominas (8.6 %), and Cachoeira do Arari (6.7 %). The tuberculosis prevalence was not significantly different between the Murrah (4.3 %) and Mediterranean (4.8 %) breeds or between pregnant (5 %) and nonpregnant (4.3 %) buffaloes. Tuberculosis was detected in water buffaloes from Pará, Brazil; the mainland buffalo exhibited the highest tuberculosis prevalence. These results indicate that this disease is dangerous to public health and buffalo farming in Pará.

Molecular characterization of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle and buffalo in Amazon Region, Brazil

“…The prevalence in buffaloes seems to agree with previous studies in the region (Barbosa et al, ; Mota et al, ); however, in the first study, out of 266 skin test reagent animals, only 14 were sacrificed for microbiological analysis and in our second study, only TST test was performed and all TST reagent animals were tested for microbiological and molecular diagnosis of M. bovis . In our study, the higher prevalence in buffalos might be explained by three factors: an environmental factor—in this study, buffalo herds had less herd health than cattle herds; a behavioural factor—buffaloes under pasture have a high tendency to stay closer to each other than cattle which favours the transmission of the M. bovis , or a genetic factor, buffalo can be more susceptive to specific M. bovis strain.…”

Comparison of the tuberculin test, histopathological examination, and bacterial culture for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) in buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Brazil

“…Considering their robustness, it is believed that buffaloes are resistant to various diseases that affect cattle. However, it has been reported that they are susceptible to several infectious agents that affect cattle, including Mycobacterium bovis, the etiologic agent of tuberculosis (Barbosa et al 2014). Tuberculosis is a zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution that is responsible for severe economic losses to the production chain and is of great economic and social impact in Brazilian agribusiness.…”

“…Several factors have limited the effective diagnosis of tuberculosis in the buffalo population, including a lack of data on disease prevalence and incidence in Brazilian herds (Barbosa et al 2014). Furthermore, the role of atypical mycobacteria in the epidemiology of tuberculosis in buffaloes remains understudied.…”

Comparison of the cutaneous response of the comparative cervical tuberculin (CCT) test with different reading times in buffaloes

“…Some studies have been carried out in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in buffaloes in several regions of the country (BARBOSA et al, 2014;MINHARRO, 2016;PEREIRA et al, 2009). However, all following the recommendations of the diagnosis for cattle.…”