In the United States, the majority of tuberculosis (TB) cases in people are caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) is another mycobacterium that can cause TB disease in people.
M. bovis is most commonly found in cattle and other animals such as bison, elk, and deer. M. bovis is a slow-growing (16- to 20-hour generation time) aerobic bacterium.
M. bovis is a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, which includes M. tuberculosis. M. bovis can also jump the species barrier and cause TB in humans.
In people, M. bovis causes TB disease that can affect the lungs, lymph nodes, and other parts of the body. However, as with M. tuberculosis, not everyone infected with M. bovis becomes sick. People who are infected but not sick have what is called latent TB infection (LTBI).
Clinically, tuberculosis (TB) caused by M. bovis in humans is indistinguishable from TB caused by M. tuberculosis. Specific diagnosis of Mycobacterium infection may be achieved only by using a series of laboratory tests, including mycobacterial growth characteristics, biochemical properties, susceptibility to pyrazinamide (PZA), and molecular methods.
Bovine TB is not only a relevant zoonosis, with an important economic burden (up to hundreds of millions of euro annually in Europe), but also a relevant human health threat that can spread to humans through inhalation of infectious droplet nuclei and by ingestion of raw milk, than being relevant for public health.
The advent of pasteurization, followed by the establishment of control programs in cattle, have made clinical cases uncommon in many countries.
Mycobacterium bovis infection in human
