Molecular Identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Transmission between Cattle and Man: A Case Report

Abstract

This study described a case of transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection from a man to cattle confirmed by using Bioline® and multiplex PCR known as Genotype® MTBC Kit. A dairy farm was screened using caudal fold intradermal tuberculin test, and a heifer reacted positively to the bovine tuberculin but showed no gross pathological lesions at slaughter. The cattle attendant was also diagnosed with active pulmonary TB infection as a smear positive in the hospital. The attendant’s sputum and the heifer’s bronchial as well as mandibular and submandibular lymph nodes were collected, processed and cultured. The isolates obtained were analyzed using Bioline® as well as Genotype MTBC analyses. The results showed that both the attendant’s sputum as well as the lymph nodes yielded Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This is the first case of human to cattle transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the study area as confirmed by using Bioline® techniques and Genotype® MTBC.