Antibody detection tests improve the sensitivity of tuberculosis diagnosis in cattle
Investigation published in Research in Veterinary Science
June 1st, 2017
We evaluated the sensitivity (Se) of the single cervical intradermal tuberculin (SIT) test, two interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) assays and three different antibody detection techniques for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) diagnosis in 131 mixed beef breed cattle. The results of the diagnostic techniques performed over the whole herd, and over the animals confirmed as infected based on the presence of lesions compatible with the disease and/or M. bovis isolation were compared to determine apparent prevalence (AP) and Se.
The Se of the SIT test (severe interpretation) was 63.7% (95% CI, 54.54–72.00), while the Se of the IFN-γ assays ranged between 60.2% and 92%. The proportion of infected cattle detected by the different antibody detection techniques ranged from 65.5% to 87.6%. Three of the antibody detection techniques yielded a significant higher (p < 0.05) Se than that achieved with the official diagnostic techniques. In addition, the interpretation in parallel of cellular and antibody detection techniques reached the highest Se: 98.2% (95% CI, 93.78–99.51) suggesting that the use of diagnostic techniques detecting both cellular and humoral responses could be considered as an alternative in the control of bTB outbreaks in high prevalence settings
Casal C., Infantes-Lorenzo JA., Risalde MA., Diez-Guerrier A., Dominguez M., Moreno I., Romero B., de Juan L., Saez-Llorente JL., Juste R., Gortazar C., Dominguez L. and Bezos J..
 | Servicio de Micobacterias (MYC). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
 | Servicio de Inmunología. Centro Nacional de Microbiología (CNM). Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). |
 | Sanidad y Biotecnología (SaBio). Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Universidad de Castilla La Mancha (UCLM). Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM). |
 | MAEVA SERVET, S.L.. |
| Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
 | Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA). Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). |
 | Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA). Gobierno del Principado de Asturias. |
