Bovine tuberculosis: molecular epidemiology and implications in Public and Animal Health
PhD Thesis defense by Beatriz Romero Martínez at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid
September 30th, 2010
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is the cluster of pathogens which posses the higher health concern within the genus Mycobacterium. MTBC comprises seven species, being Mycobacterium tuberculosis the most relevant pathogen for Public Health. Regarding Animal Health, Mycobacterium bovis is the main pathogen that causes tuberculosis in cattle although it has a wide-host range such as wildlife and human beings. Mycobacterium caprae, on the other hand, is the main agent of tuberculosis in goats. The eradication of bovine tuberculosis is the key objective of all programs against this disease. These programmes constitute a priority not only for Public Health but also for the animal welfare, including the market of live animals and their products. To achieve the eradication of bovine tuberculosis is essential to improve the diagnostic tools and to control the infection. With this purpose, the global objective of this thesis is to study the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis in mammals (domestic or wild animals) by means of diagnosis of the infection by bacteriological methods and by molecular characterization of the isolates derived from the studies. These studies will improve our understanding on the epidemiology of the disease, including its dissemination, the antibiotic resistance of the isolates and, in special, the role of wildlife in the maintenance of tuberculosis
