PhD Thesis defense by Víctor Lorente Leal at the VISAVET Centre of the Complutense University of Madrid

January 20^th, 2023

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a serious infectious disease of bovids that is subjected to eradication programmes around the world due to its negative effect in animal health and production, as well as its zoonotic potential. Despite the great advances in the eradication of the disease, bTB is still an ongoing problem in certain regions of the EU and Spain. The main objective of this doctoral thesis was the development of novel diagnostic and characterisation tools that can contribute in enhancing the efficiency of the eradication efforts. This was achieved through the development of sensitive and rapid molecular genetic methods for the detection of bTB; the evaluation of whole genome sequencing for epidemiological investigations; and the evaluation of proteomic tools for the rapid identification of non-tuberculous mycobacteria that may interfere with bTB diagnosis. The results obtained by this doctoral thesis highlight the potential of recent advances in molecular and proteomic methods to study bTB. The implementation of the techniques and methods described herein will greatly improve the sensitivity, speed and cost-effectiveness of surveillance and eradication of bTB in the EU and Spain.