Lack of detection of Mycobacterium microti infection in wild rodents from a free‑ranging wild boar outbreak area
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Author
Espunyes, Johan
Puig Ribas, Maria
Melgarejo, Cristian
Martino, Laura
Michelet, Lorraine
Boschiroli, Maria Laura
Sanz, Albert
Allepuz, Alberto
Cabezón, Oscar
Publication date
2023-10-18ISSN
1612-4642
Abstract
Wild small rodents are considered the natural reservoirs of Mycobacterium microti, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) that can cause tuberculosis (TB) in humans and animals, as well as interfere with current tuberculosis
eradication plans in livestock. A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Catalan Pyrenees (Iberian Peninsula) in an area
where M. microti was previously isolated from wild boars, to evaluate the role of micromammals in the epidemiology of this
outbreak. A total of 350 wild rodents were necropsied (306 Murinae and 44 Arvicolinae) in spring and autumn during two
consecutive natural years. Tissues were analyzed by histopathology to look for TB-like lesions and by qPCR and culture to
detect MTBC. Sera were analyzed by MTBC-specifc ELISA. No evidence of TB infection in wild rodents was confrmed.
Results suggest that small rodents did not play a role in the epidemiology of M. microti in the area. The source of this mycobacterium remains unknown, but previous detections of M. microti in various species in southern France suggest the movements of wild boars across the French Pyrenees as the most likely origin of the outbreak detected in the Iberian Peninsula.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
619 - Veterinary science
Pages
6
Publisher
Springer
Is part of
European Journal of Wildlife Research
Citation
Vidal, Enric, Johan Espunyes, Maria Puig Ribas, Cristian Melgarejo, Laura Martino, Lorraine Michelet, Maria Laura Boschiroli, et al. 2023. “Lack of detection of Mycobacterium microti infection in wild rodents from a free-ranging wild boar outbreak area”. European Journal of Wildlife Research 69 (6):111. doi:10.1007/s10344-023-01738-3.
Grant agreement number
EC/INTERREG-POCTEFA/EFA357-19/EU/Red de investigación y desarrollo de herramientas innovadoras para el control de la tuberculosis animal/INNOTUB
Program
Sanitat Animal
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2555]
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