Short communication: Important role of Non Tuberculous Mycobacteria in Non-Human primate TB testing in Ethiopia

Abstract

Tuberculosis is an important disease in captive non-human primates (NHP) but remains challenging to diagnose accurately. The tuberculin skin test (TST) remains the standard test used worldwide, whereby the single intradermal tuberculin test (SIDT) in the eye-lid is the most frequently used method to diagnose TB in NHP. In this study, 9 NHP (5 baboon spp.) and 4 geladas (T. gelada) were tested for TB using the Primagam (whole blood immunoassay) in order to assess the feasibility of relocation into the wild. Although the results showed that all species reacted to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), the geladas showed a consistent distinct reaction pattern with very high reactivity to NTM. The results suggest that using the SIDT in Ethiopian primates, particularly the endemic geladas, would lead to a high number of false positive animals, highlighting the current challenge to accurately diagnose NHP for TB, which could help in the conservation efforts in the country.

Key words: Ethiopia; TB; Non-human primate; Gelada; non-tuberculous mycobacteria