An In-Contact Study Of Mycobacterium Infection In Cattle And Relations Of Tuberculosis Patients In Sokoto, Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological link between tuberculosis in livestock and man in a livestock rearing community. This was done through a follow up of human patients, diagnosed with clinical tuberculosis at the Sokoto Specialist Hospital, to their residences and carrying out tuberculin test on their domesticated animals and human contacts. From the human patients, tubercle bacilli were isolated through bacteriological examination while the single cervical comparative tuberculin test was conducted for the animals. Findings revealed that mycobacterium species isolated from the human patients were M. tuberculosis 9; M. bovis 4 and atypical mycobacterium 3. Patients' relation reacted to Mantoux test showing 50% infection rate. The comparative tuberculin test conducted showed that 4 reacted to M. tuberculosis 5 to M. bovis and 7 no reaction. The animals kept in the household of the patients showed reaction to tuberculin PPD which suggest that the causative organism in the patients and that infecting the animals are the same species. There is a need to undertake an in-depth study into transmissibility of tuberculosis between livestock and man within a household.

Keywords: In-contact, Mycobacterium Infection, Cattle, Tuberculosis Patients

Nigerian Veterinary Journal Vol. 27 (3) 2006 pp. 87-90