Comparative performance of tuberculin and defined-antigen cocktails for detecting bovine tuberculosis in BCG-vaccinated cattle in natural settings

Comparative performance of tuberculin and defined-antigen cocktails for detecting bovine tuberculosis in BCG-vaccinated cattle in natural settings

Abstract Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a threat to cattle health and public safety. The current control programs are hampered by wildlife reservoirs and socioeconomic barriers. Vaccinating cattle with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) effectively reduces transmission, offering a potential solution for c...

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Main Authors: Abebe Fromsa, Andrew J. K. Conlan, Sreenidhi Srinivasan, Balako Gumi, Wegene Bedada, Miserach Zeleke, Dawit Worku, Matios Lakew, Biniam Tadesse, Berecha Bayissa, Asegedech Sirak, Musse Girma Abdela, Getnet Abie Mekonnen, Tesfaye Chibssa, Maroudam Veerasami, Gareth J. Jones, H. Martin Vordermeier, Nick Juleff, James L. N. Wood, Gobena Ameni, Vivek Kapur
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-02-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Subjects:
BCG vaccination
Bovine tuberculosis
Defined antigen cocktails
Tuberculin
IGRA and skin tests
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85389-1
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Summary:Abstract Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a threat to cattle health and public safety. The current control programs are hampered by wildlife reservoirs and socioeconomic barriers. Vaccinating cattle with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) effectively reduces transmission, offering a potential solution for controlling bTB. A key requirement for vaccination strategies using BCG is the validation of defined antigens to differentiate infections among vaccinated animals (DIVA). We compared tuberculin with DIVA peptide cocktails (ESAT-6, CFP-10, and Rv3615c) in 67 unvaccinated and 67 BCG-vaccinated cattle exposed to M. bovis in a natural setting. The cattle were tested every 4 months with a skin test and every 2 months with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release assays (IGRA) over a year of exposure. Before exposure, the DIVA skin, DIVA IGRA, and tuberculin tests showed 100% specificity in unvaccinated control calves. After exposure, the DIVA skin, DIVA IGRA, and comparative cervical tuberculin (CCT) tests had comparable sensitivities of 46% (95% CI 36, 56), 45% (95% CI 35, 55), and 47 (95% CI 37, 57), respectively, when assessed against animals positive by M. bovis culture PCR. The results suggest that test-and-slaughter control strategies using tests with low sensitivity are not expected to be effective in controlling bTB in high-prevalence herds, and highlight an urgent need to improve the sensitivity of diagnostic tests for bTB in these settings.
ISSN:2045-2322

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