[Tuberculosis as a zoonosis]

There are more than 700 different kinds of major zoonosis. Among them, tuberculosis is important, since mycobacteriosis, including tuberculosis, is common among non-human primates and ruminants. Although the natural host of tubercle bacilli is human, many kinds of animals are susceptible to Mycobacterium spp., including Mycobacterium bovis and other non-tuberculous Mycobacteria. In Japan, the prevalence of the recurrent infection between human and pet animals leads to increasing trends of, and mycobacteriosis of exhibition animals sometimes present a severe problem in a zoo. International standards for the control of infections caused by animals and foods are established by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), which was founded in 1927. Member nations are required to ensure the protection of human and animal life and health on the basis of the international standards. Owing to the standards, animal diseases have been relatively well controlled in Japan. For example, the occurrence of bovine tuberculosis in dairy cattle is extremely limited, and the incidence rate of human tuberculosis in imported laboratory monkeys is quite low. At present, there is the political plan that the Tuberculosis Prevention Law will be incorporated into the Infectious Diseases Control Law without consideration of the notification procedures of the infected animals or certification of non-affected animals. Not only veterinarians but also physicians should be aware of this problem.