Diagnosis of tuberculosis in camelids: old problems, current solutions and future challenges

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Zoonoses

Background:

• Tuberculosis (TB) is a major zoonotic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.
• Camelids (New World and Old World) are increasingly important hosts and potential reservoirs for TB.
• TB poses a life-threatening risk to camelids and can transmit to livestock and humans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in tuberculosis diagnosis in camelids over the last decade.
• To highlight ongoing research and remaining challenges in detecting TB in camelids.
• To assess the development of reliable diagnostic tools for infected animals and herds.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on tuberculosis diagnosis in camelids.
• Analysis of recent diagnostic techniques and their limitations.
• Evaluation of ongoing investigations and future research directions.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been made in developing new diagnostic techniques for camelid TB.
• Existing diagnostic tests often lack standardization, sensitivity, and specificity.
• Several new methods show promise in overcoming limitations of current tests.

Conclusions:

• Accurate ante-mortem diagnosis of TB in camelids remains a significant challenge.
• Continued research is crucial for developing standardized and reliable diagnostic tools.
• Improved diagnostics are essential for controlling TB transmission from camelids to other animals and humans.