Bovine tuberculosis in Taiwan, 2008-2019

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a zoonotic disease with underestimated global TB control implications.
• The One Health approach integrates human and animal health for comprehensive disease surveillance and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of human bTB in Taiwan using a One Health framework.
• To analyze drug resistance patterns and genetic diversity of Mycobacterium bovis strains in humans and animals.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 20,972 human TB cases in Taiwan to identify bTB cases.
• Genotyping of Mycobacterium bovis strains from human and animal sources using spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR.
• Assessment of drug resistance profiles for pyrazinamide and isoniazid.

Main Results:

• 202 human bTB cases (1.0%) were identified, predominantly pulmonary and in males, with limited reported animal contact.
• All human M. bovis strains exhibited pyrazinamide resistance; 30.2% showed concurrent isoniazid resistance, and 2.0% were multidrug-resistant.
• A predominant M. bovis genotype (SB0265) found in humans was also prevalent in livestock, alongside six animal-specific genotypes.

Conclusions:

• Human bTB surveillance in Taiwan highlights significant drug resistance, particularly to pyrazinamide.
• The genetic overlap between human and animal M. bovis strains underscores the importance of the human-animal interface in bTB transmission.
• Integrated surveillance and investigations at the human-animal interface are critical for effective bTB control.