<i>Mycobacterium microti</i>: Not Just a Coincidental Pathogen for Cats



Peterhans, Sophie, Landolt, Patricia, Friedel, Ute, Oberhaensli, Francisca, Dennler, Matthias, Willi, Barbara, Senn, Mirjam, Hinden, Sandro, Kull, Karin, Kipar, Anja ORCID: 0000-0001-7289-3459
et al (show 2 more authors) (2020) <i>Mycobacterium microti</i>: Not Just a Coincidental Pathogen for Cats. FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE, 7. 590037-.

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Abstract

Public interest in animal tuberculosis is mainly focused on prevention and eradication of bovine tuberculosis in cattle and wildlife. In cattle, immunodiagnostic tests such as the tuberculin skin test or the interferon gamma (IFN-γ) assay have been established and are commercially available. Feline tuberculosis is rather unknown, and the available diagnostic tools are limited. However, infections with <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> complex members need to be considered an aetiological differential diagnosis in cats with granulomatous lymphadenopathy or skin nodules and, due to the zoonotic potential, a time-efficient and accurate diagnostic approach is required. The present study describes 11 independent cases of <i>Mycobacterium microti</i> infection in domestic cats in Switzerland. For three cases, clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging, bacteriological results, immunodiagnostic testing, and pathological features are reported. An adapted feline IFN-γ release assay was successfully applied in two cases and appears to be a promising tool for the ante mortem diagnosis of tuberculosis in cats. Direct contact with <i>M. microti</i> reservoir hosts was suspected to be the origin of infection in all three cases. However, there was no evidence of <i>M. microti</i> infection in 346 trapped wild mice from a presumptive endemic region. Therefore, the source and modalities of infection in cats in Switzerland remain to be further elucidated.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Mycobacterium microti, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, vole bacillus, pyogranulomatous lymphadentitis, nontuberculous mycobacteria, interferon-gamma assay
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 07 Jun 2021 09:12
Last Modified: 11 Oct 2023 04:27
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.590037
Open Access URL: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.590037
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3125418