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      Herd-Level Risk Factors for Bovine Tuberculosis: A Literature Review

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          Abstract

          Bovine tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is one of the most challenging endemic diseases currently facing government, the veterinary profession, and the farming industry in the United Kingdom and Ireland and in several other countries. The disease has a notoriously complex epidemiology; the scientific evidence supports both cattle-cattle and wildlife-cattle transmission routes. To produce more effective ways of reducing such transmission, it is important to understand those risk factors which influence the presence or absence of bovine TB in cattle herds. Here we review the literature on herd-level risk factor studies. Whilst risk factors operate at different scales and may vary across regions, epidemiological studies have identified a number of risk factors associated with bovine TB herd breakdowns, including the purchase of cattle, the occurrence of bovine TB in contiguous herds, and/or the surrounding area as well as herd size. Other factors identified in some studies include farm and herd management practices, such as, the spreading of slurry, the use of certain housing types, farms having multiple premises, and the use of silage clamps. In general, the most consistently identified risk factors are biologically plausible and consistent with known transmission routes involving cattle-cattle and wildlife-cattle pathways.

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          Cattle movements and bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain.

          For 20 years, bovine tuberculosis (BTB) has been spreading in Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) and is now endemic in the southwest and parts of central England and in southwest Wales, and occurs sporadically elsewhere. Although its transmission pathways remain poorly understood, the disease's distribution was previously modelled statistically by using environmental variables and measures of their seasonality. Movements of infected animals have long been considered a critical factor in the spread of livestock diseases, as reflected in strict import/export regulations, the extensive movement restrictions imposed during the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the tracing procedures after a new case of BTB has been confirmed and the Government's recently published strategic framework for the sustainable control on BTB. Since January 2001 it has been mandatory for stock-keepers in Great Britain to notify the British Cattle Movement Service of all cattle births, movements and deaths. Here we show that movements as recorded in the Cattle Tracing System data archive, and particularly those from areas where BTB is reported, consistently outperform environmental, topographic and other anthropogenic variables as the main predictor of disease occurrence. Simulation distribution models for 2002 and 2003, incorporating all predictor categories, are presented and used to project distributions for 2004 and 2005.
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            Classification of worldwide bovine tuberculosis risk factors in cattle: a stratified approach

            The worldwide status of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) as a zoonosis remains of great concern. This article reviews the main risk factors for bTB in cattle based on a three-level classification: animal, herd and region/country level. A distinction is also made, whenever possible, between situations in developed and developing countries as the difference of context might have consequences in terms of risk of bTB. Recommendations are suggested to animal health professionals and scientists directly involved in the control and prevention of bTB in cattle. The determination of Millenium Development Goals for bTB is proposed to improve the control/eradication of the disease worldwide.
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              Mycobacterium bovis infection and tuberculosis in cattle.

              This review considers the possible events that can occur when cattle are exposed to Mycobacterium bovis and, where appropriate, draws on principles accepted for tuberculosis infection in humans and laboratory animal models. Consideration is given to the many complex factors which influence the outcome of challenge with tubercle bacilli. These include features inherent to the mycobacterium, the host and the environment. It is apparent that clinical disease probably occurs only in a relatively small, but undetermined, proportion of cattle that are exposed to Al. bovis. The majority of animals may clear infection or control the bacilli, possibly in a condition of latency. It is concluded that a better understanding of the dynamics of the events following M. bovis exposure and subsequent infection in cattle would be of significant benefit in developing new tools appropriate for disease control and to designing optimal approaches for their application.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Vet Med Int
                Vet Med Int
                VMI
                Veterinary Medicine International
                Hindawi Publishing Corporation
                2090-8113
                2042-0048
                2012
                28 June 2012
                : 2012
                : 621210
                Affiliations
                Veterinary Sciences Division, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast BT4 3SD, UK
                Author notes

                Academic Editor: Jesse M. Hostetter

                Article
                10.1155/2012/621210
                3395266
                22966479
                7c8aaeaa-d4eb-4856-8a6a-01a211e72777
                Copyright © 2012 Robin A. Skuce et al.

                This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 6 January 2012
                : 14 April 2012
                Categories
                Review Article

                Veterinary medicine
                Veterinary medicine

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