Mycobacterium bovis Infection in Red Foxes in Four Animal Tuberculosis Endemic Areas in France

In France, animal tuberculosis (TB) due to Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) affects a multi-host community that include cattle and wildlife species such as wild boars (Sus scrofa), badgers (Meles meles), or wild deer (Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus). The involvement of foxes in the epidemiology of TB is fairly described in countries facing multispecies concerns. After the discovery of grouped cases of TB in foxes in a French TB endemic region, a study was implemented in the core of four TB endemic areas in Dordogne, Charente, Landes (departments of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region), and Côte-d’Or (Burgundy-Franche-Comté region). No infected fox was found in Côte-d’Or (n = 146), where in parallel TB in cattle and other wild species became sparse in the last years. In contrast, in Dordogne, Charente, and Landes, 13 (n = 184), 9 (n = 98) and 7 (n = 140) foxes were found infected by M. bovis, respectively, corresponding to 7.1% (CI95% 3.8–11.8%), 9.2% (4.3–16.7%) and 5.0% (CI95% 2.0–10.0%) prevalence rates, respectively. These infection rates are comparable with those observed in badgers and wild boar in these same three areas (ranging from 9 to 13.2% and 4.3 to 17.9%, respectively), where the number of cattle outbreaks has increased in the last 10-15 years. In each area, the genotypes of foxes’ M. bovis isolates were the same as those in local cattle and other wildlife species. None of the infected foxes presented TB-like gross lesions. M. bovis was found in the mesenteric lymph nodes of 28 foxes (68%). For the 12 foxes where retropharyngeal and respiratory lymph nodes were analyzed separately, M. bovis was present in the respiratory lymph nodes of eight individuals. With regard to excretion, appropriate samples were available for 12 infected foxes from Dordogne. M. bovis DNA was detected in the feces of five of these animals, four of which were infected in the mesenteric lymph nodes. Combined with the knowledge on the biology and ecology of foxes, the results of this study suggest that in areas where infection in cattle is still active in France, foxes might play a role of spillover host in the epidemiology of M. bovis.

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Differential expression of inflammatory and immune response genes in mesenteric lymph nodes of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis

Developmental & Comparative Immunology ◽

10.1016/j.dci.2007.05.001 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 85-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Isabel G. Fernández de Mera ◽

José Manuel Pérez de la Lastra ◽

Patricia Ayoubi ◽

Victoria Naranjo ◽

Katherine M. Kocan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Differential Expression ◽

Mycobacterium Bovis ◽

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Red Deer ◽

Mesenteric Lymph Nodes ◽

Cervus Elaphus Hispanicus ◽

Mesenteric Lymph ◽

Iberian Red Deer

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A mixed infection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis and M. a. hominissuis in one red deer (Cervus elaphus) studied by IS900 BstEII and IS1245 PvuII RFLP analyses: a case report

Veterinární Medicína ◽

10.17221/1927-vetmed ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 53 (No. 8) ◽

pp. 445-451 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

M. Moravkova ◽

I. Trcka ◽

J. Lamka ◽

I. Pavlik

Keyword(s):

Lymph Nodes ◽

Mycobacterium Avium ◽

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Mixed Infection ◽

Red Deer ◽

Chronic Diarrhoea ◽

Mesenteric Lymph Nodes ◽

Tissue Samples ◽

Mesenteric Lymph ◽

Rflp Type

A mixed infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) and Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) in one naturally infected red deer stag from a game park is described. The animal was euthanized because of symptoms of poor condition, weight loss and chronic diarrhoea. In spite of that, pathological lesions were observed only in the mesenteric lymph nodes, which were five to ten times enlarged with confluent caseous granulomas of 1 to 10 mm in size. Mycobacteria were isolated from all studied samples: a mixed infection of MAP and MAH was confirmed by multiplex PCR for the detection of IS 900, IS9011, IS1245 and dnaJ. MAP of the identical IS900 BstEII RFLP type C1 was isolated from all tissue samples and faeces. MAH isolates were detected in six examined tissue samples, including three mesenteric lymph nodes with caseous granulomas. Only minor differences in the band numbers and position of four different IS1245 PvuII RFLP patterns of MAH isolates were found. It follows from these results that red deer may potentially be infected with MAH, when a MAP infection is under way.

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Pathology of Spontaneous and Experimental Infection of North American Wild Ruminants with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis

Veterinary Pathology ◽

10.1177/030098588302000304 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 274-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

E. S. Williams ◽

S. P. Snyder ◽

K. L. Martin

Keyword(s):

Lymph Nodes ◽

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Mule Deer ◽

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Domestic Sheep ◽

Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis ◽

Mesenteric Lymph Nodes ◽

Poor Growth ◽

Distal Small Intestine ◽

Mesenteric Lymph

Spontaneous paratuberculosis was studied in free-ranging and captive bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis), and Rocky Mountain goats ( Oreamnos americanus). Lesions of paratuberculosis in these species resembled the disease in domestic sheep and goats. Mycobacterium paratuberculosis cultured from bighorn sheep was used to orally infect bighorn x mouflon ( Ovis musimon) hybrid sheep, elk ( Cervus elaphus nelsoni), mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus), and white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus), Clinical paratuberculosis developed only in mule deer and was characterized by poor growth and diarrhea. Gross lesions were mild in all species. Enlargement of mesenteric lymph nodes was mild to moderate; the wall of the distal small intestine was affected minimally. Focal to diffuse infiltrates of epithelioid macrophages and giant cells occurred in the cortex of mesenteric lymph nodes, around mesenteric lymphatics, and in the intestinal mucosa. Extraintestinal lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and lung were involved in some animals; focal necrosis and mineralization was present in all species but was severe and widespread in the ceervids.

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Histopathology of Grossly Normal Mesenteric Lymph Nodes of New Zealand Farmed Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Including Identification of Lipopigment

Veterinary Pathology ◽

10.1177/0300985810382671 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 525-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

J. C. Hunnam ◽

P. R. Wilson ◽

C. Heuer ◽

C. G. Mackintosh ◽

D. M. West ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Lymph Nodes ◽

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Red Deer ◽

Mesenteric Lymph Nodes ◽

Mesenteric Lymph

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Paratuberculosis: new histopathological findings in red deer (Cervus elaphus) and fallow deer (Dama dama) in Chile

Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira ◽

10.1590/s0100-736x2017000700016 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (7) ◽

pp. 749-753 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Esteban Reyes Lobão-Tello ◽

Enrique Paredes Herbach ◽

María José Navarrete-Talloni

Keyword(s):

Lymph Nodes ◽

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Red Deer ◽

Fallow Deer ◽

Mesenteric Lymph Nodes ◽

Mesenteric Lymph ◽

Intestinal Lesions ◽

Individual Variations ◽

Gross Lesions ◽

Mycobacterium Avium Subsp Paratuberculosis

ABSTRACT: Paratuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) that affects domestic and wild ruminants. The most common gross lesions are emaciation and corrugation and thickening of the mucosa of the small intestine. Mesenteric lymph nodes might be enlarged. For the present study, 14 red deer and 9 fallow deer from game reserves or venison farms were analyzed. The lesions found correspond to those found by other authors in other geographic locations, except for some differences in histopathological examinations. Among these differences, stands out that intestinal lesions were concentrated mostly in the ileum and granulomas were shown to be more frequent in this section of the intestine than in the corresponding lymph node. Furthermore, in multibacillary lesions the inflammatory infiltrate in the lymph nodes was mainly composed of macrophages. These differences may be due to individual variations of the animals, the stage of disease or a different strain of the pathogen. This study allowed to obtain basic information about the disease and to describe patterns of lesions found in red deer and fallow deer with prediagnosis of clinical paratuberculosis which were not described in the literature before.

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