Bovine TB: Research project summary
Project SE3009: The risk to cattle from Mycobacterium bovis infection in wildlife species other than badgers
Project duration: 5 years
This project used a live sampling approach in order to determine estimates of Mycobacterium bovis infectiousness of British wildlife species other than badgers. Samples of urine, faeces, tracheal or gastric aspirates and any bite wound exudates were sampled for M. bovis by culture. Positive samples were confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequencing. In total 4,180 animals from 16 species were live sampled. It was reported that M. bovis was identified for the first time in the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus). This animal had the same molecular type as cattle and badgers at the same farm. It was also reported that M. bovis was identified in a further 7 animals (2 bank voles, 4 wood mice, and 1 rat).
Two different approaches were used to examine the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in wildlife and to attempt to assess the risk to cattle posed by infectious wildlife. Deterministic modelling suggested that without input from other sources, long term maintenance within these small mammal host species was unlikely. Secondly, the risk of a herd breakdown on farms was predicted by investigation with respect to wildlife densities and habitat characteristics. Thirty case and control farms were selected for analysis. Logistic regression was used for the risk analysis. This approach found that the risk to bTB declined with increasing distance to the next farm with recent TB. Only a weak positive association was found with increasing small mammal density. Habitat variables were found to be a better predictor of risk.
The project concludes that common farmland wildlife other than badgers are relatively unimportant to the control of bTB in cattle.
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Page last modified:
July 7, 2008