CLINICAL COMMUNICATION

Pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Beijing strain) infection in a stray dog

S D C Parsons^I; T A Gous^II; R M Warren^I; P D van Helden^I

^IDST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research/MRC Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology/Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics DepartmentofBiomedical Sciences,Facultyof Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 19063, Tygerberg, 7505 South Africa
^IIPathCare Veterinary Laboratory, Private Bag X107, N1 City, Cape Town, 7463 South Africa/PO Box 5371, Helderberg, 7135 South Africa

ABSTRACT

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in dogs is rarely reported and has not previously been documented in South Africa. A case of a stray Maltese crossbreed dog with extensive multifocal pulmonary tuberculosis due to M. tuberculosis is described. Pulmonary granulomas in this case were poorly encapsulated and contained large numbers of acid-fast bacteria, highlighting the potential for infected companion animals to excrete the pathogen. Treatment of canine tuberculosis is generally not advised, and for this reason, euthanasia of diseased animals must be advocated in most instances. Physicians and veterinarians must be aware that companion animals with active disease caused by M. tuberculosis could act as a potential source of infection.

Keywords: canine, dog, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis, zoonosis

“Full text available only in PDF format”

REFERENCES

1. Alexander K A, Pleydell E, Williams M C, Lane E P Nyange J F, Michel A L 2002 Mycobacterium tuberculosis: an emerging disease of free-ranging wildlife. Emerging Infectious Diseases 8: 598-601        [ Links ]

2. Anonymous 1956 Scottish campaign against pulmonary tuberculosis. British Medical Journal 1: 513        [ Links ]

3. Bonovska M, Tzvetkov Y, Najdenski H, Bachvarova Y 2005 PCR for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in experimentally infected dogs. Journal of Veterinary Medicine B, Infectious Diseases and Veterinary Public Health 52: 165-170        [ Links ]

4. Cousins D V Florisson N 2005 A review of tests available for use in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in non-bovine species. Revue Scientifique et Technique, Office International des Épizooties 24: 1039-1059        [ Links ]

5. Department of Health, South Africa 1999 The management of multidrug resistant tuberculosis in South Africa http://www.capegateway.gov.za/Text/2003/mdrtb_manual.pdf        [ Links ]

6. Dungworth D L 1993 The respiratory system. In JubbKVF, Kennedy P C, Palmer N (eds) Pathology of domestic animals 2. DungworthDLAcademic Press, San Diego: 641-652        [ Links ]

7. Dye C, Scheele S, Dolin P, Pathania V, Raviglione M C 1999 Consensus statement. Global burden of tuberculosis: estimated incidence, prevalence, and mortality by country. WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring Project. Journal of the American Medical Association 282: 677-686        [ Links ]

8. Ellis M D, Davies S, McCandlish I A, Monies R, Jahans K, Rua-Domenech R 2006 Mycobacterium bovis infection in a dog. Veterinary Record 159: 46-48        [ Links ]

9. Erwin P C, Bemis D A, Mawby D I, McCombs S B, Sheeler L L, Himelright I M, Halford S K, Diem L, Metchock B, Jones T F, Schilling M G, Thomsen B V 2004 Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission from human to canine. Emerging Infectious Diseases 10: 2258-2260        [ Links ]

10. Foil C 2006 Mycobacterial Infections. In Barr S C,Bowman D D (eds) 5-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Infectious Diseases and Parasitology. Foil C, Blackwell Publishing, Ames: 355-362        [ Links ]

11. Frank I, Lahav D, Aroch I 2002 Myocardial necrosis and severe metabolic acidosis associated with isoniazid poisoning in a dog. Veterinary Record 151: 638-639        [ Links ]

12. Frank L A 1990 Clinical pharmacology of rifampin. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 197: 114-117        [ Links ]

13. Hawthorne V M, Lauder I M 1962 Tuberculosis in man, dog, and cat. American Review of Respiratory Disease 85: 858-869        [ Links ]

14. Liu S, Weitzman I, Johnson G G 1980 Canine tuberculosis. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 177: 164-167        [ Links ]

15. Lopez B, Aguilar D, Orozco H, Burger M, Espitia C, Ritacco V, Barrera L, Kremer K, Hernandez-Pando R, Huygen K, van Soolingen D 2003 A marked difference in pathogenesis and immune response induced by different Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 133: 30-37        [ Links ]

16. Lovell R, White E G 1940 Naturally occurring tuberculosis in dogs and some other species of animals. British Journal of Tuberculosis 34: 117-133        [ Links ]

17. Michel A L, Venter L, Espie I W, Coetzee M L 2003 Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections in eight species at the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, 1991-2001. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 34: 364-370        [ Links ]

18. Richardson M, van LillSWP,vanderSpuy G D, Munch Z, Booysen C N, Beyers N, van Helden P D, Warren R M 2002 Historic and recent events contribute to the disease dynamics of Beijing-like Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in a high incidence region. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 6: 1001-1011        [ Links ]

19. Smith N H, Kremer K, Inwald J, Dale J, Driscoll J R, Gordon S V, van Soolingen D, Glyn Hewinson R, Maynard Smith J 2006 Ecotypes of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Journal of Theoretical Biology 239: 220-225        [ Links ]

20. Snider W R 1971 Tuberculosis in canine and feline populations. American Review of Respiratory Disease 104: 877-887        [ Links ]

21. Snider W R, Cohen D, Reif J S, Stein S C, Prier J E 1975 Tuberculin sensitivity in a high-risk canine population. American Journal of Epidemiology 102: 185-190        [ Links ]

22. Turinelli V, Ledieu D, Guilbaud L, Marchal T, Magnol J P, Fournel-Fleury C 2004 Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in a dogfrom Africa. Veterinary Clinical Pathology 33: 177-181        [ Links ]

23. Warren R M, van Pittius N C, Barnard M, Hesseling A, Engelke E, de Kock M, Gutierrez M C, Chege G K, Victor T C, Hoal E G, van Helden P D 2006 Differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by PCR amplification of genomic regions of difference. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease 10: 818-822        [ Links ]

24. World Health Organization 2007 Global tuberculosis control: Africa http://www.who.int/tb/publications/global_report/2007/annex_2_download/en/index.html        [ Links ]

Received: January 2008
Accepted: May 2008

* Author for correspondence. E-mail: sparsons@sun.ac.za
Parsons S D C, Gous T A, Warren R M, van Helden P D Pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Beijing strain) infection in a stray dog. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association (2008) 79(2): 95-98 (En.). DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research/MRC Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology/Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, PO Box 19063, Tygerberg, 7505 South Africa.