Review on epidemiological features of Mycobaterium bovis at the human, cattle and wildlife interface in Ethiopia

Mycobaterium bovis is among a pathogenic species which belongs to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), a group of genetically closely related mycobacteria.1 Mycobaterium bovis (M. bovis) is an intracellular, non-motile, facultative, weakly Gram-positive acid-fast bacillus.2 The MTBC sub-group also comprises M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, M. canettii, M. pinnipedii, M. microti and M. caprae that are generally regarded as host adapted but with the ability to spill over into other species. Mycobaterium bovis is the primary cause of bovine tuberculosis (BTB). M. tuberculosis, M. africanum, M. caprae and M. canettii are human pathogens. M. caprae which causes infection in goats has been initially classified as subspecies of M. bovis but was recently recognized as a species on its own. M. microti affects rodents and M. pinnipedii have been isolated from seals.2 Mycobaterium bovis has an exceptionally wide range of mammalian hosts and affects all age groups of susceptible hosts of domestic, wild animals and human.2 Cattle are the most common maintenance host for M. bovis infection from which transmission can occur to wildlife, or people animals.3