Zoonotic TB: Signs and symptoms

Not all M.bovis infections progress to TB disease, there might be no symptoms at all. The symptoms of TB disease caused by M.bovis are similar to the symptoms of TB caused by M.tuberculosis, which includes fever, weight loss, anorexia, night sweats, etc. Since, the symptoms of Bovine TB are similar to MTB, the clinical picture of sick animal can help in confirmation of diagnosis. 

Clinical Presentations in animals:

Zoonotic TB: Mode of transmission

People are most commonly infected with M. bovis by eating or drinking contaminated, unpasteurized dairy products. Infection can also occur from direct contact with a wound, such as what might occur during slaughter or hunting, or by inhaling the bacteria in air exhaled by animals infected with M. bovis. Direct transmission from animals to humans through the air is thought to be rare, but M. bovis can be spread directly from person to person when people with the disease in their lungs cough or sneeze.

Zoonotic TB

Zoonotic Tuberculosis (zTB) is not a new disease but has long been neglected. Majority of tuberculosis (TB) cases in humans are caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). A number of other organisms from the  M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC), present in animals and the environment, can cause zoonotic TB (zTB), these include M. canetti, M. bovis, M. caprae, M. microti, M. pinnipedii, M. mungi, and M. orygis. 

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