Bovine TB in Camelids

摘要

Tuberculosis has been reported in South American Camelids (SACs) due to M bovis, M tuberculosis, M microti, and M kansasii. Infections with M avium subsp avium and M avium subsp poratuberculosis, the causative agent of Johne's Disease, have also beenreported in SACs.Historically, SACs had been thought not to be particularly susceptible to tuberculosis. Only rare reports exist of TB in SACs in South America despite it being common in cattle, sheep and humans in the same areas. Outside South America, TB due to M bovishas been reported in the US and Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, and UK, while M microti has been reported in Switzerland and has also been documented in the UK. The population of alpacas and llamas in the UK being kept as pets and also as commercial livestock has risen dramatically over the last 10-15 years. The number of registered alpacas doubled from just under 15,000 to over 30,000 in the 6 year period between 2006 and 2012. The vast majority of these alpacas are distributed around Centraland Southern areas with nearly one third of the population in the South West. Over the same time period, the incidence of bovine TB in the UK has risen dramatically, particularly in the South West of England and Wales. This has clearly brought concentrations of camelids into areas that are endemically infected with M bovis.