Detection of Wood Mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) Carrying Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Able to Infect Cattle and Interfere with the Diagnosis of Bovine Tuberculosis

摘要

Mycobacterial infections caused by the complex (MTC) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are of great medical and veterinary relevance. The aim of this research was to study whether small mammals play a role in the epidemiology of mycobacterioses. Four samplings of 100 traps were performed in each of three cattle farms with previous history of tuberculosis or NTM between 2017 and 2018. A total of 108 animals belonging to seven species were trapped, classified, and necropsied, and tissues were submitted to microbiological and molecular methods for mycobacteria identification. The wood mouse ( ) was the most abundant species (87%). No MTC was detected but six different NTM were identified ( , subsp. , , , and a not determined sp.), showing a prevalence of 6.5%. No significant association was found between mycobacteria prevalence and the analyzed factors. Although a role in the epidemiology of MTC could not be attributed to small mammals, . carries NTM that could be pathogenic or interfere with the diagnosis of tuberculosis. According to our results, there is a risk of NTM transmission at the wildlife–livestock interface through potential indirect contacts between small mammals and cattle.