Paratuberculosis and Tuberculosis: Emerging Threats for Wildlife and Livestock

Dear Colleagues,

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis (ParaTB or Johne’s disease), a contagious, chronic and typically fatal enteric disease of domestic and non-domestic ruminants. MAP is considered a zoonosis, as one of the potential etiological agents of Crohn’s disease. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease in humans and animals caused by eleven species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). Of these, Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium caprae are known to be etiological agents of bovine tuberculosis (BTB), found in animals. Although the most common etiological factor of tuberculosis in humans is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, BTB was classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a direct zoonotic disease, dangerous for public health. Diagnostic methods of tuberculosis and paratuberculosis include the cultivation of the pathogen from tissues of infected animals, which should always be confirmed by PCR, providing sensitive, specific and rapid detection with a potentially higher sensitivity. Antibody-detection-based tests include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), agar gel immunodiffusion and complement fixation; however, commercial ELISAs intended for use in domestic ruminants are generally not validated for non-domestic animals, and therefore may be either limited or not suitable to detect antibodies in these species. Paratuberculosis and tuberculosis are commonly detected in domestic ruminants worldwide. However, the role of free-living animals as reservoirs of Mycobacteria in the environment is increasing. Diagnosis and management strategies for paratuberculosis and tuberculosis also need to consider the risk of transmission of Mycobacteria in zoo animals, which should be treated as a public health problem. Zoological gardens harbor various populations of diverse animal species, which are managed in limited space at higher-than-natural densities and hence predisposed to pathogen distribution. 

One of the most dangerous zoonotic diseases is bovine tuberculosis (BTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium caprae, belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causative agent of paratuberculosis (ParaTB or Johne’s disease), a contagious and typically fatal enteric disease of domestic and non-domestic ruminants. MAP is also considered a zoonosis, as one of the potential etiological agents of the Crohn disease. The number of paratuberculosis and tuberculosis cases in humans is believed to be underestimated globally. Free-living animals are an important reservoir of mycobacterial infections in the environment. Diagnosis and management strategies for both tuberculosis and paratuberculosis also need to consider the risk of Mycobacteria transmission in zoological gardens, harboring various populations of diverse animal species in limited space at higher-than-natural densities. The endemic trans-species distribution of pathogens such as Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in wildlife and zoo animals poses a threat to public health. Therefore, in order to ensure public health and animal welfare, wildlife and animals kept in zoos should be subjected to regular testing to minimize the risk of mycobacterial infection and its transmission into humans. 

This Special Issue is searching for original and novel papers on paratuberculosis and tuberculosis in wildlife, livestock and zoo animals.  By combining field investigations, experiments, multidisciplinary management, and ecological models, the invited papers may include a collection of these approaches. Topics that can be addressed include epidemiology, host range, pathogenesis, pathology, transmission, diagnosis as well as the treatment and vaccination of tuberculosis and paratuberculosis.

This Special Issue aims to offer substantial new insights into paratuberculosis and tuberculosis in wildlife, livestock and zoo animals as an important matter of public health, including original research articles, reviews and communications.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: 

1. Epidemiology, host range and susceptibility of wildlife, livestock and zoo animals for paratuberculosis and tuberculosis;
2. Pathogenesis, transmission and zoonotic potential of paratuberculosis and tuberculosis;
3. Clinical signs and pathological changes formed in the course of mycobacterial infection;
4. Diagnostic methods, treatment and vaccination;  
5. Mycobacterial infection and the course of paratuberculosis and tuberculosis in ruminants and non-ruminant animals.

Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Anusz
Guest Editor

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