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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314899
Title: Tuberculosis-resistant transgenic cattle

Author
item TUGGLE, CHRISTOPHER - Iowa State University
item Waters, Wade

Submitted to: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2015
Publication Date: 3/17/2015
Citation: Tuggle, C.K., Waters, W.R. 2015. Tuberculosis-resistant transgenic cattle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 112(13):3854-3855.

Interpretive Summary: Despite highly successful eradication efforts in several countries, tuberculosis of cattle remains a serious health concern worldwide. In addition, recent outbreaks of tuberculosis in various states demonstrate that the disease is far from eliminated. Given the limitations of current control strategies and the emergence of wildlife reservoirs of bovine tuberculosis, complete eradication of the disease is unlikely. The present report is a commentary on a recent publication that provides a proof of principle that genetically modified cattle may be produced that are resistant to bovine tuberculosis. Use of this technology may provide a new tool for the control and potential eradication of bovine tuberculosis from cattle.

Technical Abstract: Tuberculosis is a devastating disease that affects humans and many animal species. In humans, tuberculosis (TB) is mainly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while most cases in cattle are caused by Mycobacterium bovis. However, Mb can also cause, albeit rarely, human TB. In this issue, Wu et al. report the use of novel genetic tools to demonstrate that insertion of one gene into a genomic “safe harbor” can dramatically decrease pathogen replication and disease pathology in M. bovis-infected cattle, and greatly diminish transmission of the disease within cow herds.