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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Infectious Bacterial Diseases Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #182341
Title: FIELD APPLICATION OF ANTIBODY-BASED TESTS FOR THE DETECTION OF TUBERCULOUS DEER IN MICHIGAN, USA

Author
item Waters, Wade
item Palmer, Mitchell
item Bannantine, John
item Zimmerman, Shelly
item SCHMITT, S
item O'BRIEN, J
item GREENWALD, R
item ESFANDIARI, J
item ANDERSEN, P
item MCNAIR, J

Submitted to: International Conference on Mycobacterium bovis
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/22/2005
Publication Date: 8/22/2005
Citation: Waters, W.R., Palmer, M.V., Bannantine, J.P., Zimmerman, S., Schmitt, S.M., O'Brien, J., Greenwald, R., Esfandiari, J., Andersen, P., Mcnair, J. 2005. Field Application of Antibody-based Tests for the Detection of Tuberculous deer in Michigan, USA [abstract]. International Conference on Mycobacterium bovis. p. 70.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The objective was to determine the potential for field application of antibody-based tests to detect tuberculosis in free-ranging white-tailed deer (WTD). Hunters and Michigan Department of Natural Resources personnel collected 177 blood samples from WTD (November - December, 2004) killed in the tuberculosis endemic region of northern lower Michigan, USA. Head-associated lymph nodes from these deer were evaluated for gross / microscopic lesions and cultured for M. bovis. Tuberculosis prevalence was estimated to be 2.8% (5/177) as determined by culture (all lymph nodes with lesions were culture positive). Conditions of serum quality ranged from clear to dark brown with 0 - 14 days elapsing prior to harvest from whole blood. Four serological tests were run without prior knowledge of tuberculosis status or sample prevalence. Assays included lateral flow immunochromatography (Rapid Test), multi-antigen print immunoassay, immunoblot to M. bovis whole cell sonicate, and ELISA to M. bovis lipoarabinomannan. Sensitivity / specificity of tests ranged from 40 - 60% / 90.7 - 98.8 %, respectively. Retrospectively (i.e, with knowledge of individual tuberculosis status and prevalence), immunoblot to recombinant MPB83 was also performed with a sensitivity / specificity of 60%/99.4%, respectively. Present findings indicate that antibody-based tests are applicable for tuberculosis surveillance in free-ranging WTD populations.