Evaluating the ability of non-tuberculous mycobacteria to induce non-specific reactions in bovine tuberculosis diagnostic tests in guinea pigs and cattle

Limitations in diagnostic test performance are one of the major challenges hampering the eradication of bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are considered one of the main causes of non-specific reactions in the intradermal tuberculin test, the most widely used bTB diagnostic test. To determine the role of NTMs in bTB misdiagnosis in Spain, an experimental study including the NTM species most commonly found in bTB-positive animals from bTB-free farms in the country (M. avium subsp. avium (Maa), “Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis” (Mah), M. bourgelatii, M. intermedium, M. kansasii and M. nonchromogenicum) was carried out on guinea pigs and cattle. First, guinea pigs were sensitized with the selected NTMs, and six weeks post-sensitization four antigen mixtures (bovine-PPD, avian-PPD, P22 and ESAT6-CFP10) were inoculated intradermally and their effect was measured 24- and 48-h post-inoculation. Larger erythematous reactions were observed in guinea pigs sensitized with Mah, M. kansasii, and Maa, with significant differences in the reactions measured at the bovine-PPD inoculation site for the two first bacteria compared with other NTMs. The sensitization process was repeated in cattle, and five months post-sensitization the same antigen mixtures were inoculated in the cervical region and responses were measured at 48- and 72-h post-inoculation. A significantly higher increase in the skinfold thickness measured at the bovine-PPD inoculation site was observed in calves sensitized with Mah, Maa, M. intermedium and M. kansasii. These results demonstrate that certain NTM species may play a more significant role in bTB diagnostic interferences and show that results obtained in guinea pig and bovine models do not always coincide.