Mycobacterial Diseases of Animals 2012

Copyright © 2012 Mitchell V. Palmer et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobac-terium avium subsp. avium, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, Mycobacterium ulcerans, and other myco-bacteria are the etiologies of important diseases in humans and a wide range of animal species including cattle, sheep, a remarkably broad host range and is a serious zoonotic pathogen. In spite of centuries of investigation and costly eradication efforts, M. bovis remains an important pathogen at the interface of humans, livestock, and wildlife. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis is one of the most widespread pathogens of dairy cattle, causing decreased production, protracted diarrhea, and emaciation. This 2nd special issue on mycobacterial diseases of animals contains 16 papers comprising 4 reviews and 12 original research papers on various topics including immunology, epidemiology, microbiology, genomics, vacci-nology, and pathology. Authors from 9 different countries provide a diverse examination of mixed topics including M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The issue begins with G. M. Kassa et al. examining a cross-section of Ethiopian small ruminants and describing the isolation of M. tuberculosis from goats and stressing important zoonotic implications. From Spain, B. Beltrán-Beck and colleagues review the significant progress on oral vaccination of Eurasian wild boar with the vaccine M. bovis BCG and a new heat-killed M. bovis vaccine. R. A. Skuce et al. review important risk factors for bovine TB herd breakdowns in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The next 3 papers focus on immunology and diagnostics beginning with B. Fernández et al. and their analysis of an ELISA for bovine paratuberculosis. J. T. Nelson and colleagues evaluate a rapid serologic test for tuberculosis diagnosis in several deer species, while M. L. Mon et al. search for improved antigens for use in bovine paratuberculosis diagnosis. M. V. Palmer and collaborators review in detail wildlife reservoirs of M. bovis and the potential for disease transmission at the livestock-wildlife-human interface. C. Mackintosh and colleagues from New Zealand describe experimental infection of red deer with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis and examine the clinical, immunological, and pathological outcomes. Rapid diagnostic tests for both bovine tuberculosis and paratuberculosis are high priorities in the veterinary medical field, and A. Wadhwa et al. review current and future platforms for diagnostic assays. A. Lim …