The need for enhanced molecular epidemiological data to unravel bovine tuberculosis transmission among and between badgers and cattle

Epidemiology of diseases is greatly assisted by molecular genetic analyses of pathogen strains. Such fine-scale analyses allow individual strains to be identified and tracked through outbreaks. Recently developed Whole Genome Sequencing for Mycobacterium bovis (bovine tuberculosis) has been proven a powerful tool as it can differentiate among strains causing outbreaks at the level of individual herds of cattle in neighbouring farms. Initial studies conducted in Ireland cast new light on the epidemiology of bTB including evidence indicating that sequential outbreaks on single farms involve both different and identical strains over periods of years, and that badgers sampled near herds can either have identical strains to infected cattle, or significantly different strains.