TUBERCULOSIS, ELEPHANTS - NEPAL

[Treyfish]

TUBERCULOSIS, ELEPHANTS - NEPAL
Rare Nepal elephants suffer from tuberculosis
Of Nepal's 250 endangered elephants, 10 are suffering from
tuberculosis in a national park and the disease is threatening to
spread to humans and other wildlife, authorities said on Monday [11
Jun 2007]. Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal attracts thousands
of tourists every year and has numerous rare wildlife, such as
rhinoceroses and tigers.

Park authorities said tests had confirmed at least 10 of 100
domesticated Asian elephants in Chitwan had contracted the disease in
the past 2 years.

"Tests have confirmed that the elephants have tested positive for TB
and we are trying to provide treatment," Kamal Gaire, a senior
veterinary official, said by phone from Chitwan, 80 km (50 miles)
south of Kathmandu. "This is serious because it may spread to human
beings."

Park officials said this is the 1st time that tuberculosis in
elephants had been reported in the Himalayan nation. [This statement
does not agree with other information; see "Elephant TB Initiative -
Nepal TB Research" at:
<http://www.elephantcare.org/tbnepal.htm>
- Mod.AS]

Nepal has about 150 elephants in the wild and about 100 domesticated
pachyderms, some of which are used in safaris by private hotels and
state-run national parks. Elephants are a protected species in Nepal
and killing them carries a jail term of up to 15 years.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[_Mycobacterium tuberculosis_ is a threat to captive elephants
worldwide; the high incidence of TB among humans in Asia makes it
likely that many elephants are infected. Infected elephants, on their
part, expose humans to infection.

Since elephants can also be infected by _M. bovis_, differentiation
on the laboratory level is required, though the reported cases in
Nepalese elephants are likely to be caused by _M. tuberculosis_.

For USDA-APHIS guidelines for the control of tuberculosis in elephants, see
<http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/TBGuidelines2003.pdf>.
The guidelines include, among others, chapters on Principles of
Anti-tuberculosis Therapy and on Anti-tuberculosis Drugs.

For further reading, refer to the website of The Elephant
Tuberculosis Initiative (Elephant Care International) at:
<http://www.elephantcare.org/tbshort.htm>
- Mod.AS]:tiphat: http://www.promedmail.org/pls/prome..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,37990

 

[Theresa42]

Re: TUBERCULOSIS, ELEPHANTS - NEPAL

Poor elephants.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: TUBERCULOSIS, ELEPHANTS - NEPAL

More news on tuberculosis in Nepal here:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21226

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: TUBERCULOSIS, ELEPHANTS - NEPAL

Mycobacterium tuberculosis: An Emerging Disease of Free-Ranging Wildlife

(snipped)

Tuberculosis (TB), considered an important emerging disease in humans, is now the leading cause of death in adults worldwide (1). Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the most common infection in humans, M. bovis is responsible for an increasing proportion of human TB cases (1). M. bovis is widespread in domestic animals and has been extensively documented in both captive and free-ranging wildlife populations (2). A number of wildlife populations are endemically infected, for example, the European badger (Meles meles) in the United Kingdom (3) and the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in South Africa (2). These permanent reservoirs of infection pose a serious threat to public health and TB eradication programs. In contrast, M. tuberculosis is considered primarily a human pathogen and has been reported only in domestic or wildlife species living in close, prolonged contact with humans (4,5).<SUP> </SUP>We describe the first documented outbreak of M. tuberculosis in free-ranging wildlife and discuss the implications for ecotourism and wildlife health.

(details - see link)

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Discussion[/FONT]

Because the lesions in the mongooses and the suricate were disseminated, the route of infection is not clear. However, an oral route of infection is suspected because the pulmonary lesions involved the interstitium and alveolar walls rather than the bronchioles, and mesenteric but not pulmonary lymph nodes were enlarged (banded mongoose). The behavioral pattern of both species would have facilitated exposure to human excretions in the environment and therefore to M. tuberculosis from any TB-infected humans.

Ecologic, environmental, and demographic factors influence the emergence of disease (10). TB incidence is increasing rapidly throughout the world with most cases in developing countries. In 1996, the Western Cape of South Africa had one of the highest incidences of human TB in the world (11). In Botswana, where most people are likely to have been infected with TB by adulthood (12), the TB infection rate in humans increased from 202 per 100,000 in 1989 (13) to 537 per 100,000 in 1999 (14). Concurrent HIV infection may shorten the time for TB infection to progress to overt disease, leading to increased severity of clinical signs and amount of Mycobacteria shed into the environment (15). In 1999, HIV sentinel surveillance in Botswana indicated that 36% of women receiving routine antenatal care were seropositive for HIV (16). In addition, concurrent helminthic infections may decrease the host immune response to TB, leading to reactivation of latent TB infections in humans and possibly increasing the level of TB in a community (17). Research is urgently required to better understand the epidemiology of M. tuberculosis in free-ranging wildlife and their potential to maintain infection in the absence of human reservoirs. Another factor influencing disease emergence is the dramatic increase in travel. In 1999, >89,000 visitors were recorded in Chobe National Park (18). Changes in the health, mobility, and number of humans in the vicinity of wildlife may have led to an increased level of M. tuberculosis being shed into the environment, resulting in this spillover of infection into a wildlife population.

Expansion of ecotourism, changes in land-use practices, and escalating competition for resources has increased contact between free-ranging wildlife and humans. Tremendous attention has been given to the zoonotic potential of emerging diseases in wildlife populations and the threat they present to human health. Little attention, however, has been given to the reverse: the disease threat humans present to wildlife. A number of reports have suggested links between pathogen occurrence in wildlife populations and human exposure, but the diagnoses were not confirmed and proof of transmission was lacking (19). In other cases involving macroparasites, the pathogens have been found in a number of domestic or free-ranging wildlife hosts, complicating transmission routes and links to human reservoirs (20,21). This report, however, represents the first clearly documented case of a primary human pathogen infecting free-ranging wildlife. The report underscores the need to heighten awareness of humans as a potential reservoir of disease for wildlife and the role humans may play in the emergence of infectious disease in wildlife populations. This understanding will be essential for developing effective programs for public and wildlife health.

Ecotourism brings large numbers of people to wildlife areas and provides both important economic benefits and an instrument for the conservation of biodiversity. However, susceptible wildlife populations may be negatively affected by the increased exposure to humans and their pathogens. A better understanding of the dynamics of disease transmission between humans and wildlife is critical, and mechanisms must be identified that limit wildlife exposure to human pathogens. Attention to this area of wildlife management is essential to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources.

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http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol8no6/01-0358.htm