Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a calf in West Texas: A rare pathology

Abstract

The transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from humans to cattle is relatively uncommon and has not been reported in the United States. In the summer of 2018, a 5-month-old calf on a dairy farm in North West Texas failed a caudal fold test during routine screening. The animal was eventually euthanized, and a lymph node culture was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, genotype G08735. Studies in Ethiopia have also reported that animals can become infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis under certain conditions. This process likely depends on the methods used to manage livestock, the frequency of tuberculosis in adult populations, and the characteristics of the tuberculosis in these farm workers; its identification has important implications for workers and cattle.