New diagnostic tools for wildlife tuberculosis

As the prevalence of tuberculosis is increasing in the human population, controlling the risk of contamination requires a control of animal carriers. Most tuberculosis mycobacteria are able to infect wild species, in whom the pathogenesis, receptivity and immune responses vary widely. Standard screening tools have limited application in wildlife, especially when prevalence is low. Inversely, investigations of cell-mediated immunity through in vitro assay of gamma interferon have numerous advantages (good sensitivity), as long as technical limits are known and can be improved. Furthermore, new tools based on the investigation of humoral immunity seem very promising for the detection of antibody directed against certain immunogenic mycobacterial antigens in a wide range of species. All these methods are currently evaluated in field studies, despite difficulties to ensure rigorous validation.