Ten Years of Animal Tuberculosis Monitoring in Free-Living European Bison (<i>Bison bonasus</i>) in Poland
Monika Krajewska-Wędzina,
Michał K. Krzysiak,
Małgorzata Bruczyńska,
Blanka Orłowska,
Anna Didkowska,
Łukasz Radulski,
Jan Wiśniewski,
Wanda Olech,
Aneta Nowakiewicz,
Mirosław Welz,
Stanisław Kaczor,
Marcin Weiner,
Krzysztof Anusz
Affiliations
Monika Krajewska-Wędzina
National Veterinary Research Institute, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
Michał K. Krzysiak
Białowieża National Park, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
Małgorzata Bruczyńska
Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Blanka Orłowska
Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Anna Didkowska
Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Łukasz Radulski
County Veterinary Inspectorate, C.K. Norwida 17, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
Jan Wiśniewski
Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Wanda Olech
Department of Animal Genetics and Conservation, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
Aneta Nowakiewicz
Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, University of Life Sciences, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
Mirosław Welz
Provincial Veterinary Inspectorate, Piotra Ścigiennego 6a, 38-400 Krosno, Poland
Stanisław Kaczor
County Veterinary Inspectorate, Młynarska 45, 38-500 Sanok, Poland
Marcin Weiner
Pope John Paul II State School of Higher Education, 21-500 Biała Podlaska, Poland
Krzysztof Anusz
Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health Protection, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
In the period 1996–2012, two outbreaks of animal tuberculosis were noted in the population of free-living European bison (Bison bonasus caucasicus) in the Bieszczady Mountains, Southern Poland. As the European bison is an endangered species and particularly susceptible to tuberculosis, not to mention a national icon, the decision was made to test all deceased bison for TB in Poland. The screened bison were obtained by elimination due to poor health or natural death. A total of 159 European bison have been examined over the last 10 years. The individuals came from four regions of Poland (Białowieża Forest, Bieszczady Mountains, Borecka Forest, Knyszyńska Forest), not only from the area where tuberculosis is still endemic. Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium spp. hominisuis were identified in two different herds. The isolation of M. bovis from European bison was the first case described in Poland. So far, the only causative agent of tuberculosis identified in European bison in Poland, both in the wild and in captive herds, was Mycobacterium caprae. The isolated M. bovis spoligotype has not previously been registered in international spoligotype databases so far. The obtained results highlight the need to monitor TB in European bison in Poland.
