Human-to-human and human-to-dog Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission studied by IS6110 RFLP analysis: a case report

Abstract

This study reports on the transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis of the same IS6110 RFLP type between two acquaintances with open pulmonary tuberculosis and a five-year-old Doberman bitch. No clinical signs, gross lesions at necropsy or histopathological lesions were observed in the infected lungs and gastrointestinal tract of the dog, although M. tuberculosis was directly detected by IS6110 PCR and culture examinations in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. IS6110 PCR positivity in the faeces and blood of the dog poses a risk of M. tuberculosis transmission between the dog and humans.

Keywords

• zoonosis
• human tuberculosis
• pet animal