Mycobacterium bovis infected domestic cats in an officially bovine tuberculosis free country resulting in human infection
Commandeur, Susanna van der Most, Marleen Koomen, Jeroen van Keulen, Lucien Dinkla, Annemieke Luinenburg, Xander Escher, Marieke Jacobs, Pieter Keur, Ingrid Grinwis, Guy CM
Commandeur, Susanna
van der Most, Marleen
Koomen, Jeroen
van Keulen, Lucien
Dinkla, Annemieke
Luinenburg, Xander
Escher, Marieke
Jacobs, Pieter
Keur, Ingrid
Grinwis, Guy CM
Series / Report no.
Open Access
Type
Journal Article
Article
Article
Language
en
Date of publication
2025-04-21
Year of publication
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Title
Mycobacterium bovis infected domestic cats in an officially bovine tuberculosis free country resulting in human infection
Translated Title
Published in
One Health 2025; 20:101048
Abstract
Although the Netherlands is an officially bovine tuberculosis (bTB) free (OTF) country, sporadic infections with still cause tuberculosis (TB) in (non-bovine) mammals, including humans. We describe for the first time cases of infection in domestic cats in the Netherlands with transmission between companion animals and humans. In January 2023, a domestic cat, euthanized due to severe respiratory clinical signs, was diagnosed with . Subsequently, three other cats from the household were euthanized and also diagnosed with . The remaining kitten and dog received antibiotic treatment. Human contacts were screened using Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA). Lung lesions were detected in a TST/IGRA contact which tested positive for DNA. This human lung-derived DNA contained single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were also identified in the DNA of isolated from the cats in this household, strengthening the hypothesis of intra-species transmission within the household. The four TST human contacts received antibiotic treatment. In the same period, another domestic cat from an unrelated household was euthanized due to respiratory clinical signs and diagnosed with . This strain differed 500 SNPs from the strains of the first household and was therefore genetically distinct. Commercially available, ready-to-use raw pet food was a suspected source in both households, however this could not be confirmed. These cases illustrate the need for one-health vigilance among both veterinarians and human physicians as essential to control outbreaks and prevent further spread to humans, companion animals, wildlife and livestock.