Detection of bovine tuberculosis by tuberculin test and polymerase chain reaction in Van, Turkey

aim of this study was to identify the presence and prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in the eastern Anatolian border province of Van and its villages and to collect the preliminary data required for programs for the prevention and control of this zoonotic disease. The tuberculin test was performed on 210 cattle. Nasal swab and milk samples were obtained from the animals tested. Three cattle that had a positive tuberculin test also tested positive for the DNA target, a 580-bp fragment of IS6110 specific for members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. This fragment was also recovered from milk taken from the third animal tested positive for tuberculin. All the other cattle were negative for bovine tuberculosis on both tuberculin test and PCR assay. The results of the tuberculin test and the PCR were in close correlation with each other. Van is a border province in eastern Anatolia. In the city center and its villages, the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis was estimated as 1.42%.