Abstract:
From 2005 to 2007, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) strains were isolated from cattle, goats and pigs samples
collected at the Bodija abattoir and from human samples from tuberculosis patients and livestock traders at the Akinyele cattle
market in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria. Seventy four isolates obtained from humans (24) and livestock (50) were identified as
MTC strains. Thirty two isolates were spoligotyped. Nineteen of these 32 isolates were identified as M. tuberculosis whilst 13
were identified as Mycobacterium bovis. M. bovis was isolated from two humans, whereas M. tuberculosis was isolated from a
bovine, a pig and a goat. All the M. bovis isolates identified in this study belonged to the Africa 1 clonal complex. Multiple locus
VNTR [variable number of tandem repeats] analysis (MLVA) was carried out on the 74 isolates. Three major clusters were
defined. Group A consisted of 24 M. tuberculosis isolates (MLVA genotypes 1–18). One strain was isolated from a bovine and
one from a pig. Group B consisted of 49 M. bovis strains (MLVA genotypes 19–48), mainly of cattle origin but also included four
goat, nine pig and two human isolates. Group C consisted of a single M. tuberculosis isolate (MLVA genotype 49) obtained from
a goat. Spoligotyping and MLVA confirmed it as clustering with the East Africa Indian clade found in humans in Sudan and the
Republic of Djibouti. The isolation of three M. tuberculosis strains from livestock raises the question of their epidemiological
importance as a source of infection for humans.
