Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, in a kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) from a commercial game farm in the Malelane area of the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Abstract

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, was diagnosed for the first time, in a kudu cow from a commercial game ranch in the Malelane area of the Mpumalanga Province close to the Kruger National Park. This diagnosis has important implications for the eradication of the disease in commercial and communal livestock in the area. Kudus are considered to be a potential maintenance host and, because of discharging fistulae in the parotid area where the lymph nodes are commonly infected, they have the potential of disseminating bacteria over wide areas. Cognisance should be taken of the presence of tuberculosis in a species other than domesticated cattle in this area and its implications for the control of tuberculosis in cattle.