Bovine TB in Wildlife and Other Animals in Africa

Cattle are known to be the primary maintenance hosts of M. bovis (Brosh et al. 2002; Thoen et al. 2009), but certain species of wildlife are also maintenance hosts of this pathogen (Radunz 2006; Smith et al.

2006). In Africa, African buffaloes and the Kafue lechwe are the primary wildlife maintenance hosts for M. bovis, but there are indications that a number of other species may also be able to sustain the infection (Michel et al. 2006; Renwick et al. 2007; Moiane et al. 2014). (For more information about BTB in wildlife, refer to Chap. 5.) Due to limited studies, and the lack of funding for BTB research and surveillance in wildlife, very scant information exists about the extent of the infection in African wildlife, the importance of wildlife reservoirs in Africa, and the role that they play in the epidemiology of the disease. Much of the available data deal with the situation in Southern and Eastern Africa because of the impact of BTB at the interface on wildlife-ecotourism and conservation in these areas. Bovine TB in wild animals has an impact on wildlife conservation, livestock production, public health, and the burgeoning, lucrative private game ranching enterprises in Southern Africa in particular (de Garine-Wichatitsky et al.

In Africa, other domesticated animals such as sheep (Houlihan et al. 2008; Mendoza et al. 2012), goats (Daniel et al. 2009; Hiko and Agga 2011; Naima et al. 2011), and camels (Kudi et al. 2012) have also been identified to play a significant role in certain countries in the transmission of M. bovis because of their very close interaction with cattle and joint cattle herding and management practices causing intermingling of these species.

Because of the largely unknown but increasing role that wildlife play in sustain­ing and transmitting BTB at the human-livestock-wildlife interface, it is important to adopt a holistic approach that includes wildlife populations when tackling the control and eventual eradication of BTB and zTB in Africa. This is critical given the close contact between wildlife and livestock populations in many areas and the known bi-directional transmission of BTB at the interface (Miller et al. 2007; Munyeme et al. 2008; Siembieda et al. 2011; Gortazar et al. 2012; Palmer et al. 2012; Kaneene et al. 2014a). In Africa the forced close interaction between wildlife and cattle, and sometimes humans, who enhance transmission of M. bovis, is the consequence of the scarce and limited water sources that they have to share.

4.3