Prevalence and Demographic Risk Factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infections in Captive Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) Based on Serological Assays.

ABSTRACT: To address putative TB statuses of elephants and to identify and quantify potential demographic risk factors for TB, three ELISAs specific for different mycobacterial antigens (ESAT6, CFP10, MPB83) and the TB Stat-Pak assay were used as surrogate serological markers for TB infection in elephants. In view of the low number of animals of which the infected status could be confirmed (4 out of 708) Latent Class Analyses of TB serology test outcomes was used to predict the putative TB status of each of 708 elephants as positive (17.3%), inconclusive (48.7%), or negative (34%) when assessed on a population basis. Correlation between test performance of the individual assays was high between the ELISAs, but low with that of the TB Stat-Pak assay. Risk factors, assessed based on cut off values for

SUBMITTER: Angkwanish T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8630616 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature