Abstract
Lions (Panthera leo) are susceptible to Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection, resulting in the chronic, debilitating disease bovine tuberculosis (BTB). Cases of BTB have been described in captive as well as in free-ranging lion populations, such as the Kruger National Park in South Africa, where M. bovis prevalence in lions may be as high as 79 %. Two aspects of this infection in lions will be discussed. First, the development of a new diagnostic assay for BTB in lions, a lion-specific IFN-γ assay, is presented. Second, the co-infection with FIV, the feline variant of HIV, was investigated. Data from 669 lions from the Kruger National Park was analysed, but there was no synergistic relation found as in their human counterparts.
Miriam Maas
The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), The Netherlands
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