ZooTB Study V1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
ZooTB Study: Estimating the burden of zoonotic tuberculosis in Southwest England
IRAS ID
303913
Contact name
Ellen Brooks-Pollock
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
Summary of Research: Zoonotic tuberculosis (zTB) is a form of TB disease in humans caused mainly by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis, the main cause of TB in cattle. zTB is considered a neglected disease and prevalence is likely underestimated due to poor surveillance and difficulties in diagnosis. M. bovis can be transmitted from infected cattle to humans by consumption of contaminated raw milk and meat, or via aerosols. Southwest England is at the centre of the bovine TB (bTB) epidemic. Therefore, individuals in close contact with bTB may be at increased risk of exposure. One method to assess whether someone has been exposed to M. bovis and is latently infected is by measuring a person’s immune response to the bacterium using a blood-based test. We will use this test to determine the prevalence of zTB in persons in contact with TB-infected cattle in Southwest England. We will ask participants to complete a short questionnaire about themselves and their contact with TB-infected cattle. We will use this information in conjunction with blood test results to explore what risk factors, if any, are associated with becoming infected with bovine TB. We will analyse the results and publish them in a scientific journal, and we will engage with the farming community directly. This study will help provide an estimate for zTB prevalence and risk factors in a bovine TB high risk area, providing essential evidence to inform science and policy relating to TB control in both cattle and humans.
Summary of Results: Zoonotic tuberculosis (TB) is a form of TB in humans caused by the TB species that usually infects cattle. The symptoms of zoonotic TB are indistinguishable from other forms of TB, however it is naturally drug resistant to one of the first line TB drugs, therefore treatment is longer and has more side effects than standard TB treatment.
Communities at risk of zoonotic TB tend to be rural, isolated populations, underserved by healthcare and cases are often not recorded. In the UK, numbers of cases of zoonotic TB are low, but have increased in recent years, especially in southwest England, where there are high rates of TB in cattle.
We worked with the farming community in southwest England to develop a study to measure rates of latent TB infection in people who regularly work with TB-infected cattle. We found people have very high levels of exposure: 93% of participants were in daily contact with TB-infected cattle and 85% of participant consumed raw milk. Despite the high levels of exposure to cattle TB, we found low levels of latent TB infection – only one person out of 85 participants tested positive for latent TB.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Sheffield Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/YH/0241
Date of REC Opinion
4 Oct 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion