Mycobacterium bovis in human population in four Central European countries during 1990–1999

Abstract

A survey on Mycobacterium bovis and M. tuberculosis in humans has been performed in four Central European countries (Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic and Slovenia) during the years 1990 to 1999. These countries cover an area of 204 688 km² with 22 135 million population. During the period, new cases of tuberculosis were bacteriologically diagnosed in 47 516 patients. M. tuberculosis was detected in 47 461 (99.88%) cases, whereas M. bovis was found only in 55 (0.12%) patients. The rate of infection due to M. bovis in humans did not exceed 0.29% in the study countries. The annual incidence of bacteriological confirmed M. bovis cases did not exceed 0.1 per 100 000 inhabitants. In the Czech Republic out of 44 tuberculosis patients due to M. bovis, 32 (72.7%) were older than 61 years and originated from rural areas, where they lived during childhood and worked in agricultural occupations. These patients may have suffered a reactivation of persistent (long-standing) M. bovis infection as they got older. Bovine tuberculosis in cattle was eliminated from these countries during the second half of the 1960s (Croatia in 1966, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic – former Czechoslovakia in 1968, Slovenia in 1973) and the incidence of outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis in cattle were very low, thus the disease in humans was unexpected.