Infection of Wildlife by Mycobacterium bovis in France Assessment Through a National Surveillance System, Sylvatub

Édouard Réveillaud (1) , Stéphanie Desvaux (2) , Maria-Laura Boschiroli (1) , Jean Hars (2) , Éva Faure (3) , Alexandre Fediaevsky (4) , Lisa Cavalerie (4) , Fabrice Chevalier (4) , Pierre Jabert (4) , Sylvie Poliak (5) , Isabelle Tourette (6) , Pascal Hendrikx (1) , Céline Richomme (7)

1 Laboratoire de santé animale, sites de Maisons-Alfort et de Normandie
2 ONCFS - Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage
3 FNC - Fédération Nationale des Chasseurs
4 DGAL - Direction Générale de l'Alimentation
5 Association française des Directeurs et cadres de Laboratoires Vétérinaires publics d'Analyses
6 GDS France - Fédération nationale des Groupements de Défense Sanitaire
7 LRFSN - Laboratoire de la rage et de la faune sauvage de Nancy

Mycobacterium bovis infection was first described in free-ranging wildlife in France in 2001, with subsequent detection in hunter-harvested ungulates and badgers in areas where outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis (TB) were also detected in cattle. Increasing concerns regarding TB in wildlife led the French General Directorate for Food (DGAL) and the main institutions involved in animal health and wildlife management, to establish a national surveillance system for TB in free-ranging wildlife. This surveillance system is known as “Sylvatub.” The system coordinates the activities of various national and local partners. The main goal of Sylvatub is to detect and monitor M. bovis infection in wildlife through a combination of passive and active surveillance protocols adapted to the estimated risk level in each area of the country. Event-base surveillance relies on M. bovis identification (molecular detection) (i) in gross lesions detected in hunter-harvested ungulates, (ii) in ungulates that are found dead or dying, and (iii) in road-killed badgers. Additional targeted surveillance in badgers, wild boars and red deer is implemented on samples from trapped or hunted animals in at-risk areas. With the exception of one unexplained case in a wild boar, M. bovis infection in free-living wildlife has always been detected in the vicinity of cattle TB outbreaks with the same genotype of the infectious M. bovis strains. Since 2012, M. bovis was actively monitored in these infected areas and detected mainly in badgers and wild boars with apparent infection rates of 4.57–5.14% and 2.37–3.04%, respectively depending of the diagnostic test used (culture or PCR), the period and according to areas. Sporadic infection has also been detected in red deer and roe deer. This surveillance has demonstrated that M. bovis infection, in different areas of France, involves a multi-host system including cattle and wildlife. However, infection rates are lower than those observed in badgers in the United Kingdom or in wild boars in Spain.

Mots clés: Bovine tuberculosis; Mycobacterium bovis; Surveillance; Wildlife; Badger; Wild boar; France

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]; Bactériologie; Santé publique et épidémiologie

Édouard Réveillaud, Stéphanie Desvaux, Maria-Laura Boschiroli, Jean Hars, Éva Faure, et al.. Infection of Wildlife by Mycobacterium bovis in France Assessment Through a National Surveillance System, Sylvatub. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2018, 5, pp.262. ⟨10.3389/fvets.2018.00262⟩. ⟨anses-03409271⟩