HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

The effect of fertility control on the transmission of bovine tuberculosis in wild brushtail possums.

AbstractAIM:
To determine the effect of fertility control on the rate of transmission of bovine tuberculosis (Tb), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, in brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula).
METHODS:
At two study sites with a history of Tb infection in the resident possum population, a sample of adult male and female possums (n=50), determined by palpation to be Tb-free, was surgically sterilised by gonadectomy. A sample of untreated Tb-free male and female possums (n=54) served as controls. Each study site was trapped every 2 months over a 3-year period, and the Tb status of the individuals in the trial assessed. At the conclusion of the trial, all remaining experimental individuals were killed, necropsied and examined for characteristic lesions typical of Tb. The rate of transmission of Tb infection was estimated using the incidence of tuberculous cases in the experimental animals and comparing it between sites, sex and sterilisation treatment.
RESULTS:
Sterilisation by gonadectomy resulted in a reduction in the rate of transmission of Tb in male possums by 53%, but a corresponding increase in sterilised females for reasons that are still unclear. However, this interaction was statistically weak (p=0.10). When the sexes were combined, there was no overall effect of sterilisation on the rate of transmission of Tb (p=0.43). Sterility treatment notwithstanding, there was a highly significant difference in the rate of transmission between the sexes (p=0.01), being almost one order of magnitude higher in untreated males compared with untreated females.
CONCLUSIONS:
Although lacking strong statistical support, these results suggest that fertility control that targets endocrine control of fertility may provide some additional benefits for disease control over that achieved by reductions in population density, by reducing the rate of transmission of M. bovis in male possums. However, additional studies are needed to confirm the validity of these results. The large difference in the rate of transmission of M. bovis in untreated males compared with untreated females suggests that transmission of Tb among males may be an important driver of the dynamics of Tb infection in possums.
AuthorsD S L Ramsey, J D Coleman, M C Coleman, P Horton
JournalNew Zealand veterinary journal (N Z Vet J) Vol. 54 Issue 5 Pg. 218-23 (Oct 2006) ISSN: 0048-0169 [Print] England
PMID17028658 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Topics
  • Animals
  • Animals, Wild (microbiology)
  • Castration (veterinary)
  • Disease Reservoirs (veterinary)
  • Female
  • Male
  • Mycobacterium bovis
  • New Zealand (epidemiology)
  • Random Allocation
  • Sex Factors
  • Trichosurus
  • Tuberculosis (epidemiology, transmission, veterinary)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: