Exposure to Mycobacterium avium induces low-level protection from Mycobacterium bovis infection but compromises diagnosis of disease in cattle

J. C. Hope*, M. L. Thom, B. Villarreal-Ramos, H. M. Vordermeier, R. G. Hewinson, C. J. Howard

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

91 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We assessed the effect of exposure to Mycobacterium avium on the development of immune responses and the pathogenesis of disease observed following Mycobacterium bovis challenge. A degree of protection against M. bovis was observed in calves which were pre-exposed to M. avium as assessed by the extent of lesions and bacterial load compared to the M. bovis alone group. The immune response following M. bovis challenge in cattle previously inoculated with M. avium was biased towards antigens (PPD) present in M. avium, whereas the response following M. bovis alone was biased towards antigens present in M. bovis, indicating an imprinting of memory to avian antigens on T lymphocytes. A consequence of the memory to M. avium antigens was failure to diagnose M. bovis infection by the skin test or the IFNγ assay in some of the animals which had lesions of tuberculosis at necropsy. The use of M. bovis specific antigens ESAT-6 and CFP-10 increased IFNγ test specificity in animals previously exposed to M. avium but the responses to these antigens were lower than those observed in animals exposed to M. bovis alone. The implication is that responses to M. avium, although providing some immunity, may mask diagnosis of M. bovis infection, even when specific antigens are employed, potentially contributing to disease transmission in the field.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)432-439
Number of pages8
JournalClinical and Experimental Immunology
Volume141
Issue number3
Early online date01 Jul 2005
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Sept 2005

Keywords

  • Dendritic cells
  • Interferon γ
  • Mycobacterium avium
  • Mycobacterium bovis
  • T lymphocytes

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