The VetMAX™ M. tuberculosis complex PCR kit detects MTBC DNA in antemortem and postmortem samples from white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum ), African elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) and African buffaloes ( Syncerus caffer )

Table 1 Comparative VetMAX™ PCR Kit test results for tissue and respiratory samples collected from African buffaloes (n = 48), white rhinoceros (n = 10) and African elephants (n = 13) with known mycobacterial culture results

Species	Sample type	No of samples	Mycobacterial culture sample results		VetMax PCR Pos^b/ MTBC culture Pos samples	VetMax PCR Neg/ MTBC culture Neg samples
Species	Sample type	No of samples	MTBC culture positive (MTBC isolate)^a	MTBC culture negative	VetMax PCR Pos^b/ MTBC culture Pos samples	VetMax PCR Neg/ MTBC culture Neg samples
African buffaloes^c	Lymph nodes(LNs)	n = 47	25 (M. bovis)	22	25/25	10/22
African buffaloes^c	Lung	n = 1	1 (M. bovis)	n.a	1/1	n.a
White rhinoceros^d	LNs	n = 23	20 (M. bovis)	3	8/20	1/3
	Lung	n = 6	6 (M. bovis)	n.a	3/6	n.a
	BALF	n = 5	n.a	5	n.a	5/5
African elephants^e	LNs	n = 4	1 (M. bovis)	3	1/1	0/3
	Lung	n = 2	1 (M. tuberculosis)	1	1/1	0/1
	BALF	n = 13	2 (M. tuberculosis)	11	2/2	11/11
	TW	n = 12	1 (M. tuberculosis)	11	1/1	11/11

^aConfirmed MTBC culture positive: M. bovis- and M. tuberculosis-positive by mycobacterial culture and strain typing [19]
^bVetMAX PCR Kit is a real-time PCR assay that targets the IS6110 insertion element sequence present in the genome of M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. africanum, M. Microti, M. canetti, M. caprea and M. pinnipedii
^cAll test-positive African buffaloes were euthanized on either or the single intradermal comparative tuberculin test result and an interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release assay result
^dAfrican rhinoceros BALF samples tested were collected from four individual animals suspected of M. bovis infection, but not confirmed. One animal had a duplicate BALF sample
^eAfrican elephant PCR positive/ culture positive BALFs, TW and lung sample were collected from one elephant confirmed to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, one PCR positive/ culture positive LN samples were collected from one M. bovis confirmed elephant

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