Zoonotic tuberculosis at the cattle-human-captive wildlife interface in Bangladesh: A systematic evidence map.

Authors

Sk Shaheenur Islam, A K M Anisur Rahman, Tanzida Begum Rumi, A H M Taslima Akhter, Nelima Ibrahim, Md Samun Sarker, S M Lutful Kabir, Zeaur Rahim

Published in

PLoS neglected tropical diseases. Volume 20. Issue 11. Pages e0014877. Nov 10, 2026. Epub Nov 10, 2026.

Abstract

Zoonotic tuberculosis (zTB), caused by animal-adapted members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), is classically attributed to M. bovis but is increasingly linked to M. orygis across South Asia. Species-level MTBC identification is rarely performed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leaving the zTB burden poorly defined. Bangladesh has endemic bovine tuberculosis, a growing dairy sector, unpasteurised-milk consumption, and expanding captive wildlife collections, yet the evidence has not been synthesised by diagnostic reliability. This systematic evidence map aimed to collate the evidence on zTB in Bangladesh and to review the diagnostic methods used to identify animal-adapted MTBC species, particularly M. bovis and M. orygis, in livestock, wildlife, and humans. Following PRISMA 2020, we searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and BanglaJOL from the 1970s to June 2026; CAB Abstracts, Scopus, and Web of Science were not accessible. Two reviewers independently screened and appraised studies using the JBI checklist, assigning each to a five-level diagnostic evidence hierarchy (Level 1: WGS, phylogeny, RD typing, spoligotyping, or MLVA; Level 5: tuberculin skin test or serology only). These non-comparable tests precluded meta-analysis; therefore, findings are presented as an evidence map. Thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria: 24 on prevalence in cattle/buffaloes, 10 on molecular diagnosis and characterisation in cattle, captive wildlife, and humans, and 1 specifically on molecular diagnosis and characterisation in humans. Most livestock studies used non-discriminatory tests (tuberculin skin tests, ELISA, or untyped PCR) and reported non-comparable reactor proportions of 1.2% to 33.7%. The few studies using species-level methods (Levels 1-2) confirmed M. orygis in cattle and in at least seven captive wildlife species, including monkeys, using marker-based molecular assays. Several historical reports of M. bovis were based on non-discriminatory PCR or serology, which cannot reliably distinguish among MTBC members. Human evidence was limited to three studies, including one WGS-confirmed M. orygis case identified through tuberculosis surveillance. In published reports from Bangladesh, M. orygis is the only animal-adapted MTBC member molecularly confirmed at the cattle-wildlife-human interface; existing M. bovis claims lack discriminatory support and require cautious reinterpretation. zTB surveillance should therefore move beyond an M. bovis-only framework and integrate species-level MTBC identification into a staged, resource-appropriate One Health strategy across animal, wildlife, and human health.

PMID:
43008033
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 11 Nov 2026.

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