Abstract: Objective To evaluate a rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis among dairy cattles using a MGIT 960 system, and to provide a laboratory data for improving dairy cattle tuberculosis quarantine. Methods  Nine thousand three hundred and fifty-five dairy cattles were detected by tuberculin-test (PPD) from 5 different dairy farms in Shanghai during 2010 to 2012, and 223 dairy cattles were detected as PPD (+). Among those 223 PPD (+) cattles, 49 cattles were selected randomly using the random number table. A total of 98 lung lymph node tissue specimens were collected from these 49 PPD (+) cattles. Culture and identification of Mycobacterium for the 98 lymph node tissue specimens were performed by MGIT 960 methods, chromatographic immunoassay, PCR-based genomic deletion analysis and DNA sequencing.  Results A total of 8 dairy cattles were diagnosed as Mycobacterium among which 1 cattle was identified as M.bovis, 6 cattles were identified as M.avium and 1 cattle was identified as M.nonchromogenicum.  Conclusion In order to improve the specificity of detection for bovine tuberculosis, we recommend that culture and species identification by using rapid detection techniques should be introduced into the laboratory diagnosis as a supplement for tuberculin-test.

Key words: Mycobacterium bovis, Tuberculosis, bovine/diagnosis, Tuberculin test