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Investigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613819859107840 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Cooke, Deborah Margaret |
| author2 | Miller, Michele Ann |
| author_browse | Cooke, Deborah Margaret Miller, Michele Ann |
| author_facet | Miller, Michele Ann Cooke, Deborah Margaret |
| author_sort | Cooke, Deborah Margaret |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134150 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:42:12.448Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134150 Investigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal Cooke, Deborah Margaret Miller, Michele Ann Goosen, Wynand Johan Witte, Carmel Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Biomedical Sciences. Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Cooke, D. M. 2025. SInvestigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/38285137-7e2c-4f8f-ad0e-bdf485895863 In South Africa (SA), animal tuberculosis (TB) control programs predominantly focus on domestic cattle and to a lesser extent, some wildlife. Despite increasing global reports of TB in goats (Capra hircus), testing and surveillance in domestic rural goats in SA is not common practise. Left undetected, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) infected goats may hinder TB eradication efforts in cattle, cause mortality or morbidity in goats, and increase zoonotic risk to humans. This study aimed to determine if there was any evidence of M. bovis infection in goats sharing pastures and communal drinking points with known M. bovis infected cattle, and, occurring in the same area as MTBC infected wildlife and humans. Using a cohort of historically TB-negative commercial dairy goats as an M. bovis unexposed control group, immunological and molecular methods for MTBC detection were utilized. The performance of the Department of Agriculture, Land reform and Rural Development's (DALRRD) prescribed single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test (SICCT) was evaluated and indicated a low M. bovis prevalence (3%) among the M. bovis exposed goat population. QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT) anti-bovine cytokine release assays (interferon gamma release assay, IGRA, and interferon gamma-inducible protein 10 release assay, IPRA) were also evaluated but showed poor responses and were therefore unable to reliably detect immune sensitization in M. bovis exposed goats. In the absence of post-mortem tissue samples for gold standard culture confirmation of M. bovis infection, nasal swabs were collected from each goat for mycobacterial culture and culture-independent MTBC DNA detection. The Cepheid GeneXpert® MTB/RIF Ultra assay (ULTRA) qPCR assay successfully identified MTBC DNA in goat respiratory samples, demonstrating its potential for rapid screening. A Bayesian latent class analysis was performed using IGRA, IPRA, SICCT, and ULTRA results to estimate potential infection prevalence, test sensitivities, and test specificities. The outcome of this analysis estimated the infection prevalence among the M. bovis exposed goats at 1.1%. Viable M. bovis were detected by genus-specific PCRs and Sanger sequencing in 3 nasal swab cultures from the M. bovis exposed goat population, with culture-independent techniques and deep sequencing using region of difference (RD) PCR also confirming the presence of M. bovis DNA in the 3 culture-positive and an additional 8 swabs from M. bovis-exposed goats. Immunological evidence of infection using the SICCT was detected in 82% of goats that had M. bovis DNA in their nasal swabs. The findings of this study confirm the presence of M. bovis infection among communal goats in the Umkhanyakude district of Northern Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, SA. The high burden of HIV in these areas increases susceptibility to zoonotic infections like M. bovis, particularly among livestock owners who have daily contact with these goats. Goats may well be an under recognized threat to animal TB control efforts in SA, highlighting the need for further investigations and a multi-species, One Health approach for effective animal TB surveillance and control in SA. Doctoral 2025-10-15T08:55:00Z 2025-10-15T08:55:00Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134150 en Stellenbosch University 241 pages : ill. application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Cooke, Deborah Margaret Investigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal |
| title | Investigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal |
| title_full | Investigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal |
| title_fullStr | Investigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal |
| title_short | Investigation of Tuberculosis in Domestic Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) in KwaZulu-Natal |
| title_sort | investigation of tuberculosis in domestic goats capra aegagrus hircus in kwazulu natal |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134150 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cookedeborahmargaret investigationoftuberculosisindomesticgoatscapraaegagrushircusinkwazulunatal |