Screening of Bovine Tuberculosis Cattle using the Tuberculin Skin Test in Barsana

The intradermal tuberculin tests used worldwide for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis. The tuberculin skin test can provide a means for the early identification of Mycobacterium bovis infected cattle, thus ensuring their removal from an infected herd. We have done the skin test in three hundred numbers of cattle and results of skin testing after 72 hours revealed a pattern as depicted; positive cattle comprised of fifty six bovine tuberculosis infected animals from tuberculosis-infected herds, one hundred fifty one non-infected animals from tuberculosis-free herds and ninety three doubtful animals from tuberculosis-free herds. The aim of this study is, identification of bovine tuberculosis animal based on tuberculin skin test; which is considered as the primary method of bTB detection in India. The skin test is based on a differential delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to intradermal injections of purified protein derivative (PPD) from M. bovis (PPD-B) and M. avium (PPD-A).