Enteric bacteria in forest badger species are able to prevent tuberculosis

According to BMC Microbiology, a new study conducted in the UK shows some species of bacteria living in the gut of badger species - short-range omnivores in the Mustelidae family, reducing their effectiveness. of vaccines for vaccines that veterinarians inject them.

But at the same time, these intestinal bacteria themselves are also capable of killing tuberculosis-causing agents. It is known that protecting wild species from tuberculosis is an urgent problem for England and some other countries because Mycobacterium bovis bacteria circulate in badger populations that cause tuberculosis of large cattle with horns. In addition to cattle, this form of TB can spread to a number of other animals, including poultry and wildlife and even humans.

Badger forest.

On the basis of batches of Mycobacterium bovis bacteria that have been weakened to not cause disease, a BCG vaccine is prepared to protect people from another tuberculosis agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis. To prevent tuberculosis in cattle and sheep in the UK, veterinarians have also tried to vaccinate with BCG. However, many times they found that vaccination effectiveness was lower than expected.

A study by Jorge Gutierrez of Surrey University, UK, discovered the cause. Many species of bacteria that live in the digestive system of animals have the ability to create inhibitors of the growth of other bacteria. The researchers isolated a number of bacterial species from the feces of badger species and found that some of them killed Mycobacterium bovis bovine tuberculosis bacteria in the BCG vaccine, reducing the effectiveness of the drug. But their similar capabilities can be used to combat tuberculosis "wild" Mycobacterium bovis.

In a previous study, Jorge Gutierrez also discovered similar properties of intestinal bacteria in wild boars, which are also a different pathogen in tuberculosis.