RT Journal Article
T1 Evaluation of serological assays for intra vitam diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
A1 Giovannozzi, Sara
A1 Martucciello, Alessandra
A1 Rodríguez Domínguez, Mercedes
A1 Iruela Moreno, Inmaculada
A1 Boifava, Mery
A1 Schiavo, Lorena
A1 Viscito, Anna
A1 Parisio, Giovanni
A1 Vitale, Nicoletta
A1 Bezos Garrido, Javier
A1 De Carlo, Esterina
A1 Boniotti, Maria Beatrice
AB Introduction: Bovine tuberculosis (TB) in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is primarily diagnosed using intra vitam tests, as the intradermal tuberculin test (IDT) and the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), both of which detect cell-mediated immunity (CMI). However, a subset of infected animals fails to mount a detectable CMI response, posing a significant risk of undetected transmission. Serological tests assessing the humoral immune response could provide a valuable complementary tool for identifying infected animals that escape detection through traditional CMI-based assays.Methods: This study analyzed 895 serum samples from water buffaloes, including 393 from TB-free herds and 502 from TB-infected herds. Animals from TB-free herds were tested using IDT and an ELISA assay, whereas those from infected herds were also tested using IGRA. We developed an ELISA assay targeting MPB70, MPB83, ESAT6, CFP10, PPDB, and P22 antigens to investigate the role of the humoral response in TB diagnosis.Results and discussion: The ELISA showed a specificity of 98.2%. However, sensitivity differed based on the antigen used: among the most reactive proteins, sensitivity was 67.5% for MPB70, 69.8% for P22, and 74.4% for PPDB. Moreover, approximately 70% of samples with discordant IDT and IGRA results, as well as those with positive IDT but inconclusive IGRA results, tested positive by serology, highlighting the potential of antibody-based detection to improve TB diagnosis in buffaloes. Our findings suggest that integrating serological testing with standard diagnostic methods could enhance the detection of infected animals, ultimately contributing to better TB control in buffalo populations.
PB Frontiers Media
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/126076
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/126076
LA eng
NO Giovannozzi S, Martucciello A, Rodríguez MD, Iruela IM, Boifava M, Schiavo L, Viscito A, Parisio G, Vitale N, Bezos J, De Carlo E and Boniotti MB (2025) Evaluation of serological assays for intra vitam diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis in water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). Front. Microbiol. 16:1684425. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1684425
NO Author contributions SG: Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing  – review & editing. AM: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Writing  – review & editing. MR: Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing. II: Investigation, Methodology, Writing  – review & editing. MeB: Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Writing  – review & editing. LS: Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Writing  – review & editing. AV: Data curation, Investigation, Methodology, Writing – review & editing. GP: Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing. NV: Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. JB: Funding acquisition, Project administration, Writing  – review & editing. EC: Funding acquisition, Writing – review & editing. MaB: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Supervision, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing
NO European Commission
NO Italian Ministry of Health
DS Docta Complutense
RD 27 feb 2026