Bovine tuberculosis: effects and challenges faced by developed and developing countries in the eradication process.

Abstract Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a chronic disease of cattle caused by Mycobacterium bovis . The disease has a significant impact on the international cattle trade, and - as it is a zoonotic disease - implications for animal and public health. Today, some of the world's developed countries have been certified to be bTB-free, whereas bTB is still a serious challenge in most developing countries. In the developed countries where bTB still exists, the persistence of bTB in wildlife seems to be a major setback in eradicating the disease. In developing countries, on the other hand, eradicating the disease is hindered by the lack of funding and proper logistics, and inadequate adherence to basic procedures such as antemortem and post-mortem inspections. Effective control and management of bTB is essential to eliminate it, but in developing countries the battle against the disease is far from being over due to the lack of funds needed to restrain bTB. In developing countries, the number of laboratories that can diagnose bTB is limited, and diagnosing the disease in humans stops at the smear level making it impossible to estimate the role of M. bovis in human infections. There is also a scarcity of data on bTB in the developing countries, which influences the control of the disease. This paper reviews the general information available on bTB and its zoonotic implications, current trends in bTB control and management, the state of bTB in Nigeria, and some of the challenges developing countries face when trying to control the disease. Finally, the paper reflects on how to proceed with the issue in the future.