This is the first study to use IR biotyper from @brukercorporation.bsky.social to discriminate tuberculous mycobacteria. This work was performed by a very talented PhD student, Kevim Guterres, @taina_taiana , and with the immense help of the team at Bruker, Dr Rodrigo Oliveira and Dr Carolyn Moonen.

For us, in Brazil, finding the zTB cases was always a challenge. With 16,000 cases of TB just in the state of Sao Paulo, where and how do we begin to look for any possible case of zoonotic TB? We are sure this diagnostic tool will be central in our efforts moving forward.

We did not have many isolates of M. africanum to test, but there is also potential for discriminating this ecotype, aiding the diagnostics of TB in endemic countries.

We propose the use of a simpler technology, known as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, to distinguish between Mtb and Mb isolates with high accuracy and w/o the need for DNA extraction or molecular detection. It is simple, fast, and if the equipment is available, cheap.

Even if a targeted effort is done to use appropriate media to cultivate M bovis from “at risk” populations, this means that thousands of isolates would have to be molecularly screened to find the few M. bovis isolates in high burden countries.

The surveillance of zoonotic TB caused by M. bovis is absent in over 90% of the WHO signatory countries. The disease is clinically undistinguishable from human TB, and routine dx tests do not differentiate between Mtb and Mb.

Perhaps in your next visit to Brazil we can plan a study abroad Stanford-USP and do some One Health related work in Foz do Iguaçu just to see some of these jaguar beauties. This pic was taken in July last year in the National Park.

@luizcarvalholab.bsky.social is missing there…

Would like to join, if possible. My research is mainly on MTBC genomics and physiology. Some epi work too.