A study on clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis in free ranging and captive wild animals of India.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of paramount importance at the wildlife-livestock-human interface. Aims: (M) species involved in the TB of free-ranging and captive wild animals in various Indian states. Methods: A total of 396 clinical samples from 207 different wild animal species from various Indian national parks, zoological gardens, etc., were analyzed by lateral flow assay (LFA), Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining, and PCR. Clinical samples include blood (n=156), faecal swabs (n=103), serum (n=73), and nasal swabs or trunk wash fluids (n=64). Results: ) by species-specific PCR. Conclusion: The circulation of TB organisms in wild animals warrants a strict surveillance programme to identify the carrier status of these animals so that effective TB control strategies can be formulated.