How Tuberculosis Spreads from Cows to Us


I was visiting my aunt in Mumbai. She is in the Pediatrics division in a government hospital there. Every week 2-3 children are admitted in the General Ward suffering from tuberculosis. What is common is that most of these are children of the milkman, who live with cows/buffaloes and the infection travels from the infected animals to these kids.
Tuberculosis in cattle is caused by a  bacteria Mycobacterium bovis. It is spread from one animal to other through inhalation. It is shed in milk, saliva,urine, droppings etc. It can remain undetected in cattle, thereby spreading to humans who live in the vicinity. Human beings get this infection by consuming raw milk or by inhalation. Pasteurization destroys these bacteria in milk.
In UK, tuberculosis caused in humans due to animals (zoonotic origin) was once a leading cause of death in humans. The government launched a scheme to eradicate this disease. The infected animals were culled immediately. UK has been free of tuberculosis for decades now.
An infected cow/buffalo will lose weight and there will be a drop in milk production. The animal is of no use to the milkman so in India,  they are let loose on the streets to forage for food. So it is difficult to stop the spread of this disease. This bacteria is now resistant to all antibiotics, making our battle even more tough. Indian has the largest epidemic of tuberculosis in the world !

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