Setting: Pastoralist communities in the Northern and Southern zones of Tanzania.
Design: Observational study.
Objectives: To determine the involvement of Mycobacterium bovis in tuberculosis cases presenting at tuberculosis (TB) clinics in rural areas in these zones.
Methods: A total of 149 tuberculosis cases identified on the bases of clinical manifestation were sampled. Appropriate specimens were cultured on two Löweinstein Jensen slants with respectively glycerol and pyruvate added. Forty-one isolates were cultured and subjected to biochemical typing.
Results: Overall, 31 (70.5%) of the mycobacterial isolates recovered from all forms of tuberculosis were identified as M. tuberculosis, seven (16.0%) were identified as M. bovis, and six (13.6%) were other mycobacterial species. There was a significantly higher isolation rate (P < 0.05) of M. bovis among strains recovered from extra-pulmonary (26.8%) than pulmonary tuberculosis samples (4.3%).
Conclusion: Based on these findings, it is imperative that M. bovis be considered as a pathogen of concern to people living in rural areas of Tanzania. Further work is required to establish a zoonotic link between cattle and the people in these communities who rear them.