Evaluating the efficiency of an immunochromatographic test strip in detecting Mycobacterium bovis infection in Korean cattle

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of an immunochromatographic test (ICT) strip using recombinant MPB70 (rMPB70) protein as a complementary tool for the diagnosis of naturally occurring tuberculosis in cattle. The study was performed on 249 cattle from populations known to be free from Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and 119 cattle with M. bovis infection, confirmed postmortem. Compared to reference standards (culture isolation and/or visible lesion), the sensitivity of ICT was 94.12% (95% CI: 89.89∼98.35%) while the specificity was 96.80% (95% CI; 94.62∼96.82%). The findings indicate that the ICT strip is efficient for diagnosing bovine tuberculosis in cattle from Korea.