Differentiation of bovine tuberculosis and paratuberculosis infections with antemortem diagnostic methods

In this thesis, based on the results of tuberculin skin tests (PPD bovine and avian) used in the antemortem diagnosis and differentiation of Bovine Tuberculosis, the animals in the enterprises with suspected Tuberculosis were serologically examined to diagnose Paratuberculosis infection and fecal bacterioscopy was performed. In addition, it was aimed to obtain data that will contribute to the eradication studies of Bovine Tuberculosis disease by comparing the antemortem diagnostic methods of bovine tuberculosis disease, which is endemic in Türkiye and by determining the sensitivity and specificity values of the gamma interferon test. In this context; Intradermal tuberculin test was applied to 423 cattle in 5 dairy cattle farms with suspected tuberculosis, 1 from Çankırı/Çerkeş district, 1 from Çorum/Merkez district, 1 from Ankara/Sincan district, 1 from Eskişehir/Odunpazarı district and 1 from Konya/Ereğli district and this test was determined as the gold standard method, and the sensitivity of the IFN-γ test was 86 % and the specificity was 97 %. Antibody ELISA, fecal bacterioscopy examination and IFN-γ ELISA were performed on these animals for the diagnosis of Paratuberculosis infection and the prevalences of these tests were found to be 10.4 %, 5.44 % and 4.96 %, respectively and 4 (0.95%) of the cattle gave positive results for each of the Map infection diagnostic methods. In addition, 14 cattle with a positive reaction to intradermal PPD avian were considered suspicious for PTB infection and in terms of PTB infection, while 5 (35.71%) of these cattle gave positive results in the antibody ELISA , 6 (42.86%) in the fecal bacterioscopy examination, and 3 (21.43%) in the IFN-γ ELISA , all test results were positive in 2 cattle (14.29%). In conclusion; It was concluded that the IFN-γ test, which gives similar results to the results of the intradermal tuberculin test, can be used in the antemortem diagnosis of Bovine Tuberculosis and that both tests can be performed together in herds with suspected Tuberculosis, and that much more Tuberculosis infected animals can be detected, but its use in field screenings will be limited. In the comparative intradermal tuberculin test performed for the diagnosis of Tuberculosis infection, it was seen that animals that reacted positively to PPD aviana played a decisive role in detecting nonspecific reactions or detecting PTB infected animals, supported by other tests used for the diagnosis of Paratuberculosis. Keywords: Cattle, ELISA, Gamma-Interferon, Mycobacterium bovis, Paratuberculosis