Zoo elephants were the source of a tuberculosis outbreak in 2013 in Multnomah County, Ore., according to a recent article in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The public health officials behind the investigation into the outbreak found three bull elephants with active TB had contact with 118 humans, 96 (81 percent) of whom were evaluated. Of those evaluated, seven close contacts were found to have latent TB infection.
As a result of the findings, the three elephants were isolated and treated to prevent infection of other animals and humans — elephants with TB are not typically euthanized. Additionally, the humans with latent infection were offered treatment.
To prevent human exposure to TB, the CDC report calls for improved TB screening methods for elephants.
"Organizations that conduct TB testing for employees should have a mechanism for tracking results and investigating when [tuberculin skin test] conversions are elevated above the annual baseline," according to the report. "In addition, better understanding of modes of TB transmission between humans, elephants and other animals might lead to more comprehensive guidelines for prevention of TB transmission in high-risk settings."
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Pittsburgh VA notifies 400 patients of possible TB exposure