EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE Gov. D. Mangubat Ave., Brgy. Burol Main, City of Dasmariñas, Cavite 4114, Philippines Tel. Nos. (046) 416-4339/41 www.eac.edu.ph SCHOOL OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY Journal Article Critique Ghielmetti, G., Hilbe, M., Friedel, U., Menegatti, C., Bacciarini, L., Stephan, R., & Bloemberg, G. (2020). Mycobacterial infections in wild boars (sus scrofa) from southern Switzerland: Diagnostic improvements, epidemiological situation and zoonotic potential. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 68(2), 573–586. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13717 I. TITLE Mycobacterial infections in wild boars (Sus scrofa) from Southern Switzerland: Diagnostic improvements, epidemiological situation and zoonotic potential II. RELEVANCE OF THE OBJECTIVE TO THE STUDY The article tackled how the different species of mycobacterium infections affect certain hosts, more specifically the bovine hosts such as wild boars in the southern part of Switzerland. The Sus scrofa (Wild boar) population has risen rapidly over the past few decades, eventuating in the raise of public health concerns over Mycobacterium microti, which is a part of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex or MBTC. III. SUMMARY OF THE METHODOLOGY The journal described how they performed their samples preparation and how they obtained pure mycobacterial cultures. They placed the subcultures on 7H10 agar plates and Stonebrink agar slants and performed them at intervals of 3-10 days. While simultaneously suspending 400 μl of culture inoculum in 100 μl ATL buffer and transferred onto Lysing Matrix E Tubes. The pure cultures that demonstrated a result of acid-fast bacilli staining and negative mycobacterium tuberculosis complex qPCR were characterized as non-tuberculous mycobacteria. The researchers then furthered their examination of the results by sequence analysis. And they made a realization that the sample is a combination of housekeeping genes and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. QF-PQM-035 (11.10.2021) Rev.04 035 • VIRTUE • EXCELLENCE • SERVICE EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE Gov. D. Mangubat Ave., Brgy. Burol Main, City of Dasmariñas, Cavite 4114, Philippines Tel. Nos. (046) 416-4339/41 www.eac.edu.ph SCHOOL OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY IV. SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS, DISCUSSIONS, AND CONCLUSIONS In accordance with the results obtained by the researchers, there is no significant association between the isolation of mycobacterium avium complex and the three age groups, juveniles, yearlings, and adults. As they have collected 71 juveniles, 59 yearlings, 43 adults, and 3 undetermined, totaling 176 wild boars collected in the duration of 2017-2018. They were able to detect mycobacterial co-infections within 7 samples from adults and 2 samples from juveniles that contain nontuberculous mycobacteria containing 1 mycobacterium microti positive lymph node. Outcomes have shown that the adult Sus scrofa species were more inclined to be infected with mycobacteria in comparison with the other age groups. The authors discussed in the journal article about the Sus scrofa species wherein wild boars have high reproductive capacities among ungulates that enables them to populate with a 250% growth rate. Because of this, several Swiss Law prohibits people from feeding Sus scrofa to try and reduce its population. Wild boars were considered safe to be consumed by people, but it was found that the infection rate of Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis was 14% and it denoted a public health concern. Nonetheless, this does not conceptualize clinical disease in all individuals, considering the genetic resistance of wild boars against bTB causing agents and other mycobacterial species. Yet, in current studies, macroscopic lesions that are indistinguishable from bTB changes were observed in 44% of mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis infected wild boars. The writers' have concluded that Even though the zoonotic risk of the isolated non-tuberculous mycobacteria stays undetermined, they found it extraordinary that they have been presented with such a tremendous amount of viable mycobacteria from the mandibular lymph nodes they have collected. And in their current findings, the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry conveyed an accurate diagnostic tool for the characterization of non-tuberculous mycobacteria species in veterinary medicine. V. LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS The article focused mainly on the mycobacterial infections in wild boars that affected the southern region of Switzerland and the improvements in the diagnostic data. From the 1,436 and 1,588 wild boars that were hunted during the years of 2017 and 2018, only 176 mandibular lymph nodes were collected from 86 (2017) and 90 (2018) wild boars. The augmentation improved the laboratory diagnostics, an increasing number of immunocompromised patients and individuals with lung damage are some of the possible aspects. If I may suggest an idea for the researchers', I would propose to widen their search in the spread of animal and zoonotic pathogens such as Bioterrorism Diseases, Rabies, etc. QF-PQM-035 (11.10.2021) Rev.04 035 • VIRTUE • EXCELLENCE • SERVICE EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE Gov. D. Mangubat Ave., Brgy. Burol Main, City of Dasmariñas, Cavite 4114, Philippines Tel. Nos. (046) 416-4339/41 www.eac.edu.ph SCHOOL OF MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY VI. SOCIETAL IMPACT The article carries out a systematic review on the societal impact of research in the diagnostic field of study. The study has compiled the publications on their objective through data collection and on-field research. They aimed to further advance and provide understanding on the Mycobacterial infections in wild boars to be taken into account for research to generate social benefits and to analyze the methodology and instruments used to assess the social impact of research. QF-PQM-035 (11.10.2021) Rev.04 035 • VIRTUE • EXCELLENCE • SERVICE
