Report and Opinion 2015;7(1) http://www.sciencepub.net/report 7 Review on Diagnostic Techniques of Bovine Tuberculosis in Ethiopia Tadesse Birhanu 1* , Ebisa Mezgebu 1 , Eyasu Ejeta 2 and Ayele Gizachew 1 1 School of Veterinary Medicine, Collage of Medical and Health Science, Wollega University, P.O. Box 395, Nekemte, Ethiopia 2 Departement of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medical and Health Sciences, Wollega University, P.O. Box 395, Nekemte, Ethiopia *Corresponding author: drbirhan@yahoo.com Abstract Bovine tuberculosis is a major infectious disease of cattle, other domesticated animals and certain wildlife populations. It is one of the zoonotic diseases and can be diagnosed with different techniques. The currently used techniques are acid fast staining which is a cost-effective tool for diagnosing tuberculosis case and to monitor the progress of treatment and it has also drawbacks such as the low sensitivity in the immune-suppressed individuals; Immunological diagnostic techniques like tuberculin skin tests: Single Intradermal Test, Comparative Intradermal Test, Short Thermal Test and Stormont Test; Blood based diagnostic techniques like gamma interferon assays, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays and Lymphocyte Proliferation Assay, Culture of Mycobacterium and Molecular diagnostic techniques which involves Polymerase Chain Reaction, is a method that allows direct identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex. Spoligotyping, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism, Variable Number Tandem Repeats typing are the techniques used for concurrent detection and typing of mycobacterium species at strain level. Its clinical usefulness over the other techniques is determined by its rapidity, both in identifying causative bacteria and in providing molecular epidemiologic information on strains. However, it holds drawbacks of being expensive, and requiring well-equipped laboratory and skilled laboratory personnel, which are not always available in endemic areas. Thus, both conventional and molecular tools should be effectively used to diagnosis Tuberculosis. [Tadesse Birhanu , Ebisa Mezgebu , Eyasu Ejeta and Ayele Gizachew. Review on Diagnostic Techniques of Bovine Tuberculosis in Ethiopia. Rep Opinion 2015;7(1):7-14]. (ISSN: 1553-9873). http://www.sciencepub.net/report . 2 Key words: Ethiopia; Bovine Tuberculosis; Diagnostic Tools 1. Introduction Diagnosis of Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant challenge in developing countries especially Sub Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, where a high rate of Human immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) infection and shortage of diagnostic techniques are found. TB is an infectious disease that affects all age groups and a major global public health problem. It is caused by the genus of mycobacterium which includes many pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals [1, 2]. This genus is characterized phenotypically as non-motile, non- capsular, non-spore forming, obligate aerobic, thin rod usually straight or slightly curved having 1-10μm length and 0.2-0.6μm width, facultative intracellular microbe and has a slow generation time about 15-20 hours. Its cell wall is rich in lipids (mycolic acid) that provide it the thick waxy coat which is responsible for acid fastness and hydrophobicity. This waxy coat (mycolic acid) is also greatly contributing for the bacterium resistance to many disinfectants, common laboratory stains, antibiotics and physical injuries. It probably also contributes to the slow growth rate of some species by restricting the uptake of nutrients [3]. Similarly, Bovine Tuberculosis (BTB) is a major zoonotic infectious disease of cattle, other domesticated animals and certain wildlife populations [4]. It is mainly caused by Mycobacterium (M.) bovis, which is highly similar to M. tuberculosis. Of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex (MTC), M. tuberculosis, M. bovis and M. africanum can cause BTB [5]. Despite the different species tropisms, the MTC is characterized by 99.9% or greater similarity at the nucleotide level and possess identical 16S `rRNA sequence [7].(Smith et al., 2006). In human, it is the most frequent cause of zoonotic TB which is clinically indistinguishable from TB caused by M. tuberculosis. Before milk pasteurization, M. bovis was an important cause of human TB especially intestinal TB in children. The development of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and other molecular tools to identify M. bovis and differentiate it from other members of the MTC have allowed the discovery of more cases in retrospective studies and have suggested new forms of transmission [6]. Although the presumptive diagnosis of TB is often based on clinical suspicion and radiological data, a definitive diagnosis of the disease requires microbiological assays. Laboratory diagnosis of TB has been based on smear microscopy, culture and phenotypic identification. While the quickest, easiest and cheapest method available is acid-fast staining, its