Tropical Animal Health and Production 1998, 30(4), 233^239
A study to determine the secretion of Mycobacterium spp. in milk from indigenous cattle was carried
out in pastoral cattle reared in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. The study was aimed at elucidating
the dangers associated with milk-borne zoonoses in a society where milk is normally consumed raw.
Out of 805 milk samples, 31 (3.9%) were positive for mycobacteria. There was a preponderance of
atypical mycobacteria (87%) whereas only two isolates (6.5%) were con¢rmed as M. bovis. Atypical
mycobacteria included: M. terrae (n=7), M. fortuitum (n=2), M. £avescens (n = 13), M. gordonae (n=1)
and M. smegmatis (n = 4). Although the number of M. bovis positive samples was low, the habit of
pooling milk may still pose great public health dangers to milk consumers in this part of the world.
Moreover, isolation of atypical mycobacteria should also be considered to be a danger to human health
in countries such as Tanzania, where the number of people with lowered immunity due to HIV infection
is on the increase.