Tuberculosis Goes Wild: Emphasis on Elephants

Tuberculosis being a slow spreading disease has almost let its roots into all animal species. It does not have any discrimination between wild and domestic animals. Even though science has extended its view towards various aspects of TB yet it has to find out a solution to break the chain of TB spread. Mycobacteria even though a minute organism it strikes hard the mammoth. Even the elephants have no excuse to TB. Now there are lots of case reports about the occurrence of TB in elephants especially in Zoos. From these elephants it spreads to the elephant handlers, thus playing a significant role in the zoonosis of TB. This article mainly deals with the historical aspect of TB in elephants, zoonotic and epidemiological aspects. This article also emphasis on the diagnosis and the treatment aspects of tuberculosis in elephants. Research in the zone of tuberculosis in elephants is required in order to save the elephants and also to prevent the spread of TB to humans and other animals.