Tuberculosis in pigs: a review of the current status.

Tuberculosis in animals remains, despite the success of several control plans, a major endemic disease worldwide, and a major infectious zoonosis. Pigs represent the main reservoir for animal tuberculosis in several areas of the world, especially within southern Europe and together with wild ruminants, a major impediment in tuberculosis eradication programs. Recently porcine tuberculosis emerges as an experimental model for animal and human tuberculosis, presenting several advantages compared to some classical in vivo TB-models. In this review, we briefly present and discuss the current knowledge on the pathogenesis of tuberculosis in pigs, the reservoir status, the main advantages and disadvantages of swine models of tuberculosis and nor lest the gross and microscopical features of mycobacteriosis in swine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]