Mycobacterium bovis Infection

To the Editor. —In the April issue of theArchives, O'Donohue et al 1 presented an interesting article concerning pulmonary infection due to Mycobacterium bovis , and the use of short-term chemotherapy for treatment. I would like to comment on pharmacological therapy for such infection, especially in patients with possible liver disease. In an earlier letter in theArchives, 2 I discussed some of the causes of spread of this bacillus in humans. Historically, it is interesting to note that in 1917, 5% of the cattle in the United States were estimated to be infected with this strain, and approximately 25% of the deaths from tuberculosis in adult humans were actually caused by M bovis . Institution of surveillance programs and compulsory pasteurization of milk led to a dramatic decrease in human infection. However, infection still occurs, and a recent authoritative review of this subject suggested that once cases due to reactivation