Feline Tuberculosis and Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterioses: An Updated Veterinary Perspective

Traditionally considered to be an uncommon illness in domestic cats, feline tuberculosis (TB) is now recognized as an emerging infection with significant consequences for both public health and veterinary practice. Cats are susceptible to multiple members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, especially Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium microti, which can produce a variety of clinical and epidemiological patterns, according to advances in molecular diagnostics and surveillance over the past three decades. Concurrently, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections are increasingly being reported, which makes diagnostic and treatment choices in feline practice even more difficult. In rural and peri-urban settings, contact with wildlife or livestock, consumption of contaminated prey, inhalation of contaminated aerosols, or traumatic inoculation of wounds are the most common ways that the disease is spread. Concurrent diseases, pathogen virulence, and host immunological state all affect how rapidly and severely a disease worsens. Clinical signs and symptoms vary greatly, from respiratory illness and widespread multi-organ involvement to localized skin lesions and lymphadenopathy. Despite not being key reservoirs for tuberculosis, cats are relevant in a One Health framework due to their close interaction with humans and susceptibility to infection. The length of therapy, possible zoonotic hazards, regulatory limitations, and the scarcity of licensed anti-mycobacterial medications for companion animals make treatment difficult. The etiology, pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical features, diagnostic techniques, treatment choices, and preventive measures of feline tuberculosis and non-tuberculous are all covered in this study, which offers an updated synthesis of global and regional data.