Enferplex bovine TB antibody test and bovine TB diagnosis: letter to the editor

Bovine tuberculosis is usually diagnosed using tuberculin skin and interferon gamma tests. However, it is clear these tests miss infected animals due to poor sensitivity. The Enferplex Bovine TB antibody test has been validated by the World Organisation for Animal Health as fit for purpose in diagnosing bovine TB. A recent paper by Madden and colleagues (Veterinary Research Communications published online 17 August 2023) presented data on the future risk of Enferplex test antibody positive animals developing bovine TB. We argue in this communication that this does not make sense. Also, the study design did not include measuring antibodies at the point of censure of the animals and hence the survival analysis performed was meaningless. Most significantly, the study misses the point that skin and interferon gamma tests fail to detect a significant proportion of infected animals identified by the Enferplex test.