Members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) are responsible for tuberculosis in several mammals. In this complex, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis, which are closely related, show host preference for humans and cattle, respectively. Although human and bovine tuberculosis are clinically similar, M. tuberculosis mostly causes latent infection in humans, whereas M. bovis frequently leads to an acute infection in cattle. This review attempts to connect the pathology in experimental animal models as well as the cellular responses to M. bovis and M. tuberculosis regarding the differences in protein expression and regulatory mechanisms of both pathogens that could explain their apparent divergent latency behaviour. The occurrence of latent bovine tuberculosis (bTB) would represent a serious complication for the eradication of the disease in cattle, with the risk of onward transmission to humans. Thus, understanding the physiological events that may lead to the state of latency in bTB could assist in the development of appropriate prevention and control tools.

该成员结核分枝杆菌复合（MTBC）有几种哺乳动物负责结核病。在这种复合物中，密切相关的结核分枝杆菌和牛分枝杆菌分别显示出对人和牛的宿主偏好。尽管人和牛结核病在临床上相似，但结核分枝杆菌通常在人类中引起潜伏感染，而牛分枝杆菌通常导致牛的急性感染。这篇综述试图联系实验动物模型的病理学以及对牛分枝杆菌和结核分枝杆菌的细胞反应关于两种病原体的蛋白质表达和调控机制的差异，可以解释其明显的潜伏期行为。潜在的牛结核病（bTB）的发生代表了根除牛疾病的严重并发症，并有继续传播给人类的风险。因此，了解可能导致bTB潜伏状态的生理事件可以帮助开发适当的预防和控制工具。