Mycobacterium bovis notifications to national tuberculosis surveillance: UK, 2000 to 2023
Updated 27 September 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
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Main points
Main points are that:
- between 2000 and 2023 702 people were notified with M. bovis in the UK with 26 notifications in 2023
- the number of notifications of M. bovis fell in 2023 compared with the previous 3 years
- of the UK nations, England has the highest number of M. bovis notifications in every year, with 76% of notifications in 2023
- most M. bovis notifications are in people born in the UK, 75% in 2023
- in UK born individuals, most M. bovis notifications are in people over 65, while in non-UK born people most are aged 15 to 45 years
- the South West region has the highest proportion of M. bovis notifications
Number of people notified with M. bovis by country
Figure 1a. Number of people notified with M. bovis by country, UK, 2000 to 2012
Figure 1b. Number of people notified with M. bovis by country, UK, 2013 to 2023
Data used in this figure can be found in Supplementary Table 1 of the accompanying data set.
From 2000 to 2023, 702 people were notified with M. bovis in the UK (see Supplementary Table 1 of the accompanying data set).
In Figure 1a (2000 to 2012) and Figure 1b (2013 to 2023) the number of people with M. bovis is reported by nation and for the UK. In 2010, there was an increase in the number of people with bovine TB in the UK, probably due to improved methods of identifying the bacteria in the laboratory. Except for 2013 when only 31 people were notified with M. bovis, notifications between 2010 to 2017 were stable ranging from 37 to 41 people per year. In 2023, there were 26 notifications, the second lowest over the period after 2018, when 24 people were notified.
Most notifications were in England, with an average of 76.1% (534 out of 702) occurring in England, followed by Scotland (10.3%, 72 notifications), Northern Ireland (8.5%, 60 notifications) and Wales (5.1%, 36 notifications). The proportion of notifications by nation has varied over time, for example, for England it ranged from 53.8% in 2005 to 91.7% in 2018.
Number of people notified with M. bovis by age group, place of birth and sex
Figure 2. Number of people with M. bovis by age group and place of birth, UK, 2000 to 2023
Note: data was missing for place of birth for 49 people.
Data used in the above figure can be found in Supplementary Table 2 of the accompanying data set.
Figure 2 shows that people notified with M. bovis and born in the UK were older with the most common age group being aged 65 years or more (55.5% of notifications) compared with 15 to 44 year age group in non-UK born (66.5%). The proportions of notifications by age group and by sex by year from 2000 to 2023 are shown in Supplementary Tables 3 and 4 of the accompanying data set.
Most notifications with M. bovis occurred in people born in the UK with an average of 75.3% from 2000 to 2023, with no consistent change in this proportion over time (Supplementary Table 5 of the accompanying data set). In 2023, 75.0% of notifications were in people born in the UK, compared with 57.6% in 2022, the lowest proportion observed.
Number of people notified with M. bovis by region and UK nation
Figure 3. Number of M. bovis notifications by UKHSA region and nation, UK, 2000 to 2023
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2022.
Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2022.
Data used in the above figure can be found in Supplementary Table 6 of the accompanying data set.
Figure 3 and Supplementary Table 6 of the accompanying data set show the geographical spread of people notified with M. bovis in England by UKHSA region and by UK nation. Between 2000 to 2023, on average the greatest number of people with M. bovis were notified in the South West of England (23.0%, 123 out of 534 notifications in England), followed by London (18.0%) and the West Midlands (17.6%). The North East had the lowest number and proportion of people with M. bovis (2.6%, 14 out of 534).
Data sources and methodology
This report includes data on people with known M. bovis infection and those with whole genome sequencing (WGS) results consistent with M. bovis infection. Data was obtained from the National TB Surveillance System (NTBS), which includes, where available, a specific questionnaire to collect additional data for people with M. bovis to identify the potential source of exposure.
Data was cleaned, prepared and analysed by the National TB Surveillance Team at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Further details on methodology and tuberculosis in England can be found in the Tuberculosis in England 2023 report. Data presented in these tables supersedes data presented in previous years.
Background information
Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) causes tuberculosis (TB) in cattle (known as bovine TB) and is part of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). M. bovis can cause tuberculosis-like infection in humans (called a zoonotic infection) as well as other animals.
Further information and contact details
For more information please contact TBunit@ukhsa.gov.uk