Bovine tuberculosis continues to pose a significant public health and economic challenge worldwide, remaining endemic across much of the developing world while persisting in wildlife populations and cattle herds in several developed countries. The disease threatens food security, livestock production systems, and international trade pathways, with particular severity for smallholder farming communities in resource-limited settings. Accurate diagnosis using standardised tuberculin reagents forms the foundation of effective surveillance and control programmes, yet historical variation in diagnostic reagent quality has compromised the reliability of test results across different geographical regions and manufacturing sources. The intradermal tuberculin test, employing purified protein derivative from Mycobacterium bovis, remains the globally accepted diagnostic gold standard. WOAH’s newly completed evaluation establishes consistent benchmarks that will improve diagnostic accuracy, enabling countries to implement harmonised surveillance protocols. This standardisation is essential for protecting livestock exports, maintaining dairy trade integrity, and ultimately reducing zoonotic transmission risks to human populations.
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