TUBERCULOSIS (bovine): UK Badger cull heads for further consultation

19 July 2011 By Richard Black

 The badger (Meles meles) is a protected species under UK and European laws Continue reading the main story

There will be no culling of badgers in England this year to curb cattle tuberculosis, the government has said.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said she was "strongly minded" to allow culling, but details of the methodology will be sent out for consultation.
If that does not raise major obstacles, culling can be piloted next spring, with wider implementation in 2013.
Ministers anticipate a legal challenge, but said that "ducking the issue" was not an option.
Opponents said the government's chosen methods could make the problem worse.
The cull proposals form part of a larger package of measures including enhanced testing of cattle herds and more training of farmers on biosecurity.
Bovine TB currently costs the UK budget about £100m per year.
"We are setting out a comprehensive and balanced package of measures to tackle this terrible disease," Ms Spelman told reporters.
"If we don't change what we're doing, [bovine TB] will cost the country a £1bn over the next 10 years."
Following the Welsh Assembly elections earlier this year, the Welsh government is reviewing its culling policy.

In their sights
Previously, the government - backed by its top science officials - had concluded that culling in hotspot areas, where the TB bacterium is carried from farm to farm via badgers, could reduce the local incidence of disease by 16%.
Those figures were derived from the world's biggest scientific study into the issue, the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT, also known as the Krebs Trial).
In the RBCT, badgers were trapped in cages and shot.
However, the government - and farmers - are keen to have marksmen shooting badgers as they roam at night, which is much cheaper, under licences issued by Natural England.
The effectiveness of "controlled shooting", as it is now known, has never been tested.
Under the new draft guidelines, marksmen would have to hold a top level deerstalking licence, and would also have to undergo training on the specifics of killing badgers with a single shot, and on potential public safety ramifications.
The government envisages pilot culls going ahead in two areas, providing the consultation throws up no major obstacles.
Earlier reports suggested those areas would be in Devon and Gloucestershire, but Ms Spelman said no decision had been taken.
An independent panel would be responsible for evaluating whether culling was effective and humane - "effective" meaning that more than 70% of badgers in the area could be killed over a six-week period.
Experts would monitor how accurately badgers were being shot, and carcasses would be examined to see whether the animals were likely to be dying swiftly.

 Measures such as screening are reducing TB incidence, but are unlikely to eliminate it The RBCT found that killing some badgers made others scatter - "perturbation", as it is known - carrying the TB bacterium to other farms and increasing disease incidence in herds on the edge of the target zones.

Some experts believe controlled shooting could be even more disruptive; but under government plans, there will be no monitoring of perturbation.
Chris Cheeseman, a badger ecologist who formerly headed the Wildlife Disease Unit, said the risk of perturbation even within the target area was very real.
"Where they get the six-week period from is a mystery to me - somebody's just picked a figure out of the air, it's far too long, you'll get badgers percolating in to fill the space left by the ones killed," he said.
"It's a recipe for perturbation."
In addition, he added, if the pilots are discontinued after one year, the exercise will have created two zones of very high perturbation - and presumably an increase in cattle TB in those areas.
"The one difference between the trials and what's being proposed is controlled shooting versus trap and shoot, so the only question is whether there's a difference in perturbation.
"We don't know the answer, but there's no reason to believe it would be worse... [but] that's not evidence, it's expert judgement."
Dr Cheeseman responded: "I am puzzled as to how one of the government's chief scientific advisers can say it is a science-led policy."
Mary Creagh, shadow environment secretary, highlighted government projections that farmers will spend more on the cull than they will save.
"This decision is driven by political expediency rather than sound science," she said.

Farmers' delight
The cull areas would have to be at least 150 sq km in size - and the government estimates that a few thousand badgers could be killed during the pilot phase.

 Farmers maintain culling will improve badger welfare by killing fatally sick animals If the pilots were judged successful, a maximum of 10 licences could be issued per year for four years.

Groups of farmers and landowners would have to convince Natural England, the licensing authority, that culling was necessary and that they could run it effectively.
To deal with the potential problem that some farmers might get disillusioned and withdraw early - creating perturbation - each group will have to deposit enough money into a bank account in advance to cover the entire cost of a four-year operation.
Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers Union, said the farming community was willing to work within constraints set out by the government.
"Sometimes we have to do what is unpopular because we know it is right," he said.
"Not taking action is no longer an option, and the government has recognised that. As the most recent science shows, badger controls are absolutely necessary, together with cattle controls, to get on top of this devastating disease."

Order questions
Ms Spelman said the government had consulted several times with police forces who would be responsible for public order and safety.
The locations of the pilots will not be kept secret, as local people have to be consulted before culling can begin.
Last month, a poll for the BBC suggested a majority of Britons in both town and country opposed a badger cull.
Across the country, 63% said badgers should not be killed for cattle TB, with 31% in favour of culling and the remainder undecided.
Government statistics show that the incidence of cattle TB declined slightly between 2009 and 2010, probably due to the escalation of TB testing on farms and restrictions on herd movements.
However, provisional figures indicate that incidence was slightly higher in the first two months of this year than in the corresponding period for 2010.
The European badger (Meles meles) is a protected species under European and UK law but ministers can sanction killing in certain circumstances, including to tackle disease.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14204236

TUBERCULOSIS: New Zealand: trying to eradicate bovine tuberculosis from wildlife, mainly possums

19 May 2011


The Animal Health Board will begin an aerial 1080-poison drop this week in the central North Island.
The Hauhungaroa Range is one of several areas where the board is trying to eradicate bovine tuberculosis from wildlife, mainly possums, over the next 15 years.
Hauhungaroa Range is located west of Lake Taupo.
Northern North Island regional co-ordinator Frank Pavitt says the TB control programme has made significant gains in the area, with infected herd numbers dropping to historic lows.
But possums continue to carry the disease and spread it to farmed cattle and deer.
The board announced earlier this week it is also planning an extensive ground and aerial bovine possum control operation north of Taupo.
The operation will cover about 5000 hectares near Wairakei.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/75603/1080-drop-to-begin-this-week

TUBERCULOSIS: in animals and humans

 May 3, 2011 : Muhammad Yasin Tipu

According to an estimate, Pakistan has a population of about 34.3 million cattle and 30.8 million buffaloes. Among the diverse bovine pathogens, mycobacteria are highly significant, especially among farm animals. Apart from mortality, it is estimated that the animals affected with tuberculosis lose 10 to 25 percent of their productive efficiency. Bovine tuberculosis is not only a threat to animals, but it is also a zoonotic and public health problem. Mycobacterium bovis, the cause of bovine tuberculosis, and mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of classical human tuberculosis, are genetically and antigenically very similar and cause identical clinical disease in humans. The disease is a major problem and causes more causalities worldwide than Malaria and HIV.
Tuberculosis is present worldwide with an extremely high prevalence in Asian countries, where 60 to 80 percent of the children below the age of 14 years are infected. The largest number of cases occurs in the Southeast Asian region, which accounts for about 33 percent of the cases globally. The bovine type may cause as high as 25.8 percent of tuberculosis in human beings.
In Europe, according to reports, mycobacterium bovis is the cause for almost 50 percent of cervical lymph adenitis cases in children. In addition, it is the major cause of human gastrointestinal tuberculosis in the developing countries, where bovine milk is not pasteurised before use. In Pakistan, however, tuberculosis is prevalent at epidemic proportions in both human beings and animals. Unfortunately, there are various aspects of this disease that still need to be analysed. It is hypothesised that bovine tuberculosis may be prevalent in Pakistan due to the use poorly pasteurised milk. Certainly, the existing situation calls for a comprehensive programme to address this problem in order to save the livestock, and particularly the human population at risk.
The key factors that can control tuberculosis are rapid detection, adequate therapy and contact tracing to arrest further transmission. Bovine tuberculosis infection in cattle is usually diagnosed in the animal on the basis of delayed hypersensitivity reactions. But after the animal dies, it is diagnosed through a post-mortem examination, and histopathological and bacteriological techniques. Bacteriological examinations may comprise the demonstration of acid-fast bacilli by microscopic examination (provides presumptive confirmation), and the isolation of mycobacteria on selective culture media and their subsequent identification by cultural and biochemical tests. Culture is gold standard, but a lot of time is required for this slow-growing organism. Serodiagnosis of tuberculosis also has many limitations
http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Opinions/Columns/03-May-2011/Tuberculosis-in-animals-and-humans

TUBERCULOSIS: UK cattle testing positive for tuberculosis to be DNA tagged

22 Apr 2011
Cattle testing positive for Bovine TB in the United Kingdom are to be DNA tagged to further strengthen controls preventing spread of the disease, says Defra.
Evidence is emerging that some cattle farmers in the South West and Midlands may have been illegally swapping cattle ear tags. That means they may have been retaining TB-positive animals in their herds and sending less productive animals to slaughter in their place.
Retaining cattle that test positive for TB on a farm increases the risk of spread of TB to other herds and wildlife.
To strengthen deterrents, from mid-April cattle testing positive for TB will immediately be tagged and a sample of its DNA retained by Animal Health. These samples will then be cross-checked at random, or where fraud is suspected, against the DNA of animals sent to slaughter.
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice said: “I am absolutely appalled any farmer would deliberately break the law in this way. The vast majority of farmers with TB in their herds are doing the right thing, and it’s reprehensible that anyone should be trying to get around the tough measures that are helping to control TB in cattle. Anyone doing this sort of thing will be caught and have the book thrown at them. “We are introducing this extra safeguard to minimise spread of this devastating disease to other herds and wildlife.”
The alleged evidence of fraud has emerged from an investigation instigated by Gloucestershire Trading Standards, which reviewed TB cattle sent to two slaughterhouses. Investigations are now ongoing there and at slaughterhouses in the South West and Midlands.
The Bovine TB Eradication Group for England (TBEG) said: “We are appalled at this emerging evidence of TB reactor fraud, and we strongly condemn any such behaviour. We urge the farming industry and the veterinary profession to continue to work together with the Government on the swift and decisive action announced today.
“We have given clear advice on what measures should be put in place quickly to tackle the problem. This suspected fraudulent behaviour by a few farmers should not be allowed to unfairly damage the reputation of the responsible majority or to undermine the TB control regime.”
http://www.vetsweb.com/news/uk-cattle-testing-positive-for-tuberculosis-to-be-dna-tagged-2153.html

TUBERCULOSIS: New method for the standardized comparison of the genetic polymorphism within and between members of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex

Demelash Biffa
As part of his doctoral research at The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Demelash Biffa has carried out extensive field and laboratory work on bovine tuberculosis (TB) in Ethiopia since 2007.
The main aims of his study were to investigate risk factors associated with prevalence of the disease and to discover the molecular genetic characteristics of mycobacteria, which cause serious pathologic lesions in cattle. The work has led to the development of a new numeric expression approach known as Spoligotype Evolutionary Index (SEI).
Since Antiquity, tuberculosis has been one of the most ravaging and deadly diseases in both animals and humans worldwide. The main causative agents are Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) respectively in animals and humans, though humans are highly susceptible to the bovine strain.
In Ethiopia, bovine TB remains a major threat to animal and human health and an obstacle to international trade. Many aspects of the epidemiology of the disease, particularly of the causative agent M. Bovis, are not known.
Using molecular methods, Biffa has shown that TB in cattle is caused by a heterogeneous population of M. bovis. Some diseased animals were found to harbour multiple genotypes, indicating a high degree of infection pressure. This finding will have useful implications for any livestock vaccination program, as it appears that prior exposure to the pathogen may not provide sufficient resistance to the disease in some animals. This revelation is likely to challenge the paradigm of monoclonal infection of TB recognized in humans, but not yet in animals.
Biffa's research reaffirmed that TB in cattle poses a major threat to humans, animals, and to international trade. The thesis sets out recommendations for policy formulation with a view to achieving proper disease surveillance and control programmes in Ethiopia.
Demelash Biffa presented his doctoral thesis to the public on 7th December 2010 at The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (NVH). The title of his thesis is “Epidemiological and Molecular Genetic Studies of Mycobacterium bovis Infections in Cattle in Ethiopia”.

Biographical data:
Demelash Biffa was born and brought up in Ethiopia. He took veterinary science at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Addis Ababa University and graduated with a DVM degree in 1994. He won the competitive quota scholarship and joined The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, obtaining a Master degree in Food Safety in 2007. He then won a scholarship to take a PhD at the same school. Biffa is a member of several professional associations and has also taken international postgraduate courses in different countries. Before commencing his doctoral research, he worked as head of the veterinary service division at the Ministry of Agriculture in Ethiopia, as NGO Project coordinator, and finally as senior lecturer at Hawassa University, Ethiopia.
Contact information: Demelash Biffa E-mail: demelash_b@yahoo.com
Magnhild Jenssen, Information Consultant, NVH: Email: magnhild.jenssen@nvh.no
http://www.nvh.no/en/Home/News/News-stories/New-method-for-the-standardized-comparison-of-the-genetic-polymorphism-within-and-between-members-of-the-Mycobacterium-Tuberculosis-Complex/

TUBERCULOSIS: Most TB patients in Ghana would rather avoid the hospital

December 07, 2010
Only 15,286 out of 48,000 TB cases are reported in hospitals in Ghana in 2009, a World Health Organisation (WHO) report on Tuberculosis in Ghana has said.
This is due to the stigma associated with contraction of the disease and the preference of prayer camps by TB patients to hospitals.
In addition, the percentage of TB patients who tested positive for HIV had reduced from 40 per cent in 2005 to 22 per cent in 2009.
Ms Cynthia Oware, Programmes Officer, National Tuberculosis Programme, announced this when addressing members of the Ghana Association of Faith Healers (GAFH) and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) during a sensitisation programme in Accra on Tuesday.
She said in 2009, available statistics indicated that out of the 9.4 million cases of full blown TB, 35 per cent were women and 12 per cent were persons infected with the HIV.
"Out of the 85 per cent of TB cases that occurred in developing countries, Africa had 30 per cent while Asia recorded 55 per cent. Approximately 1.7 million people died of TB in 2009", she added.
TB is an airborne disease spread through germs that come out when a person coughs, sneezes, sings or shouts therefore, infected people are urged to visit the nearest hospital for medical attention since TB treatment is free.
Ms Oware called for an end to the stigmatisation associated with the disease adding that there was no way one could contract the disease by sharing cutlery, drinking cups or bathroom with an infected person.
She noted that TB, if not well treated, could easily spread to other organs of the body, make one become multi-drug resistant (could not be treated by any TB drug again) and increase the person's chances of dying.
Ms Oware called for good ventilation for all rooms as the disease could not be spread outside or in an open air and cited low TB case detection and its high mortality rate, stigmatization and discrimination as some of the challenges affecting the fight against TB in the country.
She mentioned constant tiredness, fever, weight loss, night sweat, coughing for more than two weeks, loss of appetite, blood in sputum, chest pains as some of the signs of TB infection.
Ms Oware urged the participants to always refer suspected TB case to hospitals for early medication and become advocates for the eradication of the disease in the country.
She called on persons who usually take fresh cow milk to always boil it as they could contract TB from an infected cow.
The report said more than two billion people, equal to about one third of the world's population were estimated to be infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis (not full blown tuberculosis).
People who are at risk of getting TB include HIV infected people, those who abuse substance, alcoholics, smokers, people with cancer, diabetic patients and persons with low body weights.
http://www.ghananewsagency.org/s_health/r_23159/

TUBERCULOSIS: Badger cull plans for England being unveiled

15 September 2010
Badger cull plans for England being unveiled
Badgers are protected under European and UK law
The government has set out plans to license farmers in England to shoot badgers on their land, with tens of thousands of animals potentially targeted.
The government believes the badger cull is necessary to curb TB in cattle.
Cattle TB cost the UK more than £100m last year.
But campaigners who successfully mounted a legal challenge against plans for a cull in Wales say the scientific evidence for culling does not stack up.
The European badger (Meles meles) is a protected species under European and British law, but ministers can sanction killing in certain circumstances, including to tackle diseases.
It is believed the government will change the instructions it gives to Natural England, the statutory agency that issues licences, in order that farmers can gain permission to kill badgers on the basis that they carry the bovine TB bacterium.
The previous Labour government concluded culling did not make scientific or economic sense, and instructed the agency not to issue licences for TB control.
Ministers in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition, however, believe the latest scientific evidence changes the picture.
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice said before the election that the Conservatives favoured culling. Since coming into office he has several times pledged to make it happen, although his boss, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman, has been more nuanced, promising only a strategy based on science.Split vision
Whether science does back a cull or not is a hotly-disputed question.
Some of the scientists who performed the biggest ever investigation into culling - the UK's Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT), also known as the "Krebs Trial" - maintain that it does not.
30 areas of the country selected, each 100 square km
10 culled proactively, 10 reactively, 10 not culled
Badgers culled through being caught in cage and then shot
Incidence of bovine TB measured on farms inside and outside study areas
Reactive culling suspended early after significant rise in infection
Trial cost £7m per year
More than 11,000 badgers killed
Latest follow-up studies equivocal on whether benefit of proactive culling is maintained
The Krebs Trial found that the incidence of TB fell in cattle herds inside the culling zone, but rose outside, probably because killing badgers disrupted the animals' social structures, making them range further and along less ordered trails in search of food and territory, bringing them into contact with more cattle.
The team concluded at that time that culling could not be an ingredient of an effective bovine TB control programme; and some of them, at least, say that is still the case.
However, other observers point out that in the four years since the Krebs trial concluded, the "perturbation effect" has fallen away while some benefit appears to persist inside the culled zone.
Two months ago, the Court of Appeal upheld an appeal by the Badger Trust against the Welsh Assembly Government's plans for a trial cull in Pembrokeshire.
One of the reasons for the judgement was that proponents expected the measure to produce only a 9% decline in TB in cattle, which the court ruled was not a "substantial reduction", as required by the Animal Health Act.
Defra is using different legislation, the Protection of Badgers Act. Even so, campaigners are expected to explore legal options if they do not think the law is being properly applied.
"The Badger Trust is monitoring things very closely and we hope [Defra] will take a considered view of the science that is overwhelmingly against culling," said Gwendolen Morgan of Bindmans solicitors, the organisation's legal advisor.
The government's consultation is expected to last for three months.
Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11303939

TUBERCULOSIS: What Does Discovery Of Bovine Tuberculosis In A Herd In Ohio Mean For Ohio Livestock Farmers?

09/01/2010
The July 7, 2010, press release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture announcing that a dairy herd had recently been detected with bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and subsequently depopulated was perhaps a surprise to some people, but to those who have been observing similar kinds of discoveries in other states, it was not. In fact in an article in the Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter that appeared just before the ODA press release, we briefly discussed biosecurity and the concern of introducing diseases, like tuberculosis and others characterized by "silent" infections, into herds and flocks. In the short term, the impact of this discovery on Ohio farmers will be rather minimal and limited to the herd affected, the herds in which animals from this herd were traced, and the regulatory agencies charged with the tracing and testing activity (of course they are supported with our tax dollars). Should additional herds be discovered in the next two years, the possibility of loss of our "free" status with respect to bTB exists. This could have a profound impact on Ohio farmers.The current situation in Ohio and the USA, with respect to bTB, does give us some insight into changes that have occurred over the past 20-30 years. Herd size has tended to increase, especially in the dairy industry. Some of this expansion occurred with retention of natural additions to herds, but for many herds it also involved movement of animals from one herd to another. In some cases bTB has been traced to Mexican cattle entering the US as Holstein feeder animals and roping/rodeo steers. Unfortunately, in a few cases contact between these animals and other animals destined for breeding herds has occurred. This time frame has also seen the growth of farmed deer, elk, and bison herds, much of which was unregulated until recent years and in which some level of bTB may have persisted.The conspicuous feature of this change is the nature and amount of animal movement. In a recent news article, it was reported that last year more than 19 million of the nation's 30 million beef cows and 9 million dairy cows crossed state lines. (1) It is now fairly common for herds, both beef and dairy, to contain animals that were born in one state; raised, comingled with other animals, and bred in one or more different states; and relocated to yet another for breeding or production purposes. In fact, in the Ohio herd recently found with bTB, the animals in that herd had their origin in at least 17 different states and Canada. Much of this movement is done with no, or minimal, attention to the potential for introduction of disease. Some of it is done illegally; perhaps more than we would like to believe. The recent National Animal Health Monitoring System surveys suggest that routine biosecurity measures for animal disease prevention are not regularly practiced by many farms. (2) Diseases like bTB, Johne's disease, anaplasmosis, and BVD are readily moved about by animals that are infected but which show no visible signs of disease. This tremendous amount of movement of animals back and forth across the country, which happens virtually every day, has led some people in the animal health field to observe that we now have a "national" herd merely split up among different temporary owners. To the extent that animals are moved without individual identification and records, the job of tracing disease outbreaks becomes enormous. Perhaps this is a good time to discuss "health certificates." Actually, the term "health certificates" is a bit of a misnomer since they do not really certify the complete "health" of the animals being moved. Although the term is still used almost universally, today it is reserved for forms and certificates provided by the USDA for interstate and international animal movement (including dogs and cats). Most states, including Ohio, now issue a "certificate of veterinary inspection" which perhaps more appropriately describes what they are. They are the paperwork that is usually required for interstate, and sometimes intrastate, movement of animals. They list all official forms of identification of each of the animals, their source/owner and destination, and the results of any tests that may have been required for movement to the destination. In some cases, no actual animal tests are required. They also require the signature of a veterinarian that indicates that he/she has performed the appropriate tests, that the information on the certificate is correct and complete, and that he/she has examined the animals for evidence of infectious or contagious disease. Some states require additional statements regarding the status of a specific disease for the source herd to be placed on the certificate. An accredited veterinarian and state of origin issue the certificate with the original accompanying the animal and copies sent to the state of destination.Although the certificate of veterinary inspection is a very important legal document and does verify testing and examination for some kinds of diseases, it does not imply that the animals listed on the certificate are free of disease. For infectious diseases that have long incubation periods, like bTB, or diseases that may be transmitted from apparently healthy carriers or shedders, like Johne's disease, BVD, or anaplasmosis, a "health certificate" may provide little protection to the farm or herd of destination. Furthermore, the requirements for interstate and intrastate movement may vary somewhat by state depending on what a state believes is in the best interest of their citizens. For example, a disease of beef cattle that is getting more attention every year is trichomoniasis (commonly called "trich"), an infection carried by non-virgin bulls that can be transmitted to cows at breeding and cause early embryo loss and a high level of open cows at calving. It has been most common in several western states and is gradually spreading other states. Some states require multiple tests for this infection on bulls prior to them entering their state, and some do not. Currently a farmer in Ohio can buy a potentially infected bull from another state and move it to Ohio without any testing for this disease.The United States embarked on a bTB eradication program in 1917 at a time when an estimated one in every nine human deaths was from tuberculosis. It has been estimated that 10% or more of those human tuberculosis cases were due to the bovine form acquired from cattle or indirectly from cattle products. (3) That estimate does not count the crippling, non-fatal infections. We made astounding progress in just the first few decades, thanks to the financial and moral commitments of your grandparents and mine, and we continued to make significant strides toward eradication through the early 1990s when most states were declared "Free" and granted that status by the federal government. [For a very interesting account of this read (3)] Today many states do not require tuberculosis testing for cattle being imported from "Free" states. In the next installment of this series, we will discuss the meaning of a bTB Free status today.
Source: William Shulaw, Extension Veterinarian, Ohio State University
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/What-Does-Discovery-Of-Bovine-Tuberculosis-In-A-Herd-In-Ohio-Mean-For-Ohio-Livestock-Farmers/2010-09-01/Article.aspx?oid=1225356&fid=

TUBERCULOSIS: Bovine tbc in Ohio

Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Robert Boggs today announces that preliminary tests performed by the department’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory revealed a positive result for bovine tuberculosis in a Paulding County dairy herd. There is no known human illness associated with this occurrence.
The herd was found positive after routine tuberculosis testing by the department. The herd was depopulated, and the department is currently conducting a trace-in and trace-out investigation to determine if other livestock may be affected.

“We are currently working with our state and federal partners on this matter to take the necessary steps to identify the origin of the affected cattle,” said Boggs. “This is yet another example of how the Ohio Department of Agriculture works daily to assure the safety of Ohio consumers and livestock.”

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by bacteria which affects the respiratory system. Bovine tuberculosis, also known as Cattle TB, is an infectious form of tuberculosis as it infects most warm-blooded animals, including humans. It can manifest in livestock as a chronic, debilitating disease, and it may take years to develop bovine tuberculosis lesions in the lungs.

Airborne exposure from coughing and sneezing is considered to be the most frequent way in which bovine tuberculosis is spread, but it can also occur through consumption of contaminated water, feed or unpasteurized milk.
http://www.buckeyeag.com/article.php?aid=20100708031810209

TUBERCULOSIS: Kentucky, Bovine tbc

June 18, 2010 — It’s back to business after all the cattle on Rose Angus Farm in Olive Hill tested negative this past week for Bovine Tuberculosis. When owner Jason Rose arrived home from work June 8, a written note on his front door caused immediate concerns about a cow he sold in November on the market. Dr. Jan Leslie, DVM with the Kentucky State Board of Agriculture Animal Health Division in Frankfort, traveled to the Mauk Ridge farm to inform Rose she had a government order to test his herd. The problem began when two beef cattle in Fleming County, one being Rose’s, tested positive recently for TB, reported State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout. As of June 14, authorities were waiting results for a third cow, which could take up to 10 days. The disease was discovered when one of the cows from the Fleming farm was slaughtered in a Pennsylvania plant and checked positive. The rest of the Fleming herd was quarantined and tested, indicating one was positive and the other pending. Stout assured the three animals did not enter the food supply.
http://themoreheadnews.com/local/x657336688/Government-officials-test-cattle-on-Olive-Hill-farm-for-Bovine-Tuberculosis

TUBERCULOSIS: Colorado: Bovine tbc

The federal approach to monitoring and containing bovine tuberculosis is changing just in time for the state of Colorado.
Cattlemen packed into the animal health and welfare committee meeting during the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association annual convention earlier this week to hear the latest on a case of four cows at a Colorado dairy confirmed positive for bovine TB. The outbreak was first discovered in a cow sold through the La Junta Livestock Auction.
A discovery of TB within a state has traditionally been cause for concern because it threatens the state’s TB-free status and leads to onerous disease testing requirements and trade restrictions. Once a state loses its TB free status, the process of upgrading its health status can take years.
New Mexico, along with Michigan, Minnesota and California, all had their TB status threatened in recent months when cases cropped up at dairies in those states.
But State Veterinarian Keith Roehr assured cattlemen that disease defense protocols are changing.
On April 15, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a federal order eliminating movement restrictions and testing obligations for non-affected animals in states where TB has been found. It was described as an interim measure meant to minimize negative impacts of the existing TB program until those regulations can be studied and amended.
http://www.lajuntatribunedemocrat.com/news/x1808629686/Bovine-Tuberculosis-Disease-threats-traceback-on-cattlemen-s-radar

TUBERCULOSIS: Kentucky Beef Cattle Test Positive for Bovine TB

USAgNet - 05/27/2010
Two beef cattle in a Fleming County herd have tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout said today.Authorities are waiting on the results of tests on a third animal, which could take up to 10 weeks, Dr. Stout said. The three animals did not enter the food supply, he said.The disease was discovered when a cow from the farm was slaughtered in a Pennsylvania plant and tested positive, according to Dr. Stout. The rest of the herd was tested, and two other cattle were suspected of having the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture purchased the two animals and had them slaughtered and necropsies performed. One had a suspicious lesion and tested positive for bovine tuberculosis.The herd on the index farm has been quarantined, Dr. Stout said. The remaining cattle in the herd have tested negative. Officials with USDA and the Kentucky state veterinarian's office will test cattle on farms adjacent to the index farm as well as three other associated herds and farms adjacent to those, he said.USDA has classified Kentucky as free of bovine tuberculosis since 1987. The state's status likely would not change if no other animals test positive for the disease in the next six months, Dr. Stout said, although individual states could require cattle coming into their states from Kentucky to be tested.Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious bacterial disease that primarily affects cattle, but it can be transmitted to humans and other warm-blooded animals. It is difficult to diagnose because it often doesn't show signs until it has reached an advanced stage. In later stages, clinical signs may include: emaciation, lethargy, weakness, anorexia, low-grade fever, and pneumonia with a chronic, moist cough. Lymph node enlargement may also be present.It can be passed to a herd by infected cattle, cervids (such as deer and elk), swine and humans. It can be spread through the air, at feed and watering sites or by drinking raw, unpasteurized milk from infected animals. The risk of exposure is greatest in enclosed areas, such as barns with poor ventilation.More than 1 million animals are tested annually for TB. A test may be required for participation in a show or exhibition, a change of ownership, and interstate movement. An animal also may be tested if it shows signs at slaughter or during an investigation of an affected herd.
http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-national.php?Id=1072&yr=2010

TUBERCULOSIS: Kentucky, bovine

Two beef cattle in Kentucky have tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, and state veterinarian Robert Stout says results are pending on a third animal.
Stout said Wednesday that the two infected cows were in a Fleming County herd in northern Kentucky, but he said the three animals didn't enter the food supply.
He said the disease was discovered when a cow from the farm was slaughtered in Pennsylvania and tested positive. Stout said the rest of the herd was tested, and two other cattle were suspected of having the disease. One tested positive for the disease.
Stout said Kentucky has been classified as free of bovine tuberculosis since 1987. He said that status would likely not change if no other animals test positive in the next six months.
Bovine tuberculosis causes severe coughing, fatigue, emaciation and debilitation in cattle and results in reduced milk and meat production.
Humans can catch the disease from contact with infected cattle, but that's rare.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9FUPAV00.htm