TB Positive Feeder Heifer Traced From Saginaw to Arenac County
Contact: Bridget Patrick 517-284-5661Agency: Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentSeptember 16, 2013
LANSING, MI - Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) State Veterinarian Dr. James Averill today confirmed a third herd infected with bovine Tuberculosis (TB) related to the Saginaw County Dairy found TB positive in April, 2013. Bovine TB is a zoonotic bacterial disease that can affect all mammals including humans. Michigan has a unique strain of bovine TB associated with cattle and wildlife in the Northeastern Lower Peninsula and has been working to eradicate the disease since 1995.
“When you conduct an outbreak investigation for bovine TB, it is disappointing, but not a surprise when you find the disease,” Averill said. “This heifer poses no food safety threat. The key thing for us now is to work with the owner to develop the best plan for ensuring no TB remains in the feedlot.”
The Animal Industry Act, Public Act 466 of 1988, as amended, directs MDARD to conduct bovine TB surveillance testing each time a new TB affected herd is discovered. A special surveillance zone for bovine TB testing cattle has been established in a three-mile circle around the Arenac County feedlot.
Cattle producers will be notified directly by MDARD if they are located within the three-mile circle. Additionally, an informational meeting for beef and dairy cattle producers in Arenac County is scheduled for Thursday, September 26, 2013, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Standish Township Hall, 4997 Arenac State Rd., Standish, MI 48658.
The infected animal was purchased and brought to Arenac County to be finished off in a feedlot. The trace investigators pulled the animal from the feedlot and sent it to Michigan State University (MSU) Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health (DCPAH) for necropsy and lab tests. The remaining animals in the feedlot were TB tested and all were negative.
To date, MDARD has completed 85 percent of the traces from the index dairy herd from Saginaw County. However, as a new TB positive farm comes to light, the trace investigation expands. In this Arenac County case, MDARD will need to confirm that every animal sold from this farm in the past five years definitely went to slaughter, as well as conduct some limited surveillance testing.
To read more about bovine TB, please visit: http://www.michigan.gov/bovineTB
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