By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. —Last week, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) confirmed that a beef cattle herd in southeastern Indiana has been infected with bovine tuberculosis (TB).

The disease was found in a cow that had undergone routine testing during slaughter at a meat processing facility in Michigan, according to BOAH officials.
BOAH veterinarians are in the process of conducting a thorough investigation of the herd, including tracing the sources of the TB-positive cows, as well as any animals that have been sold from the herd, said Public Information Officer Denise Derrer. As information develops, BOAH will be notifying herd owners and others who may be impacted by the investigation, she added.

BOAH is also coordinating efforts with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to determine if the disease is present in free-ranging deer (also known as cervid) in the area.

According to Derrer, Indiana has had a bovine tuberculosis-free status since 1984 with the USDA. Under federal guidelines, that status will remain until further notice. Derrer said that it has been nearly 40 years since a Hoosier cattle herd tested positive for the disease. In 2009, however, a cervid herd tested positive for TB, but was ultimately depopulated.

Bovine TB is a chronic bacterial disease that affects primarily cattle, but can be transmitted to any warm-blooded animal. In the early stages of the disease, clinical signs are not visible. Later, signs may include: emaciation, lethargy, weakness, anorexia, low-grade fever and pneumonia with a chronic, moist cough.

Lymph node enlargement may also be present. Cattle owners who notice these signs in their livestock should contact a local veterinarian.
Beef supply is safe

In light of the recent announcement, Joe Moore, executive vice president with the Indiana Beef Cattle Assoc. hopes to remind consumers that the beef supply remains safe for Hoosier consumers.

“There has never been a reported case of human TB contracted from cattle in the U.S.,” Moore said. “No danger exists from eating cooked meat because the disease-causing bacteria are not found in the muscle tissue and they are killed by normal cooking temperatures.” Historically, Moore explained, the primary transmission of tuberculosis from cattle to humans was through the consumption of raw, unpasteurized milk from infected cows. Since federal law prohibits unpasteurized milk from being sold to consumers, the milk supply doesn’t pose a risk either.

“Consumers can be confident in the safety of their food supply,” he said. “Overall, TB incidence in humans has been greatly reduced as a result of the eradication program, advances in sanitation and hygiene, the discovery of effective drugs and the pasteurization of milk.”

Moore added that because of the multiple testing processes required of all meat carcasses and strong regulations to protect consumers, cattle that test positive for Bovine TB are prohibited from entering the food chain. “From farm to table, everyone has a role in ensuring that our food is safe and Indiana’s cattlemen and women take that responsibility very seriously,” he said.
More information about the disease and the investigation, as it develops, will be available on the BOAH website at www.boah.in.gov