LANSING, Mich. — Michigan state officials announced last week another find of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a cattle herd.

 

According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), a trace investigation from a TBpositive herd in Franklin County, Ind.,  led to the identification of an infected cow in a small beef herd in Lake County, Mich. Franklin County is on the eastern edge of Indiana, while Lake County is in northwestern Michigan in the Lower Peninsula (L.P.). Lake County is outside of the TB endemic zone in Michigan.

 

“Every time a bovine tuberculosis herd is identified, the U.S. Department of Agriculture works to track all animal movements in and out of the infected herd, which can include animals that moved across state boundaries,” said Rick Smith, assistant Michigan state veterinarian.

 

“Whole genome sequencing, which is a specific genetic test for bovine TB, was used to confirm that the bovine TB found in the infected animal was the same as the infected Indiana herd.”

 

Smith added there are many types of bovine TB in the United States, and the type that’s been found in the northeastern part of Michigan’s L.P. is unique to that area.

 

The 3-year old cow was imported from the Indiana herd prior to that herd being confirmed positive last December. Last year, Indiana identified two beef herds and one whitetail deer that were positive for TB, and all were in Franklin County. Indiana is one of five states – New Mexico, South Dakota and Texas, in addition to Michigan – currently dealing with infected herds.

 

Michigan has made a great deal of progress on its bovine TB problem in the 20-plus years it’s been dealing with it. Although the problem has always been the worst in the northeastern part of the L.P., TB used to be found in many other sections of the state, except the Upper Peninsula. Michigan still has a splitstate status, but officials are looking forward to the day when the entire state can be declared TB-free.

 

As a part of MDARD’s programmed response to the latest TB-positive animal, a three-mile surveillance area has been established around the affected farm in Lake County. Farms within this special area will have six months to complete bovine TB testing. MDARD will identify these farms and notify them through individual letters.

 

MDARD officials have scheduled an informational meeting to discuss this find and the surveillance area, for May 8 at 7 p.m. The meeting will take place at Reed City High School, 225 W. Church Ave., Reed City, MI 49677-1367. More information on bovine TB in Michigan can be found online at www.michigan.gov/mdard and more information about it in Indiana can be found at www.in.gov/boah