NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

March 11, 1999

Tuberculosis Diagnosis Poses Economic Threat to North Dakota

A bovine tuberculosis outbreak in Morton County isn't a significant threat to human health, but does pose an economic threat to the state's livestock industry, says a veterinarian at North Dakota State University.

Before the outbreak had been officially diagnosed as tuberculosis, Montana officials closed that state's borders to North Dakota cattle. NDSU extension veterinarian Charlie Stoltenow expects other neighboring states and Canada might do the same soon.

"Until the outbreak is clearly defined and cleanup is underway, North Dakota cattle are going to be suspect. Nobody wants this problem in their back yard," Stoltenow says.

Limits on the movement of cattle will most likely be restricted to breeding stock, feeder cattle and other livestock destined for out-of-state herds. Restrictions shouldn't apply to slaughter cattle. "Meat inspectors are very careful to look for lung lesions that indicate tuberculosis," Stoltenow says. That's how tuberculosis was detected in the Morton County dairy herd.

Stoltenow says state and federal agencies are following procedures that have been in place since the 1930s to deal with tuberculosis. "This is a serious disease, but there are clear guidelines and rules for dealing with any outbreak that are designed to contain and eliminate any additional disease threat."

Bovine tuberculosis doesn't spread over wide areas very rapidly, Stoltenow notes. Cattle in close proximity to one another can pass it through airborne particles, feces, and shared feed and water. Unfortunately, infected cattle are often difficult to detect, and the disease is spread when seemingly healthy cattle are sold and moved to other herds and areas.

"That's what officials are trying to avoid now," Stoltenow says. "Part of containing an outbreak is trying to determine how long a herd was infected and whether or not any cattle were moved to other areas during that time."

Stoltenow notes that North Dakota has been certified as free from bovine tuberculosis since 1976. The designation means that North Dakota cattle could be shipped to other states without tuberculosis health documentation. A small outbreak was detected in 1988 in southeastern North Dakota but was isolated and eliminated quickly so it did not affect North Dakota's tuberculosis-free status, Stoltenow says.

Most mammals can carry tuberculosis, Stoltenow notes. Deer and elk are commonly infected and have been linked to a recent outbreak in Michigan. "We may never know what caused the North Dakota outbreak, but wild carriers mingling with cattle is one possible scenario," he says.

Although workers at the dairy farm and the plant that processed milk from the farm are being tested for tuberculosis, Stoltenow says the risk to the general public is very low. "Pasteurization kills the organism in milk and milk products, and meat inspection and thorough cooking will prevent the spread through meat products," he says.

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Source: Charlie Stoltenow (701) 231-7522

Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629