Bovine TB Found in Minnesota Herd in Beltrami County

Thursday, November 1, 2007 10:26 AM CDT

Minnesota's efforts to eradicate bovine tuberculosis have suffered a setback with the discovering of another confirmed case in Beltrami County.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health said Thursday it has now detected bovine TB in eight beef herds in Roseau and Beltrami counties.

The latest Beltrami herd was quarantined last year after an investigation had discovered the owner had bought animals from a TB infected farm.

At that time, the whole herd was tested and all the animals were negative. A follow-up test found two possibly infected animals. One of those cases was confirmed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will coordinate the destruction of the herd and the compensation of the owner.

State Veterinarian Bill Hartmann said latest case shows how a single test can miss the slow-growing bacteria that causes the disease.

A state government program to test all Minnesota cattle herds statewide for TB began before latest case. So far, the board said, the state has tested approximately 1,200 herds, with a goal of 1,500.

Minnesota can't apply to the federal Agriculture Department for accreditation as TB free until two years after its last infected herd is eliminated.

Without the TB-free designation, it costs ranchers about $10 for additional testing for every animal they ship out of state.

Before the current outbreak was detected in July 2005, the state had been free of the cattle disease since 1971.

Bovine TB is highly contagious among cattle. Milk pasteurization has helped reduce the number of human cases.

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