Bovine TB Found In Northeastern Michigan Cows

ALPENA (WWJ/AP) - Officials say another case of bovine tuberculosis has been detected in Michigan's northeastern Lower Peninsula.

The disease recently turned up in a medium-sized beef cattle herd in Alpena County.

Assistant State Veterinarian Dr. Rick Smith says was the latest of three herds in Michigan that tested positive in 2015. It's also the 63rd cattle herd found to carry the illness since 1998. Of those, 28 have been in Alpena County.

The infections were found during routine testing by the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Bovine TB is an infectious disease that primarily affects cattle but can be spread between different mammals.

According to the state, the threat of humans contracting bovine TB from animals is extremely remote in the U.S. Health officials have confidence in the state's meat and milk supply, but Michigan's deer herd and other wildlife species are at risk. Many whitetail deer in northeastern Michigan are carriers.

A meeting for area cattle producers is scheduled for Jan. 21 in Lachine.

For more information on Bovine TB, visit this link.

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