A New Approach for Managing Bovine Tuberculosis: Veterinary Services’ Proposed Action Plan

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a serious disease with animal health, public health, and international trade consequences. The cooperative Federal-State-industry effort to eradicate bovine TB from cattle in the United States has made significant progress since the program’s inception in 1917. However, the goal of eradication remains elusive. This proposed action plan presents Veterinary Services’ (VS’) current thinking about changes we are considering for the TB program to address our current challenges. This action plan will: 1. Reduce the introduction of TB into the U.S. national herd from imported animals and wildlife by: o Applying additional requirements to cattle imports from Mexico o Enhancing efforts to mitigate risks from wildlife 2. Enhance TB surveillance by: o Crafting a comprehensive national surveillance plan o Accelerating diagnostic test development to support surveillance 3. Increase options for managing TB-affected herds by: o Conducting epidemiological investigations and assessing individual herd risk o Applying whole-herd depopulation judiciously and developing alternative control strategies o Applying animal identification (ID) standards to meet animal ID needs 4. Modernize the regulatory framework to allow VS to focus resources where the disease exists 5. Transition the TB program from a State classification system to a science-based zoning approach to address disease risk To succeed, this new approach will require VS’ continued partnership with State animal health and wildlife officials, other Federal agencies, industry, international partners, academia, and other stakeholders. Successful partnerships will allow us to use available resources efficiently to achieve program objectives and protect our nation’s herd. Implementation of the VS proposed action plan will benefit Federal and State animal health officials, the regulated industries, and producers by allowing a more rapid response that employs up-to-date science and can adapt rapidly to changing situations.

Reducing the Public Health Impact of Bovine Tuberculosis by Controlling Disease Transmission Between Cattle and White-Tailed Deer in Northwestern Minnesota

Bovine tuberculosis, caused by infection with Mycobacterium bovis, is a re-emerging zoonotic disease. It has staged a comeback by establishing infections in wildlife and cattle, creating the potential for human disease in locations where it was thought to be under control. In northwestern Minnesota, infected cattle and white-tailed deer were first discovered in 2005. A major bovine tuberculosis eradication campaign is underway in the state, with multiple efforts employed to control M. bovis infection in both cattle and deer populations. In order to effectively eradicate bovine tuberculosis in Minnesota, there is a need for better understanding of the factors that increase the risk of deer and cattle interacting in a way that facilitates tuberculosis transmission. By reducing the risk of disease transmission within the animal populations, we will also reduce the risk that bovine tuberculosis will again become a common disease in human populations. The purpose of this study is to characterize the risk of interactions between cattle and white-tailed deer in northern Minnesota in order to prevent M. bovis transmission. A survey originally developed to assess deer-cattle interactions in Michigan was modified for use in Minnesota, introducing a scoring method to evaluate the areas of highest priority at risk of potential deer-cattle interaction. The resulting semi-quantitative deer-cattle interaction risk assessment was used at 53 cattle herds located in the region adjacent to the bovine tuberculosis “Core Area”. Two evaluators each scored the farm separately, and then created a management plan for the farm that prioritized the areas of greatest risk for deer-cattle interactions. Herds located within the “Management Zone” were evaluated by Minnesota Board of Animal Health staff, and results from these surveys were used as a point of comparison.

Studies on the Helminth Fauna of Alaska. XXV. The Ecology and Public Health Significance of Echinococcus sibiricensis Rausch & Schiller, 1954, on St. Lawrence Island

The occurrence of a species of Echinococcus (Rudolphi, 1801) on St Lawrence Island was noted by the writers in early 1950. Recognition of its unusual host relationships led to an investigation of the ecology of this cestode, E. sibiricensis Rausch & Schiller, 1954. It is the purpose of this paper to report the results of this work, with emphasis on alveolar hydatid disease in man, of which this cestode is the etiologic agent.