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Bovine tuberculosis in Michigan wildlife
Janet B Payeur1, S Church, L Mosher
1National Veterinary Services Laboratories, United States Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA. janet.b.payeur@aphis.usda.gov
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|October 17, 2002
Summary
White-tailed deer in Michigan are a reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (TB). Concentrated feeding sites likely facilitate TB transmission, threatening eradication efforts in the United States.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Wildlife Ecology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Bovine tuberculosis (TB) eradication programs are nearing completion in the United States.
- White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Michigan have been identified as a significant wildlife reservoir for TB.
- The ecological factors contributing to TB maintenance in Michigan's deer population are under investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the role of white-tailed deer as a reservoir host for bovine TB in Michigan.
- To investigate the likely transmission pathways of TB within the Michigan deer population.
- To assess the implications of wildlife TB reservoirs for ongoing eradication programs.
Main Methods:
- Ecological assessments of deer congregation patterns.
- Epidemiological analysis of TB prevalence in wildlife and cattle.
- Disease transmission modeling.
Main Results:
- White-tailed deer are confirmed as a reservoir host for bovine TB in Michigan.
- Artificially high deer densities at feed sites are the most probable cause of TB transmission.
- The presence of this wildlife reservoir poses a substantial risk to national TB control efforts.
Conclusions:
- Wildlife management strategies, particularly concerning artificial feeding, are critical for TB control in Michigan.
- Continued surveillance and intervention are necessary to prevent the re-establishment of TB in cattle populations.
- The findings highlight the complex interplay between wildlife health and agricultural biosecurity.