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Wyoming cattle test positive for brucellosis

jodywy

Well-known member
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_fad6eeb6-e1ed-11df-a869-001cc4c03286.html

Wyoming cattle test positive for brucellosis
Story Discussion Wyoming cattle test positive for brucellosis
By JEFF GEARINO Southwest Wyoming bureau trib.com | Posted: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 11:11 am | No Comments Posted

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GREEN RIVER -- Three cows from a northwest Wyoming cattle herd have initially tested positive for brucellosis, according to the state veterinarian.

Dr. Jim Logan said in a media release this morning his agency was notified by the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory that blood from the three cows reacted to tests for brucellosis. The cows are from a single herd in Park County.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can cause cattle, elk and bison to abort their calves.

Scientists believe the area around Yellowstone National Park in northwest Wyoming contains the last remaining reservoirs of the disease. The disease can be transmitted from wildlife to cattle.

Logan said reactors on blood tests do not absolutely prove that cattle are infected with brucellosis.

However, Logan said the reactors were very strong indicators that the likelihood of infection is high.

Tissue and blood samples were collected from the three cows and submitted to the state lab for a full diagnostic evaluation. Tests results may take up to two weeks to complete.

The presence of the disease within the herd -- if confirmed through further testing -- could result in additional testing requirements and strict adherence to quarantine procedures to keep Wyoming from losing its federal brucellosis-free status.

Read more about this story in Thursday's Star-Tribune.

Contact southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino at (307)875-5359 or [email protected]
 

okfarmer

Well-known member
I didn't remember them being declared free. Was always under the impression that a few positive cases popped up now and again due to exposure to the wildlife carriers like these three.
 

jodywy

Well-known member
okfarmer said:
I didn't remember them being declared free. Was always under the impression that a few positive cases popped up now and again due to exposure to the wildlife carriers like these three.
was free for along time,Idaho and Montana has has as many or more problems,the last few years.Will take a 2nd herd to be found to lose the free status.
 

jodywy

Well-known member
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_7cd095ac-eb02-5abd-97fb-54616b3ecd19.html
Cows in Park County cattle herd test positive for brucellosis exposure
Story Discussion Cows in Park County cattle herd test positive for brucellosis exposure
By JEFF GEARINO - Star-Tribune staff writer trib.com | Posted: Thursday, October 28, 2010 2:00 am | No Comments Posted

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Three cows from a northwest Wyoming cattle herd have initially tested positive for brucellosis, according to the state veterinarian.

Jim Logan said the Wyoming Livestock Board was notified by the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory this week that blood from the three cows reacted to tests for brucellosis.

The cows are from a single herd in Park County. The presence of the disease within the herd -- if confirmed through further testing -- could result in additional testing requirements for Wyoming livestock producers and strict adherence to quarantine procedures to keep the state from losing its federal brucellosis-free status.

Logan said a meeting with Park County residents to discuss brucellosis and the possible new herd infection is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Meeteetse Conservation District Office.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can cause cattle, elk and bison to abort their calves. Scientists believe the area around Yellowstone National Park in northwest Wyoming contains the last remaining reservoirs of the disease. The disease can be transmitted from wildlife to cattle.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department public information officer Eric Keszler said the agency was aware of the positive test, but not the location or size of the cattle herd.

"There is still a lot we don't know .. whether it has been confirmed yet, or is there the potential that (brucellosis) was transmitted from elk or perhaps something else," Keszler said by phone.

Logan said in a media release Wednesday that reactors on blood tests do not absolutely prove that cattle are infected with brucellosis. However, he said the reactors were very strong indicators that the likelihood of infection is high.

Logan and Assistant State Veterinarian Bob Meyer were sampling cattle in the field and could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon, according to an office spokeswoman.

Officials said tissue and blood samples were collected from the three cows and submitted to the state lab for a full diagnostic evaluation. Logan said tests results may take up to two weeks to complete.

The Wyoming Livestock Board is working with U.S. Department of Agriculture and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service officials and the herd owner to complete a whole herd test.

Logan said nearby cattle herds will also be tested, and a full epidemiological investigation has begun.

Wyoming, Idaho and Montana have all lost and then regained their brucellosis-free designations in recent years.

In 2004, cattle in a herd south of Pinedale developed brucellosis. Investigation strongly suggested that the cattle had contracted the disease from elk on the nearby Muddy Creek feedground.

Subsequent testing also found positive herds in Teton County. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked Wyoming's classification as a brucellosis-free state. The change meant that many of the cattle leaving the state had to first be tested and certified as brucellosis-free.

As part of the state's response, Gov. Dave Freudenthal formed the Wyoming State Brucellosis Coordination Team, which presented 28 recommendations to the governor and state lawmakers.

Wyoming regained its brucellosis class-free status in September 2006. The reinstatement eased some of the restrictions statewide for the cattle industry, but within the brucellosis "endemic" area of northwest Wyoming, cattle producers are still required to remain vigilant for the disease.

Cattle from another Sublette County herd tested positive for brucellosis in 2008. Because that herd was destroyed, and the disease wasn't found in any others at the time, the state was able to keep its brucellosis-free status.

In 2009, USDA/APHIS officials proposed the creation of a "national brucellosis elimination zone" within the area surrounding Yellowstone in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The area would become a disease-management zone where cattle producers would face special testing requirements.

Reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at [email protected]
 
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Anonymous

Guest
jodywy said:
okfarmer said:
I didn't remember them being declared free. Was always under the impression that a few positive cases popped up now and again due to exposure to the wildlife carriers like these three.
was free for along time,Idaho and Montana has has as many or more problems,the last few years.Will take a 2nd herd to be found to lose the free status.

They just said on the radio that the last case found in Wyoming was in 2008--and it was more than 2 years ago....But now they have to test all the neighboring herds and herds in the area.....
 

Hay Feeder

Well-known member
I do not like to hear that.

However we have great news in this state ( LOL ) Our famous Department of Conservation just released several hundred ElK to we can go back to nature. This along with expansion of four lane highways improvemnts completed from the eastern states. Helps our cow traders bring in more trader cows from the south and east to calve and be resold here.
IT will not be long until we loose our free status that took many years to attain.
 

Tam

Well-known member
Just wondering if Wy. is found to be no longer free what will the regs be for transporting cattle over the State line?
 

cowboyup

Well-known member
Guess they could get them a democrat for a governor and split the state like we have here in montana. So far the state has payed for the testing but that is not going to last. They are working on a plan to make an area around the park in all 3 states a different testing zone. One of the good things that will come with all the testing is that if one is found you won't have to depopulate the herd.
 

Tam

Well-known member
Does Montana test for Bruc. when cattle are moved from one part of the State to the other part of the same state and not just cross state lines?
 

jodywy

Well-known member
I in the high risk area, and have a APHIS herd health plan. It takes in consideration when I enter the forest and time of year that elk and cattle might comingle .My plan I have to bleed once a year but other around me are every other or every third year. With my plan I ship slaughter cattle any time, but breeding cow only 30 (might be 60) days after bangs test.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Now they found it in Ted Turners buffalo....
Probably the reason the states split status and increased restrictions on the Designated Surveillance Area will be around for sometime....

Brucellosis Found in MT Domestic Bison Herd
Brucellosis has been found in a domestic bison on the Flying D Ranch near Bozeman, the Montana Department of Livestock reported today.


Two other bison at the ranch, which is currently quarantined, remain suspects. The Flying D bison herd is geographically separate from the Green Ranch, which received bison from the cooperative USDA-Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks quarantine facility last year. Those 86 Yellowstone Park bison remain disease-free.

State Veterinarian Dr. Marty Zaluski explained to us that management practices further ensure that separation.

The brucellosis-infected bison, a 7-year-old cow, was identified as a suspect during routine disease testing. Cultures performed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the presence of Brucella abortus, the causative agent of brucellosis, in the suspect bison.

Dr. Zaluski said the discovery of the infected bison is not likely to impact the state’s brucellosis status.

"USDA is currently reviewing its approach to brucellosis management nationwide,” Zaluski said. “The proposed concept would de-emphasize state status and allow brucellosis to be managed on a case-by-case basis."
Zaluski said that the Flying D’s 4,600-head bison herd is “intensively managed,” with practices that include Official Calfhood Vaccination and annual brucellosis testing.

An epidemiological investigation, which is already underway, should shed more light on exactly where the infection came from.

“In previous cases, extensive testing indicated that elk, not cattle or bison, were the likely source of the infections,” he said.

Brucellosis-infected elk have been found on the Flying D in previous years.


After going more than 30 years without a case of brucellosis, the state lost its brucellosis-free status when the disease was found twice within a 12-month period in 2007 and 2008. The department responded with the Brucellosis Action Plan and later, the Designated Surveillance Area, resulting in the fastest ever reinstatement of a state’s brucellosis class-free status.

In a Northern Ag Network interview, Dr. Zaluski told us that depopulation was not a discussion at this point. That, he told us, is the case because it would neither be economical or sensible. If depopulated and replaced with a clean herd, the risk would still remain. This, he says, would also likely be true for an infected cattle herd as changes are now being made on the federal level. This was showcased in the most recent brucellosis positive case in Idaho.

http://www.northernag.net/AGNews/tabid/171/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1605/Brucellosis-Found-in-MT-Domestic-Bison-Herd.aspx
 

cowboyup

Well-known member
Tam said:
Does Montana test for Bruc. when cattle are moved from one part of the State to the other part of the same state and not just cross state lines?



To move cows out of the designated surveillance area they have to be bled. Every cow I haul to auction even for slaughter is bled and tested. Part of the line on this area is less than five miles from me and to move my cows across it they have to be bled. Split state status is just a wonderful thing.
 
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