FWP Working With the Department of Livestock Following Detection of Bovine Tuberculosis in Blaine County

In September, bovine tuberculosis (bTB) was discovered in a herd of cattle in northern Blaine County and then later in Phillips County. Bovine TB is a contagious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis and primarily affects cattle. The disease can be transmitted to nearly any mammal, including humans. The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) is the lead agency for the investigation into this finding and any epidemiologically linked cattle herds. To date, bTB has not been detected in any additional cattle herds or in wildlife in the area.

However, testing harvested deer within the general area can help determine if the disease is in wildlife and, if so, what the distribution might be. FWP is the lead agency for wildlife surveillance and needs the assistance of deer hunters (see map for surveillance area). Wildlife surveillance will be conducted in portions of both Blaine and Phillips counties, due to the use of pasture ground in Phillips County by the affected cattle herd.

“Sampling results from wildlife species that cross county borders and hunting district boundaries provide important pieces to the ongoing investigation of bTB on the landscape,” said Jennifer Ramsey, FWP wildlife veterinarian. “The cooperation of hunters is critical.”

FWP has increased staffing at the Havre Area Office and check station to assist in the collection of tissues for sampling, but samples from deer harvested in the target surveillance area can be collected at any location where CWD samples are being collected. Please have your animal tested for bTB if it’s harvested within the surveillance area during the remainder of this hunting season.

In addition, report any sick looking animal to FWP. If you harvest an animal with evidence of disease, photos can be helpful in identifying the problem. In some cases, tissue samples may be required to diagnose the problem.

Bovine TB causes lesions inside the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, spleen, and skin of affected animals. Livestock rarely show any clinical signs of disease, but the disease can cause significant negative economic impacts on the livestock industry due to quarantine and testing requirements associated with disease investigations.

The disease is primarily spread from animal to animal via respiratory secretions but can also be transmitted by the fecal-oral route or by ingestion of contaminated food. Shared feeding is believed to be the primary transmission pathway between cattle and wildlife, as cattle feed becomes contaminated with infectious saliva, urine, and feces.

Hunters and trappers should always wear rubber gloves and eye protection when field dressing a harvested animal. Hands and instruments should be washed thoroughly after field dressing is completed. Hunters and trappers should not harvest animals that look sick, and should report any animal that appears sick during field dressing to FWP.