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Cattle To Be Culled In Bovine Tuberculosis Case
VANCOUVER BC, November 23, 2007 The discovery of bovine tuberculosis in a bull will force the slaughter of 470 cattle and has quarantined almost 30 farms in B.C. and Alberta. The bovine TB was discovered when the bull was slaughtered in August in Quebec. Canadian Food Inspection Agency senior veterinarian Maria Koller-Jones says the bull was from a farm in the Vanderhoof, B.C. area. She says the farmer was downsizing and sent about 400 head of cattle to a market in Innisfail, Alta., where they were dispersed to about 20 other farms in Alberta. Koller-Jones says while it's unlikely those animals have been infected, because they had contact with the bull they must be slaughtered and tested before the quarantines on the farms can be lifted. The last case of tuberculosis found in Canadian cattle was in 2004, and Koller-Jones says there will be no cause for concern for cattle exports because the problem is so rare that Canada is still considered to be bovine TB free. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease caused by an infection in the lymph nodes which is then spread to other organs like the lungs. This disease affects practically all mammals, and before control measures were adopted, was one of the major diseases of man and domestic animals. Bovine tuberculosis is a reportable disease in Canada. When it is reported, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) follows a strict testing and eradication program. Regulations require that all infected animals as well as all exposed susceptible animals be destroyed. This is the only proven way to eliminate the disease. Because 95 percent of all commercial animals slaughtered are sent to a federal abattoir, the CFIA uses an abattoir surveillance system which looks primarily for tuberculosis-like lesions in the lymph nodes of slaughtered animals. When a farm has been declared infected, it is immediately put under quarantine and the provincial health department in the area of the known infection is alerted. There is no preventative treatment to protect animals from becoming infected with tuberculosis. Cattle buyers can require that animals be tested before purchasing. However, this does not provide 100 percent guarantee. Some infected livestock seem to be in prime condition, showing no evidence of infection until they are slaughtered. In some instances, the disease organisms lie dormant within the host's body for its lifetime, both in animals and in humans, without causing progressive disease. For more information, contact your Canadian Food Inspection Agency Area Office:
Atlantic Area: 506-851-7400 |