NEWS RELEASE
May 12, 1998

Bovine TB Testing Increased in Northeast Michigan
Goal is Testing All Cattle, Goats by October

Michigan Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Coordinator Bob Bender today announced the addition of nearly three dozen temporary Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) staff who will conduct bovine tuberculosis screening tests on livestock in Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle counties in Northeast Michigan.

"The temporary staff are veterinarians, veterinary and animal science students on a special assignment to screen all pertinent livestock in the five counties where bovine tuberculosis has been found in wild, white-tailed deer," said Bender. "The new staff will arrive in Northeast Michigan over the next week, joining veterinarians from MDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) already working in the area."

"We have set a very ambitious goal of testing cattle and goats on all farms in the highest-risk area of this five-county section by October," MDA Director Dan Wyant said. "We are appreciative of the efforts of these new staff, who have made themselves available for the duration of the summer with relatively little notice."

MDA and USDA staff have already tested at least 85 percent of all cattle and goats within five miles of known occurrences of wild white-tailed deer infected with bovine tuberculosis. The new staff will work under the direction of State Veterinarian Dr. Michael Chaddock to expand that intensive tuberculosis testing across all five counties.

Over the last several months, screening tests in the five-county area have identified eight herds of either dairy or beef cattle with at least one reactive cow. Most were cleared upon retesting. Six suspect tissue samples have been submitted to the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa for the most complete analysis available. Four results have been returned as negative for bovine tuberculosis, with results on the two remaining samples expected in early summer.

A seventh tissue sample is en route to Iowa this week from the eighth suspect herd. It was collected from a cow that reacted positively to the tuberculosis test and upon necropsy exhibited lesions suggestive of tuberculosis. Definitive results of that test are also expected this summer, and the rest of that 20-animal herd remains quarantined in Alpena County.

"Michigan has not identified bovine tuberculosis in our dairy or beef cattle, and we remain an accredited bovine-TB free state," Wyant said. "With increased testing this summer, we will have even more suspect cattle because the test we use is very sensitive. But we are committed to tracking down every questionable test result to eradicate this disease."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Geralyn Lasher
May 12, 1998 (517) 241-2112