How Bovine TB Is Affecting Deer In Michigan

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MICHIGAN (the Patch) — Bovine TB is spreading through Michigan and has impacted deer again this year.

On May 1, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced that, during routine bovine tuberculosis surveillance testing, an infected cattle herd was identified in Presque Isle County. As a result of movement investigations from the infected herd, MDARD quickly located an additional bovine TB infected animal that had been sold from the Presque Isle County herd to a herd in Emmet County. The Emmet County herd was designated as infected on May 17.

Investigations into these herds utilized whole genome sequencing, a specific test that can identify the DNA of TB bacteria. The DNA results supported the evidence that the bovine TB found in both herds was similar to bovine TB in infected deer found in Presque Isle County in 2014 and 2015. It also verified a direct link between the type of bovine TB found in both Emmet and Presque County herds, confirming that the Emmet County animal was infected while in the Presque Isle County herd.

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