A cattle herd in Northern Lower Michigan is infected with bovine tuberculosis, state agriculture officials say. 

This is the first bovine TB herd infection confirmed in the state since January, and the 84th such case in the past 27 years, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said Thursday. 

Bovine TB is a bacterial disease that can affect any mammal, including humans, and it is easily transmitted between deer and cattle. 

The latest investigation involves a beef herd and is just north of a four-county area in Michigan where state officials have identified bovine TB within the wild deer population. The agriculture department said mandatory testing is in place for all commercial cattle herds in that four-county area and in the surrounding counties, such as Presque Isle. 

The cattle herd testing program is what caught this particular case, state officials said. 

"While finding a new case is never ideal, we can all take action to decrease the opportunities for the disease to spread," state veterinarian Nora Wineland said. 

Deer hunting is among the steps that can be taken to maintain healthy deer and cattle populations in Northwest Lower Michigan, the agriculture department said. Michigan's firearms deer season, the state's peak deer hunting season, begins Saturday. 

Other recommendations by the agriculture department include routine testing of cattle herds and mandatory animal identification.