A brucellosis-positive cow has been found in a large Madison County cattle herd, according to the Montana Department of Livestock.
The cow was identified during a herd test by a producer whose cattle graze within the state’s Designated Surveillance Area (DSA). Cultures performed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the infection.
State veterinarian Dr. Marty Zaluski said the premises has been quarantined and that adjacent livestock producers are being notified.
The state is not at risk of losing its Class Free status based on regulations administered by the USDA-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service.
As with previous cases of brucellosis in livestock, adjacent producers will test livestock as part of an epidemiological investigation to determine the source of the infection. Previous epidemiological investigations of brucellosis in livestock in Montana as well as Idaho and Wyoming indicated that elk are the most likely source.
“We don’t like finding brucellosis-positive cows, but if it’s out there, we want to find it before cattle are shipped to market or out of state,” Zaluski said. “That’s why we have a program – we have to assure other states we’re doing everything we can to manage this endemic wildlife disease problem.”
Similar to affected herds in the past, the low infection rate indicates early detection.
“It demonstrates that our aggressive surveillance program finds the disease before it is allowed to spread within the herd, which reduces costs for producers and minimizes risk for our trading partners,” he said.
The state has now found at least one case of brucellosis in cattle in five of the past eight years.
Source: MT Department of Livestock
Posted by Jami Howell
