ALCONA COUNTY, Mich. – Bovine tuberculosis has been confirmed in a Michigan cattle herd for the first time since 2022.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) reported a case of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a beef herd from Alcona County. The disease was detected during an annual whole herd surveillance test.
This is Michigan’s 83rd cattle herd to be found with bovine TB since 1998. This is the first bovine TB-infected herd detected in Michigan since January 2022. Alcona County is located in Michigan’s Modified Accredited Zone (MAZ), a four-county area where bovine is found endemically in the free-ranging deer population. The counties are Montmorency, Alpena, Oscoda, and Alcona.
“The annual whole herd surveillance testing performed on all commercial cattle herds in the MAZ is a critical tool for identifying new cases of bovine TB, which then decreases the opportunities for the disease to spread,” said State Veterinarian Nora Wineland, DVM, MS, DACVPM. “Bovine TB is a persistent and challenging disease to address. Hunters, producers, academics, industry stakeholders, animal-health professionals, and state and federal agencies all have a vital role to play in combatting this disease and protecting animal and human health.”
Bovine tuberculosis is an infectious disease that is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). It primarily affects cattle but can infect humans.
According to Michigan, fewer than 2% of human cases of TB in the U.S. are caused by M. bovis. Most people infected with TB in the U.S. are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
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