TB confirmed at Texas dairy

Bovine tuberculosis was confirmed in a 2,600-cow dairy in west Texas last week, according to state and federal animal health officials. Neither the dairy nor its location were revealed.

Preliminary identification of TB was made in April when a few cows from the dairy tested positive during screening tests done prior to sale of the herd. The sale was canceled, and the herd was immediately put under quarantine. Final TB confirmation was made June 14 by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.

Disposition of the herd, either by slaughtering all animals on the premises or by continued quarantine and a lengthy test-and-cull process, has not yet been determined.

Texas was certified TB-free by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in September 2006 after all 818 dairies in the state were TB-tested. That status is now in jeopardy and would be revoked if a second infected herd is detected in the state within 48 months.

California and Minnesota are currently the only states not cattle TB-free, and parts of New Mexico and Michigan have specified zones that are not TB-free. A confirmed TB infection was made in a beef herd in Nebraska in early June.