New case of bovine tuberculosis in the Allgäu

74 more animals were killed for bovine TB

11/01/2013

In the Allgäu, bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) is spreading. In the district of Oberallgäu, infected animals have already been reported in 21 farms. Overall, 74 animals showed a positive TBC test result. The affected cattle were killed. Cattle TBC is transmissible to humans.

Screening for bovine TBC
As the district office Sonthofen announced on Wednesday, showed no diseased animals external symptoms. According to press spokesman Andreas Kaenders, the affected farms are closed for 16 weeks. During this time they are not allowed to sell cattle or untreated milk. How it came to the infection of the animals, can not yet be determined at the present time. It is possible that the cattle were infected with red deer, as some animals spent the summer on an alp.

After the first cases of bovine TBC occurred last fall, the district office had ordered a screening of all cattle stocks. So far, however, only 145 holdings from a total of almost 2,000 farms have been investigated.
Germany is officially since 1997 free of cattle TBC. Nevertheless, isolated cases occur every year. So it came in Unterallgäu in the district Mindelheim in eight animals on four farms to infections. The affected cattle were killed.

Austria is also affected by bovine TBC. At the end of December, the infection occurred in Zillertal, where 65 cattle and 10 goats were killed by the authorities.

Bovine TBC transmissible to humans
Cattle TBC is a notifiable animal disease in Germany, whose control is regulated by law. There is a vaccination and cure ban. The pathogen belongs to the mycobacteria and is transmissible to humans. Infection is usually caused by droplet infection or contaminated drinking water and food. Particularly susceptible are people with a weakened immune system such as the elderly and the chronically ill. (Sb)

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Picture: Erika Hartmann