Second Case of Brucellosis Infected Cattle in Northwest Wyoming
A new case of Brucellosis has been found in a northwestern Wyoming beef cattle herd nearly a month after another herd was discovered with the disease.
The Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory notified Wyoming state veterinarian, Dr. Jim Logan, of a new case of brucellosis. A press release from the Wyoming Livestock Board on Nov. 13 revealed that both labs serologic testing showed reactor levels in five cattle from one herd.
The cattle herd is located in Teton County, which is part of the Wyoming Brucellosis Designated Surveillance Area (DSA), a region that surrounds Yellowstone National Park in the northwest region of the state.
Additional testing, including bacterial cultures, will be conducted to confirm serology results.
The owner of the infected cattle is getting assistance from Logan, and assistant state field veterinarian, Dr. Thach Winslow, to determine risk levels and conduct an epidemiologic investigation.
The infected herd is currently under quarantine as the investigation proceeds. No sexually-intact cattle can be moved until the herd has been cleared by a complete risk assessment and appropriate Brucellosis testing is conducted.
There appear to be no additional herds epidemiologically impacted by this most recent Brucellosis infection, Logan says.
In early October another case of Brucellosis was confirmed in Park County when three cattle tested positive for the disease. The cases in Teton and Park County do not have any epidemiologic links.
Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can cause cattle, elk and bison to abort their pregnancies, typically late term.
Since 1988, all of Wyoming’s Brucellosis cases have been determined to have been caused by transmission from infected wildlife to cattle or domestic bison. The last cases in Wyoming were found in late 2015 and the last affected herd was released in June of 2017.
A large portion of Yellowstone National Park is located in Park County where there are large populations of wild bison and elk.
For more information, contact the Wyoming Livestock Board field office at 307-857-4140.
Read about the previous Brucellosis case below:
