Environment DEC
From the November 2008 issue
Tuberculosis Found in Captive Deer in Columbia County
Tuberculosis (TB) was found in a captive red and fallow deer herd in Columbia County during routine testing by the Department Agriculture and Markets. One fallow deer in the herd had a positive reaction to a TB screening test and subsequently was euthanized. A post-mortem examination, along with laboratory testing at the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa confirmed the state's diagnosis. Further testing is underway to identify the specific strain of TB that affected the animal.
While commonly thought of as a lung disease, TB can affect nearly any organ in livestock. Because its presence in this captive deer herd could threaten the health of wild deer populations and that of nearby domestic animal populations, the affected herd has been quarantined, and animals on nearby farms will undergo testing during the next few weeks to ensure that the disease has been contained to this one herd.
DEC Will Test Wild Deer
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be looking for signs of TB in wild deer in and around Columbia County. DEC biologists will examine and collect samples from both road-killed and hunter-harvested deer to be sure the infection has not spread to the state's wild deer population.
Hunters should be alert to abscesses or unusual lesions on any organ, not just the lungs, when field dressing deer and report these signs to DEC.
Hunters or others who handle deer should take basic precautions, such as wearing protective gloves when field-dressing deer and minimizing exposure to blood and other body fluids. When field-dressing deer, hunters should be alert to abscesses in the lungs and rib cage, intestines, liver or stomach. Anyone seeing these signs or other unusual lesions in deer should contact DEC at 518-402-8965.
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) is also monitoring the situation. While strains of TB affecting deer can be transmitted to humans, there is no evidence of such in this situation. Livestock owners concerned about TB should call Agriculture and Markets at 518-457-3502.
