Officials in Michigan are warning hunters to look for signs in deer carcass of bovine tuberculosis – an infectious disease.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources states this is an ‘emerging disease’ in that state and gave a photo example of what the virus looks like in a deer’s ribcage.
Tuberculosis is a serious disease caused by bacteria that attacks the respiratory system in humans and animals. Bovine tuberculosis can infect a wide variety of animals, officials said. Wildlife managers in Michigan are currently working to eradicate the disease from white-tailed deer in that state.
Bovine tuberculosis is spread through coughing, sneezing and saliva, when animals are in close contact with each other.
An infected animal can also contaminate its food and spread the disease. There are no effective vaccines for disease prevention and no effective medications available to treat bovine tuberculosis.
It is extremely rare for humans to contract the disease, but deer herd and other wildlife species might be affected, along with the livestock industry.
