Maizefarmer Posted November 8, 2006 Share Posted November 8, 2006 (edited) I got a PM from a forum member is not much active on this forum but looks at it from time to time, who is concerned they may have bovine TB in the family cattle herd. The first thing to remember is that it is transferable to humans through the milk – so don’t drink the milk. The second thing is that it will spread – not may spread, it will spread throughout the herd, so you need to get those cows out the herd as soon as you suspect TB. Thirdly, it is prevalent and common in Thailand: 3 out of 4 herds will have TB positive cattle in them, and, depending on whose figures you choose to accept, the overall incidence is some 6% - 12% of all cattle in the country are infected at any one time. The 2 most prevalent strains of bovine TB are Sphingomonas and Methylobacterium How do you recognise Bovine TB in cattle? 1) Loss of appetite – the cow will be eating less than others of the same age, weight and size 2) It will start to loose weight and general body score will drop 3) It will appear weak and in walking from field to field will constantly lag towards the back of the herd 4) It will suffer from intermittent fever – check rectal temp it should not exceed 103degree Fraenheit on a hot day. The problem is the disease can sit in cattle for months (if not more than a year in cases) before these symptoms show – such is the nature of the beast. As soon as Bovine TB is suspected - isolate the suspects from the herd If Bovine TB is diagnosed in any of your cattle, ensure that the TB strain is identified and the vet can tell you which strain it is. If you decide to treat with anti-biotic, ensure the anti-biotic that is used is strain specific i.e. that it is useable against the strain of bovine TB that has been diagnosed. Thai vets have a horrible habit of just taking out of their bag whatever they have and charging you for that. That’s not good animal husbandry, if anything it’s actually worse than giving the animal no antibiotic because it contributes to long term MDR (multi-drug–resistance). Make sure the correct anti-biotic is used – or none at all. If they are dairy cattle, there really is no debate - the cow must pack its bags and go. The meat is usable subject to been cooked properly - I emphasize PROPERLY - I think the figure is around 200degree F for about 10 -15 minutes, but what ever the case, there really is no space in a productive dairy herd for a TB positive cow. Tim Edited November 8, 2006 by Maizefarmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony_sapi Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Hi I am TONY, that was a very usefull information. Thank's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bina Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 actually wondered about that also they dont do testing -- i'm asking but dont have a shift key to type the question.... cause for milk that would be even more important .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosquitoman Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Intersting thread What about pasteurising the milk? Does that happen here in Thailand? MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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