Control of bovine tuberculosis in British livestock: there is no 'silver bullet'

Abstract
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB; Mycobacterium bovis) is a bacterial infection of cattle that also affects certain wildlife species. Culling badgers (Meles meles), the principal wildlife host, results in perturbation of the badger population and an increased level of disease in cattle. Therefore, the priority for future management must be to minimize the risk of disease transmission by finding new ways to reduce the contact rate among the host community. At the farm level, targeting those individuals that represent an elevated risk of transmission might prove to be effective. At the landscape level, risk mapping can provide the basis for targeted surveillance of the host community. Here, we review the current evidence for bTB persistence in Britain and make recommendations for future management and research.
Year
2008
Category
Refereed journal
Output Tags
SG 2006-2011 WP 2.2 Control of Bacterial Diseases in Livestock