Montana - Anthrax detected on Turner?s ranch, outbreak not expected

[Pathfinder]

Anthrax again detected on Turner?s ranch, outbreak not expected

Posted: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 12:29 pm
By DANIEL PERSON, Chronicle Staff Writer | 0 comments

A bison yearling from Ted Turner's Flying D Ranch was killed by naturally occurring anthrax, the Montana Department of Livestock said Wednesday.

But the agency said it did not expect an outbreak like the one that killed more than 200 bison on the ranch southwest of Bozeman in 2008. The bison found Monday was grazing near the pasture where the 2008 outbreak originated, and that area of the ranch has been quarantined, according to state veterinarian Marty Zaluski.


The ranch staff vaccinates all of the bison on the Flying D against anthrax, Turner Enterprises general manager Russ Miller said Wednesday. However, the bison killed by the bacteria was born last fall and had not yet received the vaccine.

Since the 2008 outbreak, Miller said, ranch workers have carried equipment to take samples from dead carcasses that can be tested for anthrax.

Miller said ranch workers have been inspecting the herd four times a day and have not seen evidence of a wider outbreak.

"We don't anticipate there will be more problems," he said.

The Department of Livestock is encouraging livestock producers near the Flying D to work with their vet to learn more about the disease and ways to prevent and treat it. Anthrax vaccines are effective and relatively inexpensive, according to a DOL press release

http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_d300e7e0-8f75-11df-a603-001cc4c03286.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Montana - Anthrax detected on Turner?s ranch, outbreak not expected

<TABLE id=apex_layout_271110100662109808 class=formlayout border=0 summary=""><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Archive Number</TD><TD noWrap align=left>20100719.2417</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Published Date</TD><TD noWrap align=left>19-JUL-2010</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap align=right>Subject</TD><TD noWrap align=left>PRO/AH/EDR> Anthrax, bison - USA: (MT)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


ANTHRAX, BISON - USA: (MONTANA)*******************************A ProMED-mail post<http://www.promedmail.org>

ProMED-mail is a program of theInternational Society for Infectious Diseases<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Fri 16 Jul 2010Source: Belgrade News [edited]<http://www.belgrade-news.com/news/article_60d590dc-9077-11df-bd94-001cc4c03286.html>

Naturally occurring anthrax is blamed for the death of a bison on the Flying D Ranch, health officials with the Montana Department of Livestock said Wednesday [14 Jul 2010]. But so far, there has not been a repeat of an anthrax outbreak that killed nearly 300 animals on the ranch in 2008.

Carcass samples taken from a dead yearling heifer revealed that the animal died from exposure to naturally occurring anthrax, Department of Livestock spokesman Steve Merritt said in a statement.

The animal was found Monday [12 Jul 2010] "near a pasture where the disease killed 287 bison 2 years ago [2008]," Merritt said. "The pasture has been quarantined ... and the ranch is monitoring its herd to quickly identify any additional cases that may occur."

According to state veterinarian Marty Zalusky, most of the 2500 bison living on the Flying D were vaccinated since the 2008 outbreak, though "the dead bison had not been vaccinated due to its young age."

Because of the vaccinations, "a repeat of outbreak in 2008, which lasted 3 weeks, isn't likely," he said.

According to the Department of Livestock release, "producers in the immediate area are encouraged to work with their local veterinarian to learn more about risks, prevention, and treatment of the disease. Anthrax vaccines are effective and relatively inexpensive.

"If your area has a history of anthrax, it's not a bad idea to discuss prevention strategies with your veterinarian," Zaluski said. "You need to be aware that the disease is there, just lying in the ground, and that there is no way to predict when it might surface."

Anthrax is caused by a naturally occurring bacterium, _Bacillus anthracis_, according to the department. Spores of the bacteria can lie dormant in the soil for decades, then become active under certain conditions, typically after climactic events such as heavy rains or flooding preceded by drought. Animals are exposed to the disease by grazing or consuming forage or water contaminated with spores.

Clinical signs of the disease include labored breathing, rising body temperature, staggering, depression, unconsciousness, and convulsions, the department said. Untreated animals may die within 24-48 hours of exposure, and one or more animals are typically found dead without any recognition of early clinical signs.

Anthrax can be spread from animals to humans, the department said. However, there hasn't been a reported case of human anthrax since 1961. Human infection usually takes the form of skin lesions and is generally the result of occupational exposure involving direct contact with infected animals or animal products such as wool, hides, and horns.

The anthrax bacterium "is fragile and easily inactivated by common disinfectants or exposure to moderate temperatures, and as such, poses virtually no risk to the food chain," according to the department. He added that because of the 2008 incident, "the positive test was not entirely unexpected."

[Byline: Andy Malby]

--Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[We have been in touch with the ranch veterinarian, David Hunter, who is very experienced, and Danny the ranch manager. Apparently the bison were very nervous and edgy in the 'Basin' pasture and the decision was made to move them up valley to another pasture. Soon after the move the heifer was found dead. It is presumed that she was incubating the infection during the move.The herd itself soon settled down and were their normal selves. It is speculated that they were fighting infections and were thus behaving oddly. Some 25 are due to be darted in the next 10 days and the serology tested for raised titres.

Last autumn [2009] the adult cows, older heifers, and cadet bulls were vaccinated but the adult bulls are too big to run through the chutes and therefore could not be vaccinated. As these animals run the highest risk of anthrax, they are being very carefully watched.

Back in 2008 some 80 elk died on the mountain ridges. So a flight was flown today (Fri 16 Jul 2010) to look for any sick or dead elk. None were reported but 8/10 radio collared elk were seen. Our thanks to Dave and Danny for the updates. - Mod.MHJ]

[The state of Montana can be located on the HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the US at
<http://healthmap.org/r/01Jz>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]

[see also:2008----

Anthrax, bison - USA (04): (MT) cattle now 20080815.2540

Anthrax, bison - USA (03): (MT), corr. 20080810.2469

Anthrax, bison - USA (03): (MT) continuing deaths 20080808.2442

Anthrax, bison - USA (02): (MT) continuing deaths 20080805.2405

Anthrax, bison - USA (MT) 20080802.2366

2007----Anthrax, bovine - USA (MT) 20070828.2823

2005----Anthrax, bovine - USA (MT) (02) 20050917.2752

Anthrax, bovine - USA (MT) 20050916.2737]

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