Another cow in northwest Minnesota has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, according to state officials.
Officials announced Tuesday that a 18-month old beef heifer from a "small" beef herd in extreme northwest Beltrami County.
The herd has had "minimal animal movement" and was within 10 miles of an infected beef herd or infected whitetail deer. The heifer's test results came back positive Monday, officials said in a news release.
It was one of two animals of the herd that tested suspect for the disease. Tissue samples confirmed bovine TB in one of the animals, and the other animal was negative.
It's another setback in the process for applying for TB-free status.
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The state can apply for accredited TB-free status two years after the depopulation of the last infected herd, pending completion of a thorough disease investigation, according to state officials.
The state has been conducting testing in targeted cattle herds since 2005. The state was TB-free from 1971 until a Roseau County herd near Skime, Minn., was found with TB in early 2005.
The statewide surveillance is expected to take at least a year to complete.
TB is a respiratory bacterial infection that spreads slowly and not easily, requiring "nose-to-nose" contact. There's little risk to humans or other types of animals getting the disease from infected cattle, or from eating the cooked meat of an infected animal, according to health officials.
Dr. Bill Hartmann, the state veterinarian, said in a statement Tuesday that the state is "committed to working with Minnesota's cattle producers to eliminate all of the disease" so that Minnesota can regain its TB-free status.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also is working to this end, after two white-tailed deer tested positive for the disease within the past 12 months. The two deer were within one mile of an infected cattle herd.
The DNR plans to collect 5,000 samples for testing, according to state officials.
