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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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LIVESTOCK DISEASE ERADICATION

EVALUATION OF THE COOPERATIVE STATE–FEDERAL BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS ERADICATION PROGRAM

Committee on Bovine Tuberculosis

Board on Agriculture

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1994

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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National Academy Press
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C.20418

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

This study was funded by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under Agreement No. 12-34-93-0265-GR.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

A limited number of copies are available from

Board on Agriculture

National Research Council

2101 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20418

©1994 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
×

Committee on Bovine Tuberculosis

S. WAYNE MARTIN, Chair,

University of Guelph, Canada

RAYMOND A. DIETRICH,

Texas A&M University

PAUL GENHO,

Deseret Ranches of Florida

WERNER P. HEUSCHELE,

San Diego Zoo

ROBERT L. JONES,

Colorado State University

MARIA KOLLER,

Agriculture Canada

J. DOUGLAS LEE,

Marshfield Clinic, Wisconsin

HECTOR CAMPOS LOPEZ, Director General of Animal Health,

Mexico

HARLEY W. MOON,

National Animal Disease Center

R. ASHLEY ROBINSON,

University of Minnesota

PATTON L. SMITH,

California Department of Agriculture

GARY W. WILLIAMS,

Texas A&M University

Staff

MARY I. POOS, Project Director

JANET OVERTON, Editor

DEBORAH FAISON, Senior Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
×

Board on Agriculture

DALE E. BAUMAN, Chair,

Cornell University

PHILIP H. ABELSON,

American Association for the Advancement of Science

JOHN M. ANTLE,

Montana State University

WILLIAM B. DELAUDER,

Delaware State University

SUSAN K. HARLANDER,

Land O'Lakes, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

RICHARD R. HARWOOD,

Michigan State University

T. KENT KIRK,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Madison, Wisconsin

JAMES R. MOSELEY,

Jim Moseley Farms, Inc., Clarks Hill, Indiana, and Purdue University

NORMAN R. SCOTT,

Cornell University

GEORGE E. SEIDEL, JR.,

Colorado State University

CHRISTOPHER R. SOMERVILLE,

Carnegie Institution of Washington, Stanford, California

PATRICIA B. SWAN,

Iowa State University

JOHN R. WELSER,

The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Staff

SUSAN E. OFFUTT, Executive Director

JAMES TAVARES, Associate Executive Director

CARLA CARLSON, Director of Communications

JANET OVERTON, Editor

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
×

Preface

Approximately 100 years have elapsed since the tuberculosis skin test was adopted in the United States to detect Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle. This organism was the principal cause of tuberculosis in cattle and, at the time, was a serious threat to human health as well. Cattle transmitted the disease to each other, most likely by aerosol routes, and to humans, chiefly via infected raw milk. The idea behind the tuberculin skin test was to identify animals infected with M. bovis, remove them from the herd for immediate slaughter, and repeat this process until the herd, then the area, the state, and eventually the nation would be free of this disease. Officially, the national campaign began in 1917. In the early years, the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis decreased considerably; by 1935 the prevalence had been reduced to about 3 percent from the 1917 level of about 5 percent of the U.S. cattle population. By 1940 only 0.5 percent of cattle and by 1952 only 0.1 percent were reactors to the skin test. Concomitantly, the introduction of meat inspection and pasteurization of milk helped minimize the threat of M. bovis to human health.

In the 1960s, surveillance of slaughtered animals became the chief means of finding tuberculosis in cattle. Because the prevalence was so low, this approach was deemed effective and less costly than continuing the individual animal tests. Now the question became how best to continue the program to achieve national eradication?

In 1970 a team of researchers developed a model to investigate alternative strategies for eradication. The results indicated that if the program was halted the disease might become even more prevalent than it had been in 1917. Continuing the program as it existed in 1970 was expected to achieve eradication by 1995, and a very aggressive program of detection and depopulation of infected herds was predicted to lead to eradication by 1980. By about 1983, the estimate of prevalence was approximately two animals per 10,000 with about 12 newly infected herds found each year. This level of disease marks the point at which the eradication program apparently has stalled; in the last 10 years about 10 to 15 newly infected herds have been discovered each year. The great majority of infected herds are located in the El Paso, Texas, and New Mexico milksheds.

In addition to the lack of progress in eradicating bovine tuberculosis, the program now faces both continuing and new threats to its success. First, the number of cattle herds is decreasing and their average size increasing; this is particularly true in areas such as Texas and New Mexico. Indeed, it is in these large dairies that infection persists and in which the eradication program failed to remove the last vestiges of infection. Depopulation of these herds has not been possible largely because public funds were insufficient to compensate producers when infected and exposed animals were designated for slaughter. Second, the number of Mexican cattle entering the United States (as feeders, as dairy animals, and as roping/rodeo steers and bulls) has increased. Concomitant with this increase was a rise in the number of confirmed M. bovis infections in feedlot steers. This led to concern regarding the potential reintroduction of bovine tuberculosis in the U.S. national cattle herd. Third, tremendous growth in the number of farmed ungulate (Cervidae) herds, other than cattle, and in movement of animals between herds presented a new disease threat. No surveillance for bovine tuberculosis in species other than cattle was undertaken until

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
×

1984, when 21 bison herds in 10 states were found to be infected. Subsequently, infected elk and deer herds were identified, and questions arose about the extent of the infection in the nonbovine domesticated ungulate population and how easily it could be detected and controlled.

Largely for these reasons, and at the request of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Board on Agriculture of the National Research Council (NRC) formed the Committee on Bovine Tuberculosis to undertake a comprehensive review of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program, which operates under the auspices of the USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The specific charges were to

  • assess the feasibility of eradication;

  • evaluate what changes in program standards, procedures, and regulations, including the additional financial resources, would be needed to achieve eradication;

  • review the literature for more effective ways of detecting bovine tuberculosis than the tuberculin skin test;

  • assess the need to expand the tuberculosis program to farm-ranched nonbovine species; and

  • assess the adequacy of requirements to prevent reintroduction of bovine tuberculosis from livestock entering the United States, particularly cattle coming from Mexico.

The study committee met three times and on two of these occasions heard from a number of delegations including producer groups, industry representatives, veterinary associations, and other scientists. The committee also had the opportunity to tour one of the major entry ports for Mexican cattle near El Paso, Texas, and listen to the concerns of the Mexican cattlemen's associations.

Chapter 1 of this report provides a historical perspective on tuberculosis and explores cross-infections with M. bovis, causing disease in cattle and humans, and with M. tuberculosis,causing disease principally in humans and to a much lesser extent in cattle. Today it is difficult to appreciate the tremendous problem M. bovis caused in cattle and the human illness it produced, particularly in children who consumed raw contaminated milk. Although the majority of infected cattle appeared normal, their productivity was greatly reduced. At the same time, tuberculosis in humans was the leading cause of death in 1900 and continued to produce major problems, particularly in young people, for the next 30 to 40 years. The prevalence of disease led the U.S. government to propose and implement the national eradication program in 1917.

Chapter 2 discusses etiology, diagnosis, and detection of tuberculosis in both animal and human populations and how this affects the nature and success of the eradication program. Considerable attention is given to recent scientific developments because of their potential future value; however, this is not intended to downplay the significance of the other factors.

Chapter 3 outlines the regulatory authorities and fiscal aspects of the eradication program, describes the status of bovine tuberculosis since 1983, and places the U.S. program in the context of the programs of its neighbors, Canada and Mexico.

In Chapter 4, the committee summarizes the biologic and economic considerations affecting the choice of disease control objectives and the design of the disease control program. Bioeconomic models of bovine tuberculosis in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Ireland are reviewed, and conclusions about the benefits and costs of alternative strategies are drawn. Recommendations on revision of bioeconomic models to reflect contemporary conditions are offered.

Finally, in Chapter 5 the committee outlines its specific recommendations, the single most important one being that the USDA should press onward with an aggressive campaign to eradicate M. bovis infection from the national cattle and farmed ungulate herds and take steps to prevent the reintroduction of bovine tuberculosis in imported, chiefly Mexican, livestock.

During the committee's deliberations, the USDA has forged ahead and implemented a number of

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
×

modifications that, as it turns out, are consistent with our findings. These recommendations address three major problems: eradication of tuberculosis from large dairies; control and eventual eradication from farmed ungulates; and prevention of reinfection via imported Mexican cattle. Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of the committee 's deliberations has been the constructive comment and criticism on the U.S. eradication program by a diverse and talented group of experts. I have appreciated the opportunity to work with the study committee members, and I thank each of them for their support.

S. Wayne Martin, Chair

Committee on Bovine Tuberculosis

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1994. Livestock Disease Eradication: Evaluation of the Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9144.
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