Days at the Office

Well, today is Wednesday and I have completed over 40 phone surveys for the week regarding farms that have been Wildlife Risk Mitigated. WRM is a project operating under the Bovine TB Eradification Program of the Animal Industry Division and is used to mitigate the spread of mycobacterium bovis among wildlife (primarily white-tailed deer) and cattle.

On my own time, I have been looking up Memorandums of Understanding for TB testing. I have read most of this before, but the program is so technical that I forget guidelines once in a while that callers always remind me about! So, as I learn, I suppose I'll teach you.

Some of the changes that Wildlife Risk Mitigation implements are putting up fences, blocking off streams or swamps with significant deer cover, fencing off pasture that are in direct contact with woods/forest, and protecting cattle feed from wildlife as well. The goal is to completely reduce contact between the deer and cattle by ensuring safety of cattle feeding, their watering, and how their feed is stored. The reason for food and water protection is because Mycobacterium bovis has been proven to live up to ~30 days in ideal conditions from respiratory secretions of infected animals. Therefore, cattle can easily pass the disease into wildlife as well. Some farmers in the northeast counties of Michigan are rather angry that they have been forced to manage their operations in a specific way, while others completely understand the process and think it's very important. Most commonly, the older generations are opposed to the change, which is understandable.

TB has been present in Michigan for a very long time. In fact, historical documents I have read date back to 1917 in terms of scientific coverage. It wasn't until 1994 that the problem escalated in Michigan and programs were designed to eradicate this harmful disease. The program has changed as years have passed as veterinarians and scientists have discovered loop holes in the campaigns. Money is tight from the federal government, so farmers in the northeastern counties now have to pay for their electronic RFID tags (~$3/tag), pay for the TB testing in some cases (slew of guidelines, I won't go into it), pay for all the fencing and additional changes WRM requires,and in some cases are not given the indemnity that they believe is fair. Hence, you can probably understand why some farmers are so furious.

When we find suspect cattle after performing the caudal fold test (which can only be done by an accredited veterinarian), the vet can request a gamma-interon blood test or a comparative cervical test. I have not heard much about comparative cervicals being done, but Dr. Schwarck, whom we have shadowed a few times on the job, always sends in green-top blood tubes (heparinized) to DCPAH to be tested for interferon-gamma results. Unfortunately, like I mentioned before, the test has not proven to be very specific, although it is sensitive.

Anyway, there are some of the guidelines to the project I am working on. I've done lots of phoning this week with really good feedback and pleasant participants. Crossing my fingers it continues!