Return to TFB Main Page
Return to Texas Agriculture Archive

January 19, 2001

Texas moves closer to
brucellosis-free status

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor

No brucellosis-quarantined herds in Texas is the situation going into 2001 and with continued diligence on the part of Texas producers, livestock health officials hope to keep it that way.

"For the first time in the 50-plus year battle against cattle brucellosis, none of Texas' 153,000 cattle herds are under quarantine," said Dr. Terry Conger, state epidemiologist for the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), noting that Texas moves closer to wiping out the bacterial infection found in more than 8,300 of its cattle herds during the past 14 years.

According to the livestock health regulatory agency, when brucellosis eradication efforts began in the mid-1950s, more than 20,000 Texas cattle herds were infected. Conger said most affected cattle display no outward signs of disease. Still, infected animals must go to slaughter.

Six herds depopulated

"In the past 12 months, we found six infected herds—one each in Panola, Henderson, Orange, Medina, San Patricio, and Navarro Counties," said Dr. Max Coats, who heads TAHC's field operations. "These herds were depopulated, and the owners received an indemnification for their animals, from a combination of state and federal funds, and the slaughter value of animals."

Depopulation of infected herds prevents the spread of disease to other herds and accelerates the eradication program by avoiding the minimum one-year quarantine period and testing program for the infected herd.

Jon Johnson, an associate director of Commodity and Regulatory Activities for Texas Farm Bureau, is cautiously optimistic.

"Texas Farm Bureau policy supports the current brucellosis eradication program," said Johnson. "We must eliminate brucellosis from our cattle herds because the other states could, at some point in time, penalize us. Already, anything going out of state has to be tested. By eradicating brucellosis, we could eliminate that extra step and expense of testing."

Adult cattle are currently required to be tested prior to change of ownership or entry into the state, and slaughter plants collect blood samples from adult cattle for testing. When an infected animal is detected, information from backtags and eartags is used to trace it back to its herd of origin. The herd is tested for the disease, and neighboring and "at-risk" herds also may be tested.

Where is it coming from?

With so much testing going on, how is it that six infected herds were discovered in Texas last year?

"In many instances, the producer has never sold a cow from his herd, only calves going into a feedlot or on pasture, which are not tested. If a guy has never sold a test eligible animal out of their herd, they could have a diseased animal and not even know it," Johnson suggested.

Spontaneous abortion, weakened newborn calves and/or hampered milk production can indicate brucellosis, Johnson noted.

To earn the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Free" designation, a state must have no infection for 12 consecutive months, while maintaining a high level of disease surveillance.

"I don't know how long Texas will stay at zero quarantined herds, since we're actively testing and looking for those last hard-to-find infected herds," said Dr. Conger, a 25-year veteran of brucellosis eradication. "We are so close to eradication, if we become complacent now and leave even one infected herd out there, we could lose all this progress—and compromise the sacrifices producers have made through the years. Now is the most important time to be vigilant for this disease."

Conger predicted that several infected herds will be found before the state will stay `clean' and qualify for the "Free" classification.