Fair avoids brush with bovine TB

The Kings Fair may have dodged a financial bullet several weeks ago when reports of cattle showing signs of bovine tuberculosis were reported in three Fresno County dairies, one of which provided a few cows for this year's annual livestock auction.

"When we found out we had five animals purchased from a dairyman under quarantine, we brought the state in to take them away," fair manager Angie Avila said. "They never even entered the fairgrounds.

"As a precaution, we then had all of the bovine animals tested for tuberculosis three weeks before the show and none of them showed any signs of the disease."

Tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that causes damage to the respiratory system, can appear in birds and cattle, as well as humans. While the human strain of the disease often cannot be transmitted to animals, bovine tuberculosis can affect humans as well as animals, further spreading as the cow comes into contact with other creatures.

An article in the California Cattle Producer's Update states that the discovery of bovine tuberculosis will lead to the state losing its TB-Free status, which will force additional testing to be done on all cattle moving out of the state. The last time this was imposed in California was April 2003.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture are conducting a joint investigation into the affected Fresno County herds, the first of which was reported in January.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(July 14, 2008)