Brucellosis found in cattle herd

RIVERTON (WNE) — Wyoming state veterinarian Dr. Jim Logan has been notified by the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory that there is a new case of brucellosis in a cattle herd in Park County.

The location is in the Wyoming Brucellosis Designated Surveillance Area.

Serologic testing at both laboratories has shown reactor level results on three animals from one herd. Further testing including bacterial culture will be conducted to confirm serology results.

Logan and assistant state field veterinarian Dr. Thach Winslow are working with the owner of the infected cattle, and the owners of six contact herds, to determine risk levels and conduct an epidemiologic investigation. The herd with known brucella-positive animals has been placed under quarantine. Other quarantines will be issued to contact herd owners as the investigation proceeds. Contact herd owners currently are under hold-order movement restrictions. No sexually-intact cattle can be moved until the herd has been cleared by a complete risk assessment and appropriate brucellosis testing is conducted.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can cause cattle, elk, and bison to abort their pregnancies, typically late term. All of Wyoming's brucellosis cases since 1988 have been determined to have been caused by transmission from infected wildlife to cattle or domestic bison.

Wyoming's last cases prior to this one were found in late 2015, and the last affected herd was released in June of 2017.