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Originally Posted by Taceas
For the amount of wildlife that Yellowstone contains, its in a very precarious balance. It'd be nice if C.U.T. would sell or be forced to sell their huge track of land adjacent to the park. Nothing more creepy than a white pickup with 3 men following you for miles on the back roads. =P
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I was listening to a radio program that mentioned CUT last weekend. It seems that the property was purchased. But, get this, Cut retains the excusive right to pasture it's cattle on it. That aspect was not part of the purchase rendering the subsequent "ownership" impotent!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taceas
As for the brucellosis thing. I'm not entirely familiar of it or its vectors of transmission, but how can bison/elk/deer live with it...yet we're afraid of it getting to cattle? Are the cattle unfit to eat after contracting it? Do they die quickly? Sometimes I have to wonder if trying to stave off every pathogen is a good idea. Its going to happen one day sooner or later, you can't avoid it. Best to try to breed brucellosis resistant cattle in the meantime (and no, not genetically altered cows).
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There are three species of Brucellosis.
Most vertebrates are affected including humans where it is called Ungulate Fever/Bang's Disease or Malta Fever.
In Humans it causes serious flu like symptoms but can infect the central nervous system, the heart and the joints.
Infected animals can not be cured. Even though an animal will recover from the initial infection it remains a source of infection for life.
Common symptoms are abortion, infertility, gradual decline, weak offspring, poor lactation, lameness.
In animals the bacteria concentrate in the reproductive organs and the mammary glands.
Transmission is by direct contact with aborted fetuses, discharge from infected animals, blood to blood, during sexual intercourse, ingestion and via inhalation. The environment can become heavily contaminated with the organism.
Humans are most commonly infected by ingesting unpasteurized milk and milk products, meat that has not been thouroughly cooked, poor hygiene during slaughter and via breaks in the skin that enable access.
People at most risk are veterinarians, hunters, abattoir workers and anyone ingesting unpasteurized milk products.
There is a vaccine approved for use in cattle, bison, goats and sheep.
The bottom line is that for livestock producers, it is an expensive disease.