More than 150 years after late blight disease devastated potato crops in the U.S. and Europe and led to the Irish potato famine, this disease is again creating problems worldwide. The effects of the disease were not noticed in the U.S. until 1989 when late blight was severe in the Pacific Northwest. By 1995 most potato and tomato production areas were affected. In cattle, tuberculosis is a reemerging disease with a serious new manifestation, the increased occurrence of drug-resistant strains. TB-infected cattle can infect other animals, including farmed deer.
Cattle also can transmit the disease to humans and cause severe illness.
In April 1996, the ASM sponsored a congressional briefing that brought this subject to the attention of policy makers. Scientists urged that a more comprehensive strategic approach should be undertaken to include surveillance, basic and applied research, and preventive measures when researching infectious diseases of both plants and animals on a broad basis. Delineating common principles and technology for disease diagnosis can be useful and may lead to a more cost-effective use of materials for testing. Environmental monitoring of changes in habitats, land use patterns, and mean temperatures can provide a better understanding of disease agents and conditions conducive to disease outbreaks. In addition, the ASM encourages the ARS to support coordination, communication, and new program development in comparative pathobiology across a broad range of plants and animals as a way of more fully understanding and managing disease agents that infect them and host response.