The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1909-05-04
PREVALENCE OF
ANIMAL TUBERCULOSIS
press article from the Bureau of Ami
NAL Industry, U. S. Department of
Agriculture. A. D. Melvin,
Chief ~ P11raaul

Agriculture. A. D. Melvin,
Chief of Bureau.)
The reports of the Bureau of Animal
Industry of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture indicate that tu-
berculOSiS among live stock is steadily
increasing, as shown by the number of
animals found affected at the various
Siaughtering centerS. The increase in
| the number of cases found is due in
part, but only in part. to the increased
efficiency of the method of inspection.
The meat inspection figures show that
nearly 1 per cent. of cattle and over
per cent. of hogs slaughtered are tu-
berculous, which is surely an alarming
condition.
Feeding experiments conducted by
the Bureau have proved conclusively
that hogs are readily infected through
the ingestion Of feces and milk from
tuberculous cows. There is therefore
no doubt that the prevalence of the
disease in hogs could be greatly re-
duced simply by Graduating it from
Ecattle.
Considerable testing of cattle has
been done in Washington, D. c.. and
vicinity for the purpose of assisting
the District authorities in obtaining a
pure milk supply, and of obtaining for
the Bureau further information regard
ing the extent of tuberculosis in the
\ locality and for other purposes In
these tests about IL per cent of the
dairy cattle reacted.
rious States, shown by tests conducted
| by the officials in those States with
Bureau tuberculin, indicates that from
F2-19 to 1859 per cent. of the cows re-
! act, and it is estimated that in the
country at large at least 10 per cent.
of the cows in dairy herds are tuber-
culous.
| The recent agitation against the milk
of tuberculous cows as human food has
| had the effect of causing many herds
i to be examined, with astonishing re-
| suits not only to the owners but to the
officials themselves. Can it be won
dered at that so many infants and
! children die of intestinal tuberculosis
| when SO many of the COWS from which
milk is obtained are tuberculous?
Without considering the matter a
public health question but looking at
| 1t entirely from an economic stand
| point and as a business proposition,
| livestock raisers cannot afford to
] have tuberculosis in their herds. AS
an illustration, Argentina requires that
| all cattle imported into that country
shall be subjected to the tuberculin
| test upon arrival, and as a conse-
| quence exporters from the United
! States have had the test made on cat
| tie intended for shipment. The results
| Of these tests showed that in some of
| the purebred herds nearly so per cent.
| of the animals were diseased and in
consequence sales were lost.
When the practice becomes general
| for all buyers of breeding cattle to
| have animals tested before placing
them in their herds the breeder of
| strictly healthy cattle will be much
sought after. Already some breeders
| of purebred cattle have established OF
are arranging to establish such herds
AS soon as the breeders fully under
| stand the fact that it is Improbable
| to go on breeding cattle while tuber-
culosis exists in their herds much of
the objection raised against the sale
of live stock subject to inspection will
| disappear, for it would be worth the
| price of several condemned animals
| for the owner of a valuable herd to
| know the fact as early as possible if
| the disease exists in his herd, as the
| longer he delays in taking steps to
prevent it's spread the greater will be
| last year secured from abattoirs where
| Federal inspection is maintained show
| that over 10 billion pounds of meat
| was inspected, Sc million pounds of
which was condemned, nearly three
| fourths being for tuberculosis.
The recent effort of the large pack
ing interests to buy all dairy COWS sub
| ject to poSt-mortem inspection shows
| how serious the plague is becoming.
| Sooner or later the man who raises
| tuberculouS animals must suffer the
| loss. unless the loss is paid for out of
| public funds: and when the loss is
placed upon the producer we may then
know that the end Of the disease is in
sight.
1t may at some time be necessary for
the Federal Government to quarantine
against interstate shipments of cows
from certain States where the disease
prevails to a considerable extent, and
require a strict supervision over all
animals removed from such States for
interstate shipment, and only remove
the quarantine from sections of the
State when it has been demonstrated
that the disease either has been eradi-
Gated or is under strict local quaran-
tine.