Tuberculosis in cattle, camelids and farmed deer

The Norwegian cattle population has, apart from two single herd outbreaks in Sogn and Fjordane county in 1984 and 1986, been considered to be free of bovine tuberculosis since 1963. The disease has never been detected in camelids and in farmed deer in Norway.

The purpose of the surveillance and control program is to document freedom from tuberculosis in cattle (caused by Mycobacterium bovis), and to monitor the situation in camelids (llama and alpaca) and in farmed deer.

Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (common in humans) is seldom detected in animals in Norway, most recently in a dog in 1989.

2024

In 2024, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute received organ samples from 11 catle (including one suspected bovine tuberculosis case), carcasses from 12 alpacas, and lymph node samples from 48 wild red deer collected in 2023 and 42 in 2024, for bovine tuberculosis investigation.

Gross pathology, histopathology, and standard bacteriological examinations of catle and alpaca samples revealed findings inconsistent with bovine tuberculosis. Therefore, these samples were not tested for mycobacteria. All wild red deer samples were tested, and no Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteria (M. bovis, M. caprae, M. tuberculosis) were detected.

Additionally, as part of the investigation following the 2022 outbreak of M. bovis in Norway, lymph node samples from nine catle in an indirect contact herd were examined, after one animal was considered positive (reactor) following two consecutive inconclusive intradermal skin tests. All samples tested negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteria.

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