Anthrax Flares Up In Northeast SD

DAKOTA - An anthrax case was diagnosed in a cow herd in northeast South Dakota on Tuesday.
calendar icon 27 April 2007
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The case is in a herd that experienced anthrax losses in 2005, and the producer has lost two out of a group of 50 this spring.

"With the wet conditions up there, I am assuming that pasture flooding may have contributed to the exposure," said Russ Daly, SDSU extension veterinarian. "Vaccine use is unclear, but my guess is that either this part of the herd did not get vaccinated last spring, or the vaccine given last spring did not last long enough to protect at this time of year."

Spores of anthrax live in the soil, and wet conditions can cause a flareup of the disease. The only real protection for cattle is vaccination.

"My blanket recommendation, and also that of state veterinarian Sam Holland, is that all producers in South Dakota should strongly consider anthrax vaccination before turnout, whether they are in areas that have experienced losses before or not," said Daly. "As we saw in 2005, it is just too hard to predict where cases will appear. Most of the producers in problem areas have gotten on this wagon after 2005, but this serves as a reminder that they need to continue this practice."

Source: zwire

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