Cervids: Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) in Cervids ( Deer and Elk )

Tuberculosis (TB) ----2 is a contagious and zoonotic disease in animals and humans. It is caused by a gram positive, acid-fast bacterium that is a part of the Mycobacterium group that includes: Myco- bacterium bovis (bovine TB / bTB), M. avium (avian TB) , and M. tuberculosis. M. bovis can survive outside the host for several months, especially in cold, moist and dark conditions. Most spe- cies of farmed and free-ranging cervids are susceptible to bTB, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, red deer, fallow deer and sika deer.