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Deer with tuberculosis can transmit bacteria, according to the CDC
Hunters were encouraged to use protective equipment to dress deer on the field.
LANSING, Mich. – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned hunters after a man in Michigan developed tuberculosis caused by a bacteria transmitted by a deer carcass.
In a report released this week, the CDC said the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services had been notified in 2017 of a 77-year-old man with tuberculosis caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis or Mr. Bovis.
The man had not traveled to countries where TB was endemic, had not been exposed to a person with TB, and was a regular hunter who had been practicing deer for 20 years, according to the CDC.
The man also lived in the northeastern part of the Michigan Peninsula, where the prevalence of positive deer for M. bovis was higher, the CDC said.
After testing, it was discovered that the man had been exposed to the bacteria M. bovis. The report suggests that humans may have inhaled the bacteria by dressing diseased deer carcasses.
Bovine tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium M. bovis. The bacterium is found most often in cattle and other animals such as bison, elk and deer. (Photo credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
Two pre-M. bovis infections, related to hunting, were reported in Michigan in 2002 and 2004. In these cases, patients had signs and symptoms of active TB and required medical treatment, the CDC said.
Bovine tuberculosis usually spreads through infected droplets when a person with tuberculosis coughs or sneezes. The bacterial infection usually attacks the lungs, but can also spread to other parts of the body, according to WebMD.
It can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with a wound, such as what could happen during slaughter or hunting, or by inhalation of the bacteria in the air exhaled by infected animals by Mr. Bovis, according to the CDC.
M. bovis is most commonly found in cattle and other animals such as bison, elk and deer.
Hunters are encouraged to use protective equipment to dress deer on the field. The CDC said that those in Michigan who submit deer heads that test positive for bacteria, Mr. Bovis may be at higher risk of infection, and advise to be screened for TB.
In 2018, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources labeled bovine tuberculosis an "emerging disease" after the 73rd herd of cattle was identified with bovine tuberculosis in the state since 1998.
This story has been reported in Cincinnati.
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