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Disclaimer: A graphic image of the disease is shown below.
A serious disease infects deer in Michigan.
Nearly 900 of the more than 230,000 deer tested in the state contracted bovine tuberculosis in 2017, WEYI-TV reported, citing the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
A majority – 78% – of positive deer were found in four counties.
Hunting has been crucial in the identification and management of the disease, officials said.
Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which attacks the respiratory system of deer and humans.
The lymph nodes of an infected animal are usually the first sign of the disease, officials said. Lesions could also develop on the lungs and chest cavity.
Michigan is the only state where tuberculosis has been detected in deer, reported WEYI. The disease is spread through saliva exchange and coughing. It can be transmitted when the animals come into close contact.
Food contaminated with saliva can also spread the disease.
State officials have tried to reduce the disease and have proposed trial sites where hunters can take the deer's head to determine if it has been infected.
The threat of humans coming into contact with deer disease is rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer than 230 cases a year in the United States show signs of animal-to-human transmission.
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