The Whitehall Ledger - Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

In September, bovine tuberculosis (bTB) was discovered in a herd of cattle in northern Blaine County and then later in Phillips County. Bovine TB is a contagious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis and primarily affects cattle. The disease can be transmitted to nearly any mammal, including humans. The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) is the lead agency for the investigation into this finding and any epidemiologically linked cattle herds. To date, bTB has not been detected in any additional cattle herds or in wildlife in the area.

However, testing harvested deer within t...