An occupational safety program for wildlife professionals involved with bovine tuberculosis surveillance

Abstract

The discovery of bovine tuberculosis (caused by Mycobacterium bovis) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and other free-ranging Michigan wildlife has made ongoing surveillance for the disease a reality for wildlife professionals. The wide susceptibility of mammals, including humans, to M. bovis led us to be concerned with the potential risks of acquiring tuberculosis that Michigan Department of Natural Resources staff face in their occupational activities. Consequently, we developed a bovine tuberculosis occupational safety program for our staff and volunteer cooperators taking part in disease surveillance. Close similarities between bovine and human tuberculosis allowed occupational safety principles used in human health care to be used as a guide. We produced an occupational safety training document to educate personnel about bovine tuberculosis in humans, evaluate the risk posed by job duties, and make recommendations on risk mitigation. Following implementation, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted field evaluations of the occupational safety program that validated its protectiveness for workers. As wildlife disease surveillance becomes a greater responsibility for management agencies across the United States, we believe the lessons learned in development of the Michigan program can be widely adapted to other areas and potentially to other diseases, and can raise awareness of occupational exposure to zoonotic diseases. Key words bovine tuberculosis, Mycobacterium bovis, occupational safety, wildlife disease surveillanceFollowing internal discussions, we determined From the Field • O'Brien et al. 993

Disease management at the wildlife‐livestock interface: Using whole‐genome sequencing to study the role of elk in Mycobacterium bovis transmission in Michigan, USA

“…Mycobacterium bovis isolates were obtained from naturally infected wildlife (deer and elk) and livestock (cattle) tissue samples using standard isolation protocols (Parish & Stocker, ). Wildlife management information, surveillance methods used to find infected free‐ranging wildlife (through hunting and out‐of‐season shooting permits), and hunting territories (from where the data were collected) are described in Text and elsewhere (O'Brien et al, , , ; MDNR1, ; MDNR2, ), as are the origin of cattle isolates (Tsao et al, ). Because we are focusing on the potential role of elk in the transmission of bTB amongst the three species, bTB‐positive deer that were spatially (within 10 miles of the sampling location of an elk) and temporally (within three years before or after the sampled elk date) close to each positive elk were selected for inclusion from among the available archived isolates.…”

ABS Working Paper 3 - A review of best practices and principles for bison disease issues: Greater Yellowstone and wood buffalo areas.

“…In northern Canada, people who hunt infected wild bison risk infection with M. bovis through accidental inoculation of cuts and abrasions on hands while field dressing an infected bison carcass (Tessaro 1989). O'Brien et al (2004a) outline best practices for minimizing exposure for wildlife professionals who handle and process ungulate carcasses from infected populations.…”