Tuberculosis

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What causes tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is caused by a bacteria (Mycobacteria bovis).

TB is spread by direct contact with material coughed up by infected animals.

Where do tuberculosis occur?

TB can occur in a wide variety of birds and animals including humans.

In the NWT, tuberculosis is found in wood bison in Wood Buffalo National Park and the Slave River Lowlands.

What are the signs of tuberculosis?

In bison, tuberculosis usually affects the lungs, causing difficulty breathing, coughing, and discharge from the mouth or nose.

Small, pale rounded lumps can form in the lungs or on the lining of the ribcage, or in other organs like the liver, kidneys, spleen, windpipe and the associated lymph nodes (glands).

There may be one or many lumps and they may vary in size.

They may appear in only one or in many organs.

How can I protect myself?

You can get tuberculosis by eating contaminated meat which has not been well cooked, or by inhaling bacteria from open wounds, droppings, or discharge from the nose and mouth of infected animals.

Lungs or other infected areas and lymph nodes should be handled with care, preferably with protective gloves.

Butcher the animal carefully and do not cut into infected parts.

Wash your hands, knives and clothes with hot soapy water after handling the animal.

Report any animals suspected of having tuberculosis to your local Renewable Resource Officer.

Can I eat the meat?

Do not eat any affected parts.

If the disease is wide-spread within the body, the animal should not be used for human consumption.

Thorough cooking will kill the bacteria.

Freezing, smoking, drying and pickling will not kill the bacteria.

Do not feed infected parts to dogs.

Samples to collect

Infected organ (including lymph nodes, if possible)

Tubercles on inside of rib cage. Photo credit: S. Tessaro

Tubercles Rib