Tuberculosis in cattle, camelids and farmed deer

The Norwegian cattle population has, apart from two single herd outbreaks in Sogn and Fjordane county in 1984 and 1986, been considered to be free of bovine tuberculosis since 1963. The disease has never been detected in camelids and in farmed deer in Norway.

The purpose of the surveillance and control program is to document freedom from tuberculosis in cattle (caused by Mycobacterium bovis), and to monitor the situation in camelids (llama and alpaca) and in farmed deer.

Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (common in humans) is seldom detected in animals in Norway, most recently in a dog in 1989.

2023

In 2023, organ samples from 67 cattle, one wild red deer and four alpacas were submitted to the Norwegian Veterinary Institute for the surveillance of bovine tuberculosis. Of these, samples from five cattle and one alpaca were submitted due to suspicion of bovine tuberculosis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (M. bovis, M. caprae, M. tuberculosis) was not detected in any of the samples. Organ samples from animals with positive immunological tests in the outbreak investigation following the detection of Mycobacterium bovis in a herd in 2022, are not included in this report.

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