Bovine tuberculosis in elk (Cervus elaphus manitobensis) near Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, from 1992 to 2002.

Abstract

From 1991 to April 2003, outbreaks of bovine tuberculosis (TB caused by Mycobacterium bovis) have been found in 11 cattle herds surrounding Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP). Located in southwestern Manitoba, RMNP and the surrounding area are home to a free-ranging herd of 2500 to 4000 elk that have been implicated as being a wildlife reservoir of M. bovis infection. Indirect contact between cattle and elk that feed during the winter on the same large, round hay bales is presumed to be the most likely mode of transmission between the species (1).