Deer can infect humans with a rare form of tuberculosis

Deer can infect humans with a rare form of tuberculosis – and have already sickened one, CDC report warns

  • A 77-year-old man from Michigan was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2017
  • Tests showed he had been exposed to Mycobacterium bovis, a bacteria found in animals such as deer and elk that can cause tuberculosis in humans
  • Doctors believe he inhaled the bacteria while field-dressing an infected deer 

Deer can pass a rare form of tuberculosis to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns.

According to a new report from the agency, a 77-year-old man from Michigan was diagnosed with the disease in 2017.

Doctors were stumped because the man had had no exposure to people with tuberculosis or countries where the infection is prevalent.

But after discovering that the man had been a hunter for 20 years, clinicians ran tests that showed he had been exposed to Mycobacterium bovis, a bacteria found in animals such as deer and elk that can spread to humans and cause tuberculosis. 

A 77-year-old man from Michigan was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 2017 after he reportedly inhaled the bacteria while field-dressing a deer, according to the CDC (file image)

According to the report, doctors believe the man inhaled the bacteria while he was field-dressing a deer, which is when the organs are removed from the dead animal.  

He was treated and then released from the hospital. 

The CDC has also identified two other cases of the same type of tuberculosis among residents in Michigan.

One case occurred in 2002 after a hunter allegedly breathed in the bacteria while field-dressing a deer and another in 2004 from a hunter who injured his finger during a field-dressing.  

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection typically caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.   

The infection usually affects the lungs, but the bacteria can cause problems in any part of the body, including the abdomen, glands, bones and the nervous system.

Symptoms include fever, coughing, weight loss, fatigue, a loss of appetite and swelling in the neck. 

Bovine tuberculosis, caused by the bacteria M. bovis, is very rare and makes up less than two percent of all TB cases in the US.  

It is usually spread by inhaling infected droplets after an infected animal coughs, although humans can also fall ill after drinking raw milk from infected cows.

There were 9,029 cases of TB in the US in 2018 with half of all cases coming from four states: California, Florida, New York, and Texas, according to the CDC.

Treatment of TB involves using antibiotics to kill the bacteria, which can last at least for three months.

The only vaccine that prevents TB is the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine, which was first introduced in 1921.

Among children, it decreases the risk of infection by 20 percent and the risk of infection becoming an active disease by almost 60 percent. 

The CDC recommends that hunters wear protective gear, such as gloves and a mask, when field-dressing deer to prevent contracting TB. 

There are currently more than 36.8 million people with hunting licenses, tags, permits and stamps, according to the US Fish And Wildlife Service.

 Additionally, Michigan hunters who submit deer heads that test positive for TB should get tested themselves. 

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