What is the testing protocol?
All cattle (over 12 months of age) in the quarantined herds will be tested for TB. These cattle will be given a Caudal Fold Test, where each animal will need to be run through the chute. The cattle will be injected with a small amount of tuberculin into the web of their tail. Seventy-two hours later the cattle will need to be run through the chute again to check for a reaction from the tuberculin. Any animal that experiences a positive reaction to the Caudal Fold Test will be retested using a more definitive blood test. This blood test is called a TB Gamma Interferon test. These samples must be sent to a USDA certified lab for analysis. An announcement from NDA will be made if we have any positive Gamma Interferon test results. These positive test results would trigger additional quarantine and testing activities by NDA.
