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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
general
Culling and cattle controls influence tuberculosis risk for badgers
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Volume 103, No. 40, Year 2006
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Description
Human and livestock diseases can be difficult to control where infection persists in wildlife populations. In Britain, European badgers (Meles meles) are implicated in transmitting Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB), to cattle. Badger culling has therefore been a component of British TB control policy for many years. However, large-scale field trials have recently shown that badger culling has the capacity to cause both increases and decreases in cattle TB incidence. Here, we show that repeated badger culling in the same area is associated with increasing prevalence of M. bovis infection in badgers, especially where landscape features allow badgers from neighboring land to recolonize culled areas. This impact on prevalence in badgers might reduce the beneficial effects of culling on cattle TB incidence, and could contribute to the detrimental effects that have been observed. Additionally, we show that suspension of cattle TB controls during a nationwide epidemic of foot and mouth disease, which substantially delayed removal of TB-affected cattle, was associated with a widespread increase in the prevalence of M. bovis infection in badgers. This pattern suggests that infection may be transmitted from cattle to badgers, as well as vice versa. Clearly, disease control measures aimed at either host species may have unintended consequences for transmission, both within and between species. Our findings highlight the need for policymakers to consider multiple transmission routes when managing multihost pathogens. © 2006 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.
Authors & Co-Authors
Woodroffe, Rosie B.
United States, Davis
University of California, Davis
Donnelly, Christl A.
United Kingdom, London
Imperial College London
Jenkins, Helen Elizabeth
United Kingdom, London
Imperial College London
Johnston, William Thomas
United Kingdom, London
Imperial College London
Delahay, Richard John
United Kingdom, York
Central Science Laboratory York
Clifton-Hadley, Richard S.
United Kingdom, Addlestone
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Gettinby, George G.
United Kingdom, Glasgow
University of Strathclyde
Hewinson, R. Glyn
United Kingdom, Addlestone
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Morrison, William Ivan
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Statistics
Citations: 160
Authors: 9
Affiliations: 7
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1073/pnas.0606251103
ISSN:
00278424
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study