CDC Study: Deer With Tuberculosis Can Transmit Bacteria To People

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning hunters that deer with tuberculosis can transmit the bacteria to humans.

The warning was issued just days before hunting seasons begin across the country. Deer hunting in Pennsylvania has started in some areas, and continues through October and November.

The report is from a 2017 case in Michigan where a 77-year-old man, who had no exposure to people or countries with endemic tuberculosis, was diagnosed with the disease.

According to the CDC report, the man was a regular hunter and dressed deer in the state for 20 years.

Lab tests showed that the man was exposed to mycobacterium bovis, a bacterium found in deer, cattle, bison, and elk which can be spread to humans and cause TB.

The CDC says there have also been two other cases in the state linked to deer.

Doctors say they believe the bacteria was inhaled during the removal of diseased portions of the deer while field-dressing.

The CDC says M. bovis causes a relatively small proportion, less than 2%, of the total number of cases of TB disease in the United States.

In their findings, the CDC advises hunters to wear protective equipment while field-dressing deer.

More information from the CDC here.