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Testing shows brucellosis in Park County elkLANDER, Wyo. (AP)--The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports a sharp rise in the percentage of elk testing positive for exposure to brucellosis-causing bacteria in free-ranging herds near Cody. State wildlife officials said April 17 that some 15 to 20 percent of elk taken by hunters in a couple of Park County herds showed exposure to the bacteria. That rate is almost as high as the exposure rate among elk that congregate at some feedgrounds. Hank Edwards, a wildlife disease specialist with the Game and Fish Department, presented the information to the Wyoming Brucellosis Coordination Team. Brucellosis is a disease that can cause pregnant elk and domestic cattle to abort their fetuses. Federal officials classify Wyoming cattle as brucellosis-free. However, if the disease spreads from wildlife to cattle, the state could lose its disease-free status and face restrictions on interstate cattle movement. State officials caution that the data on the Cody elk herds is limited and could be misleading. But if the numbers prove to be accurate, they could mark a shift in the way the disease is spreading in the state. "We don't have great data," Edwards said, "But this is what the data are telling us right now." Edwards said the game department relies heavily on elk hunters to collect blood samples. He said the number of samples from elk in the Cody area have so far been insufficient to make informed determinations. Elk that congregate at feedgrounds are at greater risk of disease exposure, sometimes experiencing brucellosis exposure rates in the neighborhood of 30 percent. Past studies have found that only about 1 to 2 percent of non-feedground elk tested positive. Walt Cook, state veterinarian and member of the Wyoming Livestock Board, said that if the latest findings are truly representative of brucellosis exposure levels, it could change the way scientists think about the disease. "If this holds, it does kind of throw conventional wisdom out the window in terms of the relationship between brucellosis and feedgrounds," Cook said. However, he said it would be premature to draw any conclusions until more thorough research has been completed. Scott Talbott, an assistant division chief with the game department, told the committee that his agency wants to focus its testing on the Park County elk herds this year. He said that would delay testing on herds in southeastern Wyoming, where the risk of exposure is lower. Edwards said the game department would like to send 5,000 to 6,000 blood-drawing kits to the Cody region this year, instead of the Snowy Range area. He said increasing testing in the Cody area could help to get a clearer picture of what is going on with the Park County herds. 4/28/08 Date: 4/23/08
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