Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Thomas Johnson — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 08:33:15 GMT

[quote user="Neil Wheadon"]

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]only 36 new cases a year in the UK between 1994 and 2006.[/quote]

Interesting and quite an alarming statistic. Any research into these?

[/quote]

That information came from wikipedia, but there's a lot of information here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/360335/TB_Annual_report__4_0_300914.pdf

including:

"Among all culture confirmed cases notified in 2013, 97.5% (4,563/4,680) were identified with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tuberculosis) infection, 0.6% (29/4,680) with Mycobacterium bovis (M.bovis), 1.4% (63/4,680) with Mycobacterium africanum (M.africanum) and 0.5% (25/4,680) with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) bacteria which were not further differentiated.

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Neil Wheadon — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 20:06:06 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]only 36 new cases a year in the UK between 1994 and 2006.[/quote]

Interesting and quite an alarming statistic. Any research into these? The issue with Bovine TB is that in effect cattle are the sentinels for a disease out of control. The problem with Bovine TB is that with the sheer weight of infection in the environment, everything else is catching it and this includes cats and seemingly people. With pasteurisation and meat inspection the cattle route is small, so maybe this is a case for getting the wildlife under control?

Neil

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Neil Wheadon — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:55:02 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

I'm far from satisfied that the cattle which test positive, but have no lesions on PM haven't met human TB, and developed an immune response - then cross-reacted on the test. This is especially the case if it's an isolated reactor in an otherwise clean herd.

Wynne

[/quote]For once I agree with you Wynne. I'm aware of the logic but it seems somewhat hypocritical to destroy an otherwise healthy beast on the basis of an isolated positive test then allow the carcass into the human food chain.

[/quote] So how does the cow catch TB from the farmer?!

There was an interesting case many years ago where an outbreak in calves couldn't be traced. Turns out the TB ridden grandmother was spitting in the trough prior to piling on the concentrates.

Neil

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Sarah Keir — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:32:43 GMT

This week MAFF/DEFRA/AHVLA is called 'Animal and Plant Health Agency'. Though the guy who answered the phone last week forgot that his employer had changed names!

Mycobacterial infection in cats is much more likely to be a saprophagic opportunist infection from the environment unless this cat lives on a TB farm in the South West. All Mycobacterial are highly susceptible to heat - normal autoclaving kills them - so normal incineration would be fine. If a confirmed case then you probably have duty of case to make sure it is disposed off the right and proper manor.

Sarah

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Martin Atkinson — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 11:53:50 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

Wynne

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Sammy82 — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 11:44:16 GMT

Good point Wynne.

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 09:56:00 GMT

Wynne

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 16:46:53 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

M bovis hazardous to human health, but humans with TB not hazardous to bovine health.

[/quote]

Perhaps M. tuberculosis, the cause of the vast majority of TB in people, isn't particularly infectious to cattle, whereas M. bovis is infectious to people.

[/quote]OK I refine my OP: AFAIA cats which have caught bovine TB cannot pass it on to humans. However as with Ebola virus, even though I'm not supposed to catch it from the bloke next to me on a plane unless we exchange body fluids I won't be taking any chance on it!

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Bob Russell — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:32:03 GMT

Our crematorium will take double bagged and marked suspect lepto bodies unless H&S consultants have been round recently!

Might be a bit more complicated if you have confirmed the disease, then I would talk to DEFRA (or whatever they are called this week).

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:39:03 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

But then mysteriously becomes non-infectious in the opposite direction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[/quote]

They are different species of Mycobacteria, just because one is cross infectious between species doesn't mean the other will be as well.

*edit

I've just realised I misread your post, I guess the reason there's no concern about people with M bovis re-infecting cattle is that it is so rare, only 36 new cases a year in the UK between 1994 and 2006.

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 13:17:17 GMT

But then mysteriously becomes non-infectious in the opposite direction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wynne

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 12:26:24 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

M bovis hazardous to human health, but humans with TB not hazardous to bovine health.

[/quote]

Perhaps M. tuberculosis, the cause of the vast majority of TB in people, isn't particularly infectious to cattle, whereas M. bovis is infectious to people.

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Hannah Wynne Richards — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 09:12:25 GMT

M bovis hazardous to human health, but humans with TB not hazardous to bovine health.

I feel like one of the unfortunates in the Light Brigade - "Theirs not to question why"

Wynne

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 08:51:11 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

However if we are led to believe correctly this will be bovine TB and therefore not hazardous to human health.

[/quote]

My understanding is that bovine TB is hazardous to human health, it is extremely rare as pasteurisation of milk and cooking of meat kills it, but there is a small risk from direct exposure. According to wikipedia there were around 10,000 cases a year of M. bovis infection in humans in the 1930s, but only 440 cases between 1994 and 2006. This lady caught it from her alpacas:

http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/livestock/leading-campaigner-on-tb-in-alpacas-diagnosed-with-mbovis/46468.article

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 18:21:41 GMT

Check with your clinical waste operator/crematorium as well they probably have experience of this and the buck stops with them. However if we are led to believe correctly this will be bovine TB and therefore not hazardous to human health.

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Sammy82 — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 17:12:32 GMT

Would check with AHVLA/local AHO on this.

Re: Disposal of possible cat Mycobact case

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 17:10:12 GMT

Ask DEFRA

Wynne