Wyoming state veterinarian Dr. Jim Logan has been notified by the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory that there is a new case of brucellosis in a cattle herd in Park County, Wyo., which is in the Wyoming brucellosis designated surveillance area.

According to Logan, serologic testing at both laboratories has shown reactor-level results on three animals from one herd, and further testing including bacterial culture will be conducted to confirm serology results.

Logan and assistant state field veterinarian Dr. Thach Winslow are working with the owner of the infected cattle and the owners of six contact herds to determine risk levels and conduct an epidemiologic investigation.

The herd with known brucella-positive animals is under quarantine, and quarantines will be issued to contact herd owners as the investigation proceeds. Contact herd owners are currently under hold order movement restrictions, and no sexually intact cattle can be moved until the herd has been cleared by a complete risk assessment and appropriate brucellosis testing is conducted, Logan said.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can cause cattle, elk and bison to abort their pregnancies, typically late term. All of Wyoming’s brucellosis cases since 1988 were determined to have been caused by transmission from infected wildlife to cattle or domesticated bison. Wyoming’s last cases were found in late 2015, and the last affected herd was released in June 2017, Logan said.