The first study to test for bovine tuberculosis in badgers on the edge of the cattle TB epidemic in England, has shown that one in five badgers tested positive for the disease.
The pilot survey was carried out on road-killed badgers collected in Cheshire in 2014 through a local stakeholder TB Group that included farmers, wildlife groups and vets. Scientists from the Universities of Nottingham, Liverpool and Lancaster tested the carcasses for the bacteria that cause bovine TB, Mycobacterium bovis (M.bovis), and found that around 20% were infected.
Furthermore, the strain of M.bovis found in Cheshire badgers (SB0129 or genotype 25) was the same as that found in cattle in the same area. The results of the study have been published today, Thursday 6th December 2018, in Scientific Reports.
Follow the link to read the article on full on the Nottingham University website