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Published on Thursday, May 04, 2006

Letter: Brucellosis test shows exposure, not infection

Unfortunately, Becky Bohrer of the Associated Press has fallen victim to media spin by the DOL and APHIS and repeated a very common error about brucellosis. The blood tests done on the slaughtered animals did not indicate infection. They merely indicated exposure during the animals' lifetime. There is a huge difference.

For example, if you were to test me for smallpox, you'd find antibodies in my blood because of a vaccine I had as a child. Of course I'm not infected now, nor can I pass along the disease. The same is true for any animal that tests positive for brucellosis in a blood test.

The only true measure of infection is a tissue test, which can be done on dead animals. The question now is, will DOL or APHIS do this tissue test and give us the true answers regarding infection rates?

I greatly appreciate Bohrer's coverage of this issue, but ask that she be more diligent in questioning information from DOL and APHIS.

Carolyn Duckworth
Gardiner

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Los Cangrejos wrote on May 04, 2006 2:33 PM
Oh that's just great. These people will do anything to put ranchers out of business. What's the matter with you people? Did a cowboy beat you up when you were in high school or something? What's your beef with ranchers anyway? Cows = $$$$ Bison = zippo. Jeeze, I wish they'd have been wiped all the way out. Wolves too.