Suspected Bovine TB in Dairy Cow The Washington State Department
of Agriculture is investigating a case of possible bovine
tuberculosis in a dairy cow following test results provided to
the agency on Wednesday. The cow had been sent to a Cowlitz
County facility for slaughter, but the meat was held after a
food safety inspector identified a problem and submitted samples
for testing. State health officials say there’s no immediate
human health concern because the meat from the infected cow was
isolated until the test results came back. It will not enter
food channels, and has been destroyed. Pasteurization kills
bacteria, including bovine TB. The State DOH recommends against
drinking raw milk because of potential health risks. The
investigation is ongoing. WSDA’s preliminary investigation
indicates the cow was culled from a Grant County dairy herd and
transported for slaughter on January 8. An inspector with the
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service noticed a suspicious
lesion and sent a sample to the Nationa