The following table gives the (i) number of TB skin test reactors confirmed by the identification of visible lesions at post-mortem examination and/or by laboratory analysis, (ii) the number of non-TB skin test reactor animals identified as potentially infected by TB at routine slaughter, i.e. ‘slaughterhouse cases’, and (iii) the number of slaughterhouse cases where bovine TB was confirmed by laboratory culture. All figures are for Great Britain.
(i) Total number of confirmed reactors (ii) Total number of slaughterhouse cases (iii) Total number of confirmed slaughterhouse cases 20061 4,663 456 247 2005 8,657 591 390 2004 6,422 389 239 2003 6,308 303 178 20022 6,993 386 193 20012 2,342 197 111 2000 3,644 242 132 1999 2,841 189 100 1998 2,272 120 58 1997 1 ,441 12 7 1 Provisional figures for Jan-August 2006. Data downloaded from the state veterinary service database on 27 September 2006 and subject to change as more data become available. 2 In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. When testing resumed in 2002, resources were concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of high risk herds tested immediately after the FMD outbreak was greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, data for 2001 and 2002 are not comparable with other years. Source: State Veterinary Service database
Of the cases where lesions suggestive of bovine TB were identified during post-mortem examination (‘slaughterhouse cases’) it is not possible to identify how many had previously tested clear for TB. If this information was readily available it would still not be possible to state with certainty whether a slaughterhouse case with confirmed Mycobacterium bovis infection had acquired it before or after passing a TB skin test.
Carcase inspection at slaughter is an important surveillance tool. Its objective is to provide a safety net to identify Mycobacterium bovis in animals which have not been subject to testing prior to slaughter as well as cases which may have been missed by the skin test. Post-mortem inspection is also an important safeguard to human health.