Anthrax Infection Confirmed in Uvalde and Val Verde Counties

As of August 10, laboratory results have confirmed that anthrax infection killed three animals -- a cow, kudu and a whitetail deer -- on three premises in Uvalde and Val Verde Counties in Southwest Texas. Anthrax, caused by the spore-forming Bacillus anthracis bacteria, can remain dormant in soil for years, but may become vegetative after periods of wet, cool weather, followed by weeks of hot and dry conditions. Animals become infected when they ingest the invisible bacteria as they graze.

“Ranchers in the Uvalde and Val Verde County area are no strangers to naturally occurring anthrax, and this notice should not raise undue concern to producers, vacationers or hunters,” said Dr. Bob Hillman, executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency.

“Anthrax is a very old disease and occurs worldwide. Wherever an infected animal dies, the ground becomes contaminated with the spores, unless the carcass and soil are burned with a very hot fire. The spores do not spread underground, so it’s common to see death losses in one pasture, but not across the fence,” he said. He explained that TAHC regulations require that the affected animal’s bedding, its carcass, and nearby manure be burned with wood or gasoline (tires and oil create too much pollution), to cleanse the ground. The livestock on the premises must then be vaccinated and held under quarantine for a short time, to ensure that anthrax-exposed animals are not moved....