Preventing disease in cattle and bison

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cattle. It is what is known as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Other TSEs include scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. Although the exact cause of BSE is unknown, it is associated with the presence of an abnormal protein called a prion. There is no treatment or vaccine currently available for the disease.

Learn more about this disease on CFIA’s webpage.

Bovine tuberculosis

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease of both animals and humans caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis). Before eradication measures were adopted, bovine TB was a major disease in humans and domestic animals.

In Canada, bovine TB is a reportable disease under the Health of Animals Act, and all cases must be reported to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Learn more about this disease on CFIA’s webpage.