» Articles » PMID: 16357869

Positive and Negative Effects of Widespread Badger Culling on Tuberculosis in Cattle

Overview
Journal Nature
Specialty Science
Date 2005 Dec 17
PMID 16357869
Citations 136
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Human and livestock diseases can be difficult to control where infection persists in wildlife populations. For three decades, European badgers (Meles meles) have been culled by the British government in a series of attempts to limit the spread of Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB), to cattle. Despite these efforts, the incidence of TB in cattle has risen consistently, re-emerging as a primary concern for Britain's cattle industry. Recently, badger culling has attracted controversy because experimental studies have reached contrasting conclusions (albeit using different protocols), with culled areas showing either markedly reduced or increased incidence of TB in cattle. This has confused attempts to develop a science-based management policy. Here we use data from a large-scale, randomized field experiment to help resolve these apparent differences. We show that, as carried out in this experiment, culling reduces cattle TB incidence in the areas that are culled, but increases incidence in adjoining areas. These findings are biologically consistent with previous studies but will present challenges for policy development.

Citing Articles

The effectiveness of harvest for limiting wildlife disease: Insights from 20 years of chronic wasting disease in Wyoming.

Moss W, Binfet J, Hall L, Allen S, Edwards W, Jennings-Gaines J Ecol Appl. 2025; 35(1):e3089.

PMID: 39835473 PMC: 11748107. DOI: 10.1002/eap.3089.


Buruli ulcer surveillance in south-eastern Australian possums: Infection status, lesion mapping and internal distribution of Mycobacterium ulcerans.

Hobbs E, Porter J, Lee J, Loukopoulos P, Whiteley P, Skerratt L PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2024; 18(11):e0012189.

PMID: 39499725 PMC: 11581399. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012189.


Hepatitis E and Potential Public Health Implications from a One-Health Perspective: Special Focus on the European Wild Boar ().

Castagna F, Liguori G, Lombardi R, Bava R, Costagliola A, Giordano A Pathogens. 2024; 13(10).

PMID: 39452712 PMC: 11510200. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13100840.


Randomised Badger Culling Trial lacks evidence for proactive badger culling effect on tuberculosis in cattle: comment on Mills et al. 2024, Parts I & II.

Torgerson P, Hartnack S, Rasmussen P, Lewis F, ODonnell P, Langton T bioRxiv. 2024; .

PMID: 39345529 PMC: 11429747. DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.18.613634.


An extensive re-evaluation of evidence and analyses of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial II: In neighbouring areas.

Mills C, Woodroffe R, Donnelly C R Soc Open Sci. 2024; 11(8):240386.

PMID: 39169967 PMC: 11335398. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.240386.