Joseph over at Immunoblogging has two posts on Mycobacterium bovis and gives a potential answer to Dave S.'s question here. In post one, Joseph notes (after the fold):
It's interesting to note that Mycobacterium bovis, which infects farmed animals dates back roughly to the time we domesticated animals proving that for a change, we gave one of our pathogens to an animal and not the other way around.
In part two, Joseph discusses mycobacteria in general, and why M. bovis is a threat to farm economies.
Part three discusses the role badgers play (or don't) in the transmission of M. bovis to cattle.
More installments to come--I'll update when they're published.
Image from http://www.neverwhere.org/~steve/graphics/badgers/badger_taxid.jpg
Comments
Mushroom, mushroom.
Posted by: Miguelito | April 2, 2006 3:23 PM
My girlfriend's 20-month-old niece has acquired a Mycobacterium ssp infection the doc's are referring to as Nontuberculous mycobacterial lymphadenitis. Was a new one for me.
Posted by: haliaeetus | April 2, 2006 3:58 PM
There had to be at least one. :)
Posted by: Dave S. | April 2, 2006 7:49 PM
Um, that's not a European badger in the photo. This is a "proper" badger.
I'll have to remember to look for Part IV: it could be quite amusing.
Bob
Posted by: Bob O'H | April 3, 2006 1:37 AM
Should be tommorow or wednesday Bob. One of the two and will most likely be dependant on if I decide to write about TLRs instead (for a bit of a change).
I'm not sure how 'amusing' it will end up being however ;)
Posted by: Joseph O'Donnell | April 3, 2006 5:54 AM
Heh. Noted. :)
Posted by: Tara | April 3, 2006 8:57 AM
Thanks for the link to Immunoblogging, and to the particular article series.
Posted by: Spotted Quoll | April 10, 2006 2:35 PM