CDC study finds deer with tuberculosis can transmit bacteria to people

ROANOKE, Va. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning hunters that deer with tuberculosis can transmit bacteria to humans. 

According to the CDC, the report stems from a 2017 case in Michigan where a 77-year-old man was diagnosed with the disease, even though he had no exposure to people or places with endemic tuberculosis. 

The CDC said that the man was an avid hunter who had dressed deer in the state for 20 years. After some lab tests, it was discovered that the man was exposed to mycobacterium bovis, a bacterium found in deer and other animals that can spread to humans and cause tuberculosis. 

The CDC is urging hunters to wear protective equipment while field dressing a deer.