Today’s TB test

[Bramble]

So just done the read part of a 60 day skin test after being shut down with 6 reactors a couple of months ago. We are in an edge area so testing every 6 months anyway.

Also had to do a blood test as this was considered a ’new’ outbreak, despite being in and out of restrictions for the last 7 years and also having a blood test 14 months ago.

Good new today is we passed the skin test, no reactors or IR‘s across 400 animals.

Bad news is that Ive just got an email with the blood test results for 170 of the young stock and 6 have come back positive, and we haven’t even blood tested the main herd yet ( not due till Monday)

Absolutely gutted about these results. Either the skin or the blood test must be wrong by miles, so why are bothering with it.

 

[Ducati899]

Couple years ago we skin tested and blood tested on the same day,skin test breezed through blood test brought up 34 positives

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Couple years ago we skin tested and blood tested on the same day,skin test breezed through blood test brought up 34 positives

Same here. A few years back we had nothing on the skin and 22 on gamma.

 

[Ducati899]

Same here. A few years back we had nothing on the skin and 22 on gamma.

A good % of ours on that blood test were fresh cows under 40 DIM,other blood test was a mixture of milkers and youngstock that had never been out but it was only 1 animal from each 6 groups of youngstock

 

[Cowmansam]

So just done the read part of a 60 day skin test after being shut down with 6 reactors a couple of months ago. We are in an edge area so testing every 6 months anyway.

Also had to do a blood test as this was considered a ’new’ outbreak, despite being in and out of restrictions for the last 7 years and also having a blood test 14 months ago.

Good new today is we passed the skin test, no reactors or IR‘s across 400 animals.

Bad news is that Ive just got an email with the blood test results for 170 of the young stock and 6 have come back positive, and we haven’t even blood tested the main herd yet ( not due till Monday)

Absolutely gutted about these results. Either the skin or the blood test must be wrong by miles, so why are bothering with it.

20 percent false negative on the skin 20 percent false positive on thr blood

 

[vantage]

20 percent false negative on the skin 20 percent false positive on thr blood

I’d be most surprised if you could prove that was the case.

 

[Ducati899]

I’d be most surprised if you could prove that was the case.

I was told by the person that carried out our blood test that the youngstock that tested positive and never been out were more than likely false positives

 

[matthew]

20 percent false negative on the skin 20 percent false positive on thr blood

I’d be most surprised if you could prove that was the case.

On severe interpretation, and repeated every 60 days the intradermal skin test is the primary, OIE approved test for TB world wide. It's good with suensitivity up to 90+ per cent. and very, very few false positives.

Gamma ifn is still a very blunt instrument. Picking up several bacterium members of m.tuberculosis complex group, as well as m. bovis. When it was trialled in England (c 2006) a quarter of one herd was postive. But couldn't be slaughtered as bloods had been taken under another disease screen.

Further investigation showed m.kansassii which I think is found in some mosses. But this administration , so intent on slaughtering our cattle, ignored the findings and launched the damn thing on UK farmers.

In some EU countries, although they use gamma, they will not use it as a slaughter test. Animals +ve to gamma, also have a skin test to confirm.

More here, including the answer to a PQ about this test's senstivity / specificity:

https://bovinetb.blogspot.com/2018/04/madness.html

 

[s line]

With the blood test they have got you. You rely on them being truthful. If you want your own test to back up their results.. You have have to pay for it, then transport.

Conspiracy theories.

Back in Gloucestershire all herds have got to be tested every 6 months now.

 

[Scholsey]

Does a blood test tend to clear a load out first time and then high chance of going clear next time?

 

[sidjon]

Does a blood test tend to clear a load out first time and then high chance of going clear next time?

For us it did, but dairy farm 2 parishes away no, even after he's had two gamma tests (wildlife problem is his biggest source of infection from the red deer) and is a flying herd but tb is all local strain

 

[bean]

With the blood test they have got you. You rely on them being truthful. If you want your own test to back up their results.. You have have to pay for it, then transport.

Conspiracy theories.

Back in Gloucestershire all herds have got to be tested every 6 months now.

All herds here that's test after 1st July will be on 6 months testing

 

[Werzle]

All herds here that's test after 1st July will be on 6 months testing

My neighbours and i had the letter today stating by june2022 we will all be on 6 monthly testing. I reckon its going to be the end of keeping cattle for some

 

[Devon lad]

Same here. A few years back we had nothing on the skin and 22 on gamma.

Same here

 

[Beef farmer]

My neighbours and i had the letter today stating by june2022 we will all be on 6 monthly testing. I reckon its going to be the end of keeping cattle for some

6 monthly signals the end for some? Really? Just use the tb test to your advantage and keep on top of tags and do any worming/weighing at the same time

 

[Rossymons]

6 monthly signals the end for some? Really? Just use the tb test to your advantage and keep on top of tags and do any worming/weighing at the same time

An extra PMT free of charge as well.

 

[sidjon]

had the same letter today, only just got to annual testing, spoken to niegbours who are calf rearers and said that will be the end of cattle on their place, sheep only from now on

 

[Beef farmer]

had the same letter today, only just got to annual testing, spoken to niegbours who are calf rearers and said that will be the end of cattle on their place, sheep only from now on

Easy to say when sheep are making 160 quid

 

[Werzle]

6 monthly signals the end for some? Really? Just use the tb test to your advantage and keep on top of tags and do any worming/weighing at the same time

I am just pointing out what i have been told, a great many cannot stand annual testing and the stress it causes them, cows arent going to like being tested more often either . Testing while at grasskeep etc . I think 6 monthly testing is a joke tbh and i cannot see how testers are going to get around to testing everybody.

 

[Werzle]

An extra PMT free of charge as well.

Why would we want to pmt our herds that we are not selling?