Take bison risk seriously.The danger that bison and elk from Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park, 2,219,791 acres (899,015 hectares), the world's first national park (est. 1872), NW Wyo., extending into Montana and Idaho. It lies mainly on a broad plateau in the Rocky Mts., on the Continental Divide, c. might spread brucellosis brucellosis (br  'səlō`sĭs) or Bang's disease, infectious disease of farm animals that is sometimes transmitted to humans. to neighboring cattle is tiny but worth worrying about, concludes a draft report from the National Research Council. The disease causes abortions in bison, elk, and cattle; in people, it can lead to debilitating de·bil·i·tat·ing adj. Causing a loss of strength or energy. Debilitating Weakening, or reducing the strength of. Mentioned in: Stress Reduction cycles of chills and fever Noun 1. chills and fever - successive stages of chills and fever that is a symptom of malaria ague malaria - an infective disease caused by sporozoan parasites that are transmitted through the bite of an infected Anopheles mosquito; marked by paroxysms of . The Department of Agriculture has adopted a program to rid U.S. cattle and domestic bison of the disease by the end of 1998. The battle over brucellosis turned ugly in the harsh winter of 1996-1997, when starving bison strayed outside the park to forage. Officials feared that infected bison might transmit the disease to cattle and thus ruin Montana's brucellosisfree cattle certification, so they ordered the strays killed. Critics claimed the disease risk was too small to justify the bison slaughter. The risk of transmission is "very low, but should it occur, it's very serious," says report coauthor Norman F. Cheville, a veterinary pathologist at Iowa State University Academics ISU is best known for its degree programs in science, engineering, and agriculture. ISU is also home of the world's first electronic digital computing device, the Atanasoff–Berry Computer. in Ames. The report makes no comment on whether the shootings were justified. The authors recommend tightly monitored quarantine zones around the park and more research on vaccines. |
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