Defra dismisses liverfluke in bTB spread
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has dismissed the recent claims in research published this week, which suggests that the presence of the liverfluke parasite in cattle is preventing accurate diagnosis of bovine TB.
The study, published in Nature Communications, concluded that there was a "significant negative association" between exposure to the parasite and diagnosis of bTB, and indicated that the liverfluke was hiding the symptoms, rather than stopping the disease developing.
However, Defra has refuted the main conclusions from the study. A spokesperson said the research showed that "cattle that have both liverfluke and bTB still test positive for bovine TB, and would be culled to control the disease."
The spokesperson went on to say that the absence of positive cases of bovine TB in some areas which coincide with large areas of liverfluke cannot be used to claim the liverfluke is hiding cases, as "cattle carcasses are inspected in abattoirs and we would see evidence of TB in the slaughtered animals if this was the case."
Defra affirmed that they "use the best internationally available tests," and stressed that there will be no success in eliminating the disease in cattle, unless the disease is also tackled in badgers.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
