139 diseased cattle destroyed

139 diseased cattle destroyed

BANDUNG: At least 139 cattle infected with Brucellosis have
been destroyed this year in West Java, the local animal husbandry
office said on Friday.

Tine Nuarasih, head of animal disease observation and
investigation at the husbandry office, said the infected cattle
had to be slaughtered to prevent the bacteria from infecting
other livestock and consumers.

"Brucellosis is an infectious disease. A person who drinks
milk from the cattle contaminated by brucella abortus can suffer
a digestive problem," she told journalists in Bandung, West Java.

However, she said meat from the infected cattle could still be
consumed after the uteri were removed, as the bacteria only
attacked the cow's reproductive organs.

There were no reports that any one had been infected by the
bacteria.

Tine said the bacteria was quite dangerous and could cripple
the milk industry in West Java. -- JP