From the comments on my XDR TB story

posted by The Vidiot @ 8:13 AM Permalink

Like I said in my previous post, I have my doubts about the XDR TB guy. Well, a reader has another thought on it:

Reader comment: I would like to toss out a challenge to your readers. I have a very strong hunch that XDR TB is somehow connected to livestock, in particular, cattle (both dairy and beef). As a resident of a state whose cattle population exceeds its' citizens - I know firsthand about how most cattle are raised - in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). According to the "law on the books" these facilities are regulated by various State Departments of Agriculture, as well as USDA. Their solid and liquid waste are disposed of by "land applications". BILLIONS of pounds of UNTREATED waste, spread willy, nilly, with NOBODY testing or even paying attention. The worse part is the application of the "effluent" (liquid waste) usually as a means to empty their "lagoons" (huge, multi-million gallon liquid shit ponds). This application is accomplished by spraying out this liquid shit through a center pivot system, where anything present in the liquid waste would also be aerosolized and carried in the wind. When I say anything, I am of course referring to all sorts of pathogens, viruses, bacteria, hormones, antibiotics, you name it. We know cattle are carriers of M Bovis, and that it is transmittable to humans. We also know that these dairy and beef cattle in industrial animal production facilities are routinely given hormones and low-dose antibiotics in order to survive in the filthy conditions in which they are raised. I think there is a distinct link that needs to be investigated. I tried to get copies of TB testing of the herds in my state - guess what - "proprietory and protected confidential information belonging to the producer". No matter that this may be a direct threat to we humans, those handful of people who own the dairy and beef CAFOs have more rights than we do. Anybody care to begin investigating this link?