LANSING — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is urging hunters in the northeast Lower Peninsula to submit deer heads for free bovine tuberculosis testing as the disease continues to affect herds in the region.

According to a Dec. 4 DNR news release, Bovine tuberculosis can spread from animals to humans and is difficult to detect in harvested deer, the DNR said. Mitch Marcus, the agency’s wildlife health supervisor, said even deer that appear healthy can test positive.

“A deer can be positive for bovine tuberculosis even if a hunter sees no sign of infection in the lungs or chest cavity,” Marcus said. “Bovine TB develops slowly, and most positive deer submitted by hunters appear healthy. That’s why submitting deer heads for bovine TB testing is so important.”

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