Question: Can bovine tuberculosis be forming more due to the enviromental issues in the atmosphere?

Cat O'Connor answered on 18 Jun 2011:

Hi Nikita,

Great question and obviously one that is very topical given our worries about global warming.

Diseases that are most effected by climate warming are those that are spread by midges, flies and mosquitos because as a country gets warmer, it means that insects and flies that couldn’t live there before because it was so cold, can now survive in that country. So diseases that this is important are in animals Bluetonge disease and African Horse Sickness and in humans, Malaria!

While TB is not spread but insects, but by much bigger animals, climate can also affect it indirectly. Like, do you know a warmer climate could mean more badgers? And more badgers may mean that they spread the disease more. Warmer weather can cause an increase in badger populations by making more food available for their favourite source of food, earthworms! Say if we have longer seasons of warmer weather, it may mean that we’ll be able to grow more crops and that there then is more food for earthworms. More foods means that fewer earthworms will die and that they’ll live longer and make more babies. More earthworms means that badgers will have more to eat, and again like earthworms, fewer will die and they’ll live longer and have more babies.

I hope this makes sense, let me know if you want me to explain it any better!

Cat