(a) Testing of blood and semen.
(1) All tests shall be made by approved personnel only as the basis for compliance with these regulations.
(2) All tests must be confirmed by a state-federal laboratory as the basis for compliance with these regulations. Non-quarantined cattle may be moved based upon the card test results. All samples initially tested at other than state-federal laboratories shall be submitted (mailed) within 48 hours of collection and confirmed at the state-federal laboratory.
(3) When a discrepancy occurs between test results of the state-federal laboratory and those of the person who originally tested the animal(s), the entire consignment, shipment, or herd will be traced and held pending results of a retest on the animal(s) with the discrepancy.
(4) Samples for all retest purposes will be collected by accredited veterinarians that are approved by the Commission to perform brucellosis program duties, or by commission or APHIS personnel and submitted to the state-federal laboratory for confirmation testing. An epidemiologist may designate those cattle that do not require a test. The herd of origin, as well as the herd in which the animal(s) is presently located, will be affected by the test results of the state-federal laboratory. The state-federal laboratory initial test results will prevail if the traced animal cannot be positively identified or if it has been slaughtered and cannot be retested.
(5) When the state-federal laboratory is unable to confirm results of a test because of insufficient serum, hemolyzed blood, or broken tubes, the commission may require a trace and retest of the animals not confirmed.
(6) When the commission has reason to believe the tests are controversial, contested, or disputed, it may require that its personnel be present at the time of blood collection and testing as a basis for compliance with these regulations. In such case, the commission shall notify the herd owner prior to the test.
(b) Classification of cattle. Cattle shall be classified by approved personnel by an evaluation of titer responses for all cattle to serological tests, or by identification of Brucella abortus in specimens taken from these cattle. The following serological tests may be used for the classification of cattle.
(1) Card test. The card test (buffered Brucella is a test antigen) that may be used to classify cattle as suspects. Results of the card test may be used with other test results conducted in the state-federal laboratory to aid in the classification of cattle as reactors. The card test may be used as a test to classify cattle as reactors on written approval of the owner or his agent. The owner or his agent's signature on test charts prior to "B" branding will be accepted as approval. Card tests may be used to classify cattle negative on surveillance samples collected at slaughter, on routine samples collected on farms, at livestock markets, and on tests of suspicious and affected herds.
(2) Manual Complement fixation test. The manual complement fixation test is an official test when it is conducted at the cooperative state-federal brucellosis laboratory using recognized methods.
(3) Rivanol test. The rivanol test is an official test when conducted in cooperative state-federal brucellosis laboratories. Vaccinated cattle tested under the MCI program that show complete agglutination at dilutions of 1:25 or greater must be reported as MCI reactors for the purpose of state or area classification.
(4) Brucellosis Milk Surveillance Test (BMST). The brucellosis milk surveillance test, conducted by methods approved by USDA-APHIS-VS, is a test that may be used to classify herds or cattle as suspected of being infected with brucellosis.
(5) Buffered acidified plate antigen test. Buffered acidified plate antigen tests may be used to classify cattle as negative on MCI samples collected at slaughter and at livestock markets. This test may also be used in state-federal laboratories for routine samples collected on farms.
(6) Rapid screening test (RST). The RST may be used as a test for classifying cattle as negative in state-federal laboratories.
(7) Standard tube agglutination test (STT) or standard plate agglutination test (SPT). The blood or semen titers of cattle and bison tested by the STT or SPT methods are interpreted in the following ways:
(8) Particle concentration fluorescence immunoassay (PCFIA) test. May be used to determine the brucellosis disease status of test-eligible cattle and bison when conducted by methods approved by USDA, APHIS, VS. When used as a supplemental test on card-positive Strain 19 vaccinated dairy cattle, a negative PCFIA result will allow them to be classified as negative for intrastate movement only.
(9) Concentration immunoassay test (CITE). Used as a supplemental test in market channels where cattle have been disclosed as positive by use of the card test. CITE positive animals will be considered as reactors and the remainder of the consignment be considered as exposed and moved in accordance with subsection (i)(2) of this section.
(10) New tests under research. Laboratory tests approved by the executive director are authorized to be used in conjunction with tests listed in this subsection for evaluation of their future usefulness in the program.
(c) Reclassification of reactors. Cattle initially classified reactors may be reclassified provided a complete epidemiological investigation of the herd is conducted and there is no evidence of field strain Brucella abortus infection or exposure thereto.
(d) Requirements for a herd test.
(1) Test eligibility.
(2) Calfhood vaccination requirements. All female cattle between four and 12 months of age in affected herds must be vaccinated at the time of testing.
(3) Identification requirements. All cattle tested shall be identified with either an official eartag, an individual registration tattoo, or individual registration brand. All cattle in priority herds except steers, spayed heifers, and bulls under 18 months must be officially identified regardless of test eligibility.
(e) Requirements of a market test.
(1) All cattle 18 months of age and over except steers and spayed heifers shall be tested unless they were tested within the previous 30 days and:
(2) Each animal(s) tested at the market shall be identified by official eartag and official backtag.
(3) The market shall supply the following information to the accredited veterinarian prior to conducting the card test for inclusion on the VS Form 4-54 after results of the test are known:
(4) The veterinarian shall not conduct the card test prior to receiving the name and address of the owner from the market.
(5) At time of testing of the cattle, the following additional information is required to be included on the VS Form 4-54.
(6) The veterinarian interpreting the card test results shall, at the time of testing, immediately report any and all positive test results to the state-federal market inspector by means of the completed VS Form 4-54.
(7) Cattle which show a positive reaction to the card test shall have another blood sample collected from them by an inspector. The inspector will conduct another card test and the CITE test or deliver the sample to a laboratory for a PCFIA test. If negative to the CITE or PCFIA tests, Strain 19 vaccinated dairy cattle shall be classified negative for intrastate movement only and marked on the hip with yellow paint. If negative to the CITE or PCFIA tests, beef cattle and non-Strain 19 vaccinated dairy cattle shall be classified as suspect(s) and may be permitted to return to the premises of origin under hold order for retest or be "S"-branded and permitted to slaughter or to a quarantined feedlot or designated pen. In either case, the remainder of the consignment may move unrestricted. Samples tested with the CITE test shall then be submitted to a state/federal laboratory in a vacutainer for supplemental testing and accompanied by a completed Form 91-28 which lists only the card positive cattle.
(f) Requirements of a slaughter test. Slaughter plants operating in Texas shall collect blood from all cattle 18 months of age and over except steers and spayed heifers and finish fed cattle under 36 months of age. All blood samples collected at slaughter shall be submitted to a state-federal laboratory. Identification of the cattle in relation to the sample shall be maintained so that reactors or suspects may be traced to their herd of origin. The following collection procedures shall be followed:
(1) Blood samples shall be collected from each animal in tubes numbered in sequence for each day's kill and placed in innercell mailing cartons furnished by USDA.
(2) The samples shall be listed in numerical order on the USDA Test Record, Market Cattle Testing Program Form (VS 4-54). All man-made identification devices such as backtags, eartags, and bangle tags for each animal shall be recorded on the VS 4-54 in the appropriate columns to the corresponding blood sample.
(3) Known brucellosis reactors shall be identified on the VS 4-54 by entering "FR" in the test interpretation column.
(4) The full name and address of each person or firm from which each animal was secured shall be recorded on the VS 4-54 and daily kill sheets. Test records shall show the slaughter plant name and address, the date of collection (kill date), and the signature of collector.
(5) The blood samples with the complete VS 4-54 and daily kill sheets shall be promptly submitted to the appropriate state-federal laboratory.
(6) If cattle are delivered by someone other than the slaughterer or the slaughterer's agent, the license plate number of the vehicle delivering the cattle shall be recorded on slaughter records and made available to commission personnel upon request.
(g) Retest of reactors. Reactors in markets or initial tests on farms and ranches will be retested at the owner or his agent's request; provided this request is within five days of his notification of the original blood test results and prior to identification of the reactors by "B" brand and eartag. Retest of reactors will be accomplished within five days of approval for retest in dairies and 10 days of approval for retest in beef herds. Reactor animals will be isolated from other cattle while awaiting retest. Animals classified as reactors on the retest will be branded within 48 hours of classification. Retesting of reactors on subsequent tests of the herd will be as provided for in the herd plan.
(h) Identification of brucellosis affected cattle.
(1) Reactor cattle. All reactor cattle shall be permanently identified within 15 days of classification by hot iron branding with the letter "B" (at least two by two inches), placed high on the left hip near the tailhead. An approved reactor tag shall be placed in the left ear. Identification shall be prior to movement.
(2) Exposed Cattle. All exposed cattle moving to a quarantined feedlot, designated pen, quarantined pasture, or to slaughter shall be identified by branding with a hot iron the letter "S" (at least two by two inches) placed high on the left hip near the tailhead. Identification shall be prior to movement, except exposed cattle on the premise of origin may be "S" permitted to a livestock market where they shall be identified by "S" brand upon arrival. Exposed cattle returned from the livestock market to the herd of origin are exempt from such identification.
Cont'd...