Bovine tuberculosis surveillance in white-tailed deer in Alpena County, Michigan and associated landscape covariates

Multiple surveillance methods were used to determine factors influencing the spread of a low-prevalence disease, bovine tuberculosis (bTB), among white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in a bTB endemic area from 2011 to 2020. Surveillance occurred at the quarter-township (25 square kilometer) level in Alpena County, MI resulting in data for 74 different sites. This data publication includes the number of bTB tests conducted on white-tailed deer in a quarter-section (site) each year and the number of those tests that were positive for bTB. It also includes for each site and year, the estimated number of deer per square mile, proportion of site covered by crops, and the number of days below 0 degrees Celsius. A map showing the location of each site is also provided.
Surveillance testing for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in white-tailed deer is conducted in Michigan to monitor disease prevalence and spatial distribution in the population. These data were fit to a dynamic occupancy model to quantify spatial spread of bTB at the landscape scale.
For more information about this study and these data, see Feuka et al. (2024). These data were originally published on 12/15/2023. On 03/01/2024, the metadata was updated to include more details for the recently published article.