Agriculture officials confirm 25th case of cattle anthrax in North Dakota this year

A new case of cattle anthrax has been confirmed in southwest North Dakota's Grant County, bringing the number of cases in the state to 25 this year, according to state agriculture officials.

It’s the first case reported in the state since August, all in Grant County and neighboring Hettinger and Adams counties. Those cases have led to about 170 cattle deaths, the North Dakota Department of Agriculture said in a news release Thursday.

While it's unusual to see a case so late in the year, Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said, the area has seen unusually mild weather recently that has allowed cattle to remain on pastureland where anthrax thrives.

The year’s South Dakota outbreak is the worst since 2005. From 2006 through last year, 18 cases of cattle anthrax were confirmed. Outbreaks in the U.S. are rare, as a vaccine for livestock is cheap and easily administered.