ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Wildlife managers are claiming success in the effort to eliminate bovine tuberculosis from northwestern Minnesota.

The Department of Natural Resources says bovine TB is now “undetectable” in wild deer in northwestern Minnesota. For the third straight year, none of the deer killed there during the firearms hunting season tested positive for the disease. DNR officials said in a statement Monday that makes them hopeful they’ve eliminated the threat.

Bovine TB mostly affects cattle, but can also infect deer. It turned up in cattle and wild deer near the town of Skime in 2005.

Minnesota regained its TB-free status for cattle in 2011 by eliminating affected cattle herds, and working with hunters to sharply reduce the deer population in the affected area to limit chances for the disease to spread.

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