More convincing evidence was provided by culture-based observations. M. bovis organisms were previously isolated from a water sample, but not from soil samples, collected from a naturally infected badger yard (Little et al., 1982). Moreover, M. bovis organisms could be isolated 4 weeks after artificial contamination of the soil (Duffield & Young, 1985), for 6 weeks from exposed naturally infected buffalo tissues and for 4 weeks from spiked buffalo faeces; however, M. bovis could be isolated for only 5 days from buried tissues (Tanner & Michel, 1999).