Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) is a slow-growing (16- to 20-hour generation time) aerobic bacterium and the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle (known as bovine TB). It is related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium which causes tuberculosis in humans. M. bovis can jump the species barrier and cause tuberculosis-like infection in humans and other mammals. Bovis is most commonly found in cattle and other animals such as bison, elk, and deer. In people, M. bovis causes TB disease that can affect the lungs, lymph nodes, and other parts of the body. Like human TB, bTB primarily affects the airways and lungs. The TB bacteria can also infect humans and cause tuberculosis, although this is reported to be mainly through people consuming unpasteurized milk or dairy products (pasteurization kills the Mycobacterium Bovis bacteria). People are most commonly infected with M. bovis by eating or drinking contaminated, unpasteurized dairy products. Direct transmission from animals to humans through the air is thought to be rare, but M. bovis can be spread directly from person to person when people with the disease in their lungs cough or sneeze.