In March, 2004 a 15 month old boy died in New York City of peritoneal tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis. Mycobacterium bovis primarily infects cattle, but can infect people through the consumption of unpasteurized milk products. Human tuberculosis from mycobacterium bovis in the USA in rare due to the common practice of milk pasteurization and culling of infected dairy herds. A total of 35 cases were identified. Preliminary findings indicated that fresh cheese brought to New York City from Mexico was a likely source of exposure. There was no evidence of human to human transmission. Twelve of the cases were children. The reported outbreak occurred between 2001 and 2004