HELENA, Mont. - State veterinarians from Montana, Idaho and Wyoming say cattle will continue to be plagued by a livestock disease as long as it remains prevalent in wildlife in and around Yellowstone National Park.

The state officials met Friday in Helena to discuss ways of jointly dealing with cases of brucellosis, a disease that can cause pregnant cows to abort their calves. The disease is dreaded by the livestock industry because it is expensive to eradicate and creates problems for ranchers attempting to export cattle.

Montana and Wyoming are in the midst of investigations to determine the cause of recent infections. Montana is losing its prized brucellosis-free status after a second case in less than two years. Wyoming could also lose its status if another herd tests positive.

The veterinarians said cattle in a danger zone around Yellowstone National Park will continue to get the disease as long as it remains in the park's bison and elk herds. They said more federal money has to be spent on a practical vaccine for wildlife, and the park must get serious about managing the herd.

All states face more cases until that happens, said Montana State Veterinarian Marty Zaluski.

"It is sad to admit that," Zaluski said at Friday's meeting. "But that is the situation."

Zaluski said the long-term goal has to include eradication of brucellosis in wildlife, adding he is hopeful that can be accomplished.

Federal officials, who face pressure from conservation groups to manage the bison as wild animals, have so far resisted the idea of vaccination. The state of Montana also receives negative public reaction for its bison roundups, which are intended to keep the animals inside Yellowstone.

The state veterinarians said bison are the largest repository of brucellosis. Elk, which migrate farther outside the park, are more likely to transmit it to cattle. But the farther elk are from Yellowstone, the less likely they are to carry the disease.

The state officials said they plan to meet on a regular basis with the hope of forming a united front for negotiating with federal and other state officials, who place export restrictions on the infected states.

The state veterinarians said they also want federal livestock regulators to update brucellosis rules, which were written to prevent transmission of the disease from one herd of cattle to another. They said it is unfair to penalize infections in herds that come from federally managed wildlife.

Ranchers said they feel the National Park Service has been ignoring the problems created when wildlife leave the park's borders. Until the situation changes, ranchers in states bordering Yellowstone will have to live with the threat of brucellosis, said Errol Rice, with the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

"We have to get ourselves out of this continual jeopardy," Rice said.