Yes, that is the most contagious phase. If the animal has inhaled or ingested the bacteria, the bacteria will go into the animal. The way that it works is that the bacteria tries to insulate itself from the immune system of the animal, so it starts making an envelope of layers around itself, and it starts making a big ball. That's what we found in this animal. When it bursts, sometimes the animal can start spitting through sputum or the respiratory tract, and that's the infectious stage. The problem is that it can be anywhere between a year to five years; we don't know when this abscess is going to burst.
On December 4th, 2018. See this statement in context.