Is this something that non-Scottish pipers need to be concerned about? I’m wondering if this is the result of using synthetic bags with cat litter or if this is something that can also affect a goat hide bag as well? Does the salt/alum or copper sulfate not kill this stuff in a traditional bag?
I believe youre quite safe with that green goat of yours. 
However, keep the blowpipe clean…hot soap & water, disinfecting wipes, just common sense stuff.
Synthetic bags of GHB’s, (especially those with water traps) act like a warm, dark, moist petri dish. An effective blowpipe valve is, of course, the best & first line of defense against bag-borne infections. 
Something dosent quite add up about the dude in the article, for me. If he’s 70 , & been playing since his teens, surely some basic hygene routine had been in practise during his earlier years, regardless of hide or synth bag. I think he just, well… got lazy & said the heck with it. But thats just me.
It’s an urban myth that pops up every couple of years.
After 35 years of playing I’ve only ever cleaned the blowpipe of my pipes and I’ve never came to any har…rghhhh…