Presentation by Michael Healy, Student Intern from Sydney University at the Milton Pink Eye Workshop held on the 18th June 2009. This Presentation covers:
- What is Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVDV) or Pertivirus
- Case Study on a South Coast Diary Herd
- Control Methods
Dr. Dan Grooms - Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Overview - The Disease, History...John Blue
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Overview - The Disease, History, Management & Control - Dr. Dan Grooms, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Dr. Dan Givens - Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Diagnostics - Goals, Strategies...John Blue
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Diagnostics - Goals, Strategies, and Best Tests Lab Perspectives - Dr. Dan Givens, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Dr. Robert Stout - Bovine Virus Diarrhea-Persistent Infection ManagementJohn Blue
Bovine Virus Diarrhea-Persistent Infection Management - Dr. Robert Stout, DVM, State Veterinarian, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, from the 2015 NIAA Annual Conference titled 'Water and the Future of Animal Agriculture', March 23 - March 26, 2015, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2015_niaa_water_future_animal_ag
Dr. Julia Ridpath - What’s new in Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) researchJohn Blue
What’s new in Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) research - Dr. Julia Ridpath, Research Microbiologist, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Dr. Dan Grooms - Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Overview - The Disease, History...John Blue
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Overview - The Disease, History, Management & Control - Dr. Dan Grooms, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Dr. Dan Givens - Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Diagnostics - Goals, Strategies...John Blue
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) Diagnostics - Goals, Strategies, and Best Tests Lab Perspectives - Dr. Dan Givens, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Dr. Robert Stout - Bovine Virus Diarrhea-Persistent Infection ManagementJohn Blue
Bovine Virus Diarrhea-Persistent Infection Management - Dr. Robert Stout, DVM, State Veterinarian, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, from the 2015 NIAA Annual Conference titled 'Water and the Future of Animal Agriculture', March 23 - March 26, 2015, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2015_niaa_water_future_animal_ag
Dr. Julia Ridpath - What’s new in Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) researchJohn Blue
What’s new in Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) research - Dr. Julia Ridpath, Research Microbiologist, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in India Epidemiology and ControlBhoj Raj Singh
PPR is endemic in India in sheep & goats. Mainly young stocks are more affected. Disease occurs throughout the year but more common in October & March. Though vaccination is the only method for control & eradication, even the institutes those developed the effective vaccine in India to control the disease fear to use it because many a time outbreaks ensue on vaccination. The other important reason for persistence of disease is undeclared Policy of suppressed reporting of PPR outbreaks.
Foot and mouth disease preventive and epidemiological aspectsBhoj Raj Singh
FMD: Menace in India
Discusses problems of FMD Control in India like:
Lack of faith in farmers and veterinarians that FMD can be controlled with vaccination (due to repeated failure of vaccines in quality and vaccination failures resulting in FMD outbreaks).
Lack of infrastructure facilities for maintaining the cold chain and efficient transport to the vaccination site.
Lack of human resources for handling/ vaccinating livestock.
Needs for further researches on diagnosis (Pen-side), disinfection, vaccines and vaccination (affording at least a year immunity, quality vaccine etc.) and control strategies.
No-timely investigation or excessively delayed investigation of FMD outbreaks especially those occurring after vaccination.
Transparency in vaccine quality monitoring and vaccine purchases.
Fear in veterinarians for reporting FMD in their area of operation.
False statistics of the disease and vaccination.
No legal punitive action against suppliers of substandard FMD vaccines even after the supply of multiple substandard batches of vaccine.
Strength and weaknesses of fmd control programme going on in india dr. kale b...Bhoj Raj Singh
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a devastating disease in many of the developing countries including India despite control programs. The FMD in India is associated with loss of about Rs. 20000 crores per annually. Government of India and different provincial governments are spending hundreds of crore rupees per year to control the disease. The FMD control programme (FMD-CP) is running in India since more than 13 years but control of the FMD is still far away dream and the Disease is regularly visiting even the government farms managed by the India's leading Veterinary and Dairy Institutes. The pros and cons of FMD-CP has been discussed in the presentation.
Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in India Epidemiology and ControlBhoj Raj Singh
PPR is endemic in India in sheep & goats. Mainly young stocks are more affected. Disease occurs throughout the year but more common in October & March. Though vaccination is the only method for control & eradication, even the institutes those developed the effective vaccine in India to control the disease fear to use it because many a time outbreaks ensue on vaccination. The other important reason for persistence of disease is undeclared Policy of suppressed reporting of PPR outbreaks.
Foot and mouth disease preventive and epidemiological aspectsBhoj Raj Singh
FMD: Menace in India
Discusses problems of FMD Control in India like:
Lack of faith in farmers and veterinarians that FMD can be controlled with vaccination (due to repeated failure of vaccines in quality and vaccination failures resulting in FMD outbreaks).
Lack of infrastructure facilities for maintaining the cold chain and efficient transport to the vaccination site.
Lack of human resources for handling/ vaccinating livestock.
Needs for further researches on diagnosis (Pen-side), disinfection, vaccines and vaccination (affording at least a year immunity, quality vaccine etc.) and control strategies.
No-timely investigation or excessively delayed investigation of FMD outbreaks especially those occurring after vaccination.
Transparency in vaccine quality monitoring and vaccine purchases.
Fear in veterinarians for reporting FMD in their area of operation.
False statistics of the disease and vaccination.
No legal punitive action against suppliers of substandard FMD vaccines even after the supply of multiple substandard batches of vaccine.
Strength and weaknesses of fmd control programme going on in india dr. kale b...Bhoj Raj Singh
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a devastating disease in many of the developing countries including India despite control programs. The FMD in India is associated with loss of about Rs. 20000 crores per annually. Government of India and different provincial governments are spending hundreds of crore rupees per year to control the disease. The FMD control programme (FMD-CP) is running in India since more than 13 years but control of the FMD is still far away dream and the Disease is regularly visiting even the government farms managed by the India's leading Veterinary and Dairy Institutes. The pros and cons of FMD-CP has been discussed in the presentation.
Dr. Bob Larson - Control Management Strategies for ProducersJohn Blue
Control Management Strategies for Producers - Dr. Bob Larson, Chair Food Animal Production Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Ms. Lisa Pederson - Bovine Emergency Response PlanJohn Blue
Bovine Emergency Response Plan - Ms. Lisa Pederson, Beef Quality Assurance Specialist with North Dakota State University Extension Service, from the 2015 NIAA Annual Conference titled 'Water and the Future of Animal Agriculture', March 23 - March 26, 2015, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2015_niaa_water_future_animal_ag
Dr. Derrell Peel - Economic Aspects of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD); Effects ...John Blue
Economic Aspects of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD); Effects on US Cattle Herd - Dr. Derrell Peel, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Dr. Robert Stout - Governmental Response for BVD-PI ControlJohn Blue
Governmental Response for BVD-PI Control - Dr. Robert Stout, State Veterinarian, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, from the 2016 NIAA Annual Conference: From Farm to Table - Food System Biosecurity for Animal Agriculture, April 4-7, 2016, Kansas City, MO, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2016_niaa_farm_table_food_system_biosecurity
Dr. Mark Allen - Present & Future: Bovine Genetic & Reproductive TechnologiesJohn Blue
Present & Future: Bovine Genetic & Reproductive Technologies - Dr. Mark Allan, Director Marketing and Genomics, Trans Ova Genetics, from the 2014 NIAA Annual Conference titled 'The Precautionary Principle: How Agriculture Will Thrive', March 31 - April 2, 2014, Omaha, NE, USA.
More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2014_niaa_how_animal_agriculture_will_thrive
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From pipettes and petri dishes to the latest in laboratory instrumentation, we pride ourselves on the quality of products and service we provide around the world. In addition to our SELECT consumables
Dr. Elwynn Taylor - Weather Outlook 2016 & BeyondJohn Blue
Weather Outlook 2016 & Beyond - Dr. Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University, from the 2016 World Pork Expo, June 8 - 10, 2016, Des Moines, IA, USA.
More presentations at http://www.swinecast.com/2016-world-pork-expo
A presentation on small ruminant health by University of Maryland Extension Sheep & Goat Specialist Susan Schoenian. Health topics include biosecurity, the healthy
Sheep Abortions: What Causes Them & What Can We Do About It?
Dr. Jocelyn Jansen, Disease Prevention Veterinarian—Small Ruminants, OMAF
The presentation will cover the reasons for abortions in sheep but will focus on the 3 most common infectious causes in Ontario. Prevalence of disease in Ontario, diagnosis, management of the aborting flock and prevention will also be discussed.
This presentation on Internal Parasite Control in Sheep was given at the Indianhead Sheep Breeders Association 17th Annual Shepherd's Clinic and Trade Show on February 12, 2011.
Bovine Leukosis Virus: What is it and What Does it Mean for Me?DAIReXNET
Dr. Ray Sweeney presented this material for DAIReXNET on October 14, 2015. To view the full presentation, please see our archived webinars page at http://www.extension.org/pages/15830/archived-dairy-cattle-webinars
This PowerPoint presentation is the second in a series of six that are part of a webinar series on Ewe and Doe Management from late gestation through weaning.
Common causes of abortions in dairy animals and their managementveterinary worlds
Common causes of abortions in dairy animals and their management
various bacterial and viral causes of the abortion has been explained with the help of the slide
How to Split Bills in the Odoo 17 POS ModuleCeline George
Bills have a main role in point of sale procedure. It will help to track sales, handling payments and giving receipts to customers. Bill splitting also has an important role in POS. For example, If some friends come together for dinner and if they want to divide the bill then it is possible by POS bill splitting. This slide will show how to split bills in odoo 17 POS.
The Indian economy is classified into different sectors to simplify the analysis and understanding of economic activities. For Class 10, it's essential to grasp the sectors of the Indian economy, understand their characteristics, and recognize their importance. This guide will provide detailed notes on the Sectors of the Indian Economy Class 10, using specific long-tail keywords to enhance comprehension.
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The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France. It marked the decline of absolute monarchies, the rise of secular and democratic republics, and the eventual rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This revolutionary period is crucial in understanding the transition from feudalism to modernity in Europe.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
This is a presentation by Dada Robert in a Your Skill Boost masterclass organised by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan (EFSS) on Saturday, the 25th and Sunday, the 26th of May 2024.
He discussed the concept of quality improvement, emphasizing its applicability to various aspects of life, including personal, project, and program improvements. He defined quality as doing the right thing at the right time in the right way to achieve the best possible results and discussed the concept of the "gap" between what we know and what we do, and how this gap represents the areas we need to improve. He explained the scientific approach to quality improvement, which involves systematic performance analysis, testing and learning, and implementing change ideas. He also highlighted the importance of client focus and a team approach to quality improvement.
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptxJheel Barad
This presentation provides a briefing on how to upload submissions and documents in Google Classroom. It was prepared as part of an orientation for new Sainik School in-service teacher trainees. As a training officer, my goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and proficient with this essential tool for managing assignments and fostering student engagement.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
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Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
An EFL lesson about the current events in Palestine. It is intended to be for intermediate students who wish to increase their listening skills through a short lesson in power point.
13. 15% of heifer calves are PIs! 25 heifer calves have been ‘dummy’ calves About 5 premature looking calves with patchy baldness 75 heifer calves have died or been destroyed! Losses
21. - Be very careful! - Yarding animals together at ‘danger time’ - Conception failure Synchronised AI and embryo transfer breeding programs
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24. 1. Don’t let your cows or heifers get infected with the virus for the first time when they are being joined or during pregnancy. 2. Controlling PI animals is the key to controlling disease! BVDV 2 key points:
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27. What can you do to protect your herd against BVDV? There are a few options: - Vaccination - Partial vaccination - Autovaccination - Removal of PI animals - Biosecurity measures
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Editor's Notes
Good morning everyone, my name’s Michael Healy and I’m a final year veterinary student from Sydney University. For the last 4 weeks, I’ve been on practical placement with the District Vet in Bega, Ian Lugton. As part of my time there, I completed a project investigating how much of an effect pestivirus has had on a local dairy herd. In today’s presentation, I’ll give an overview of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus and the problems it can cause in cattle, I will summarise the impacts the disease has had on a dairy near Bega, explain some of the effects that BVDV can have on beef cattle operations, and provide some recommendations on how to control or prevent this disease.
So, what is Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus? It’s a bit of a mouthful, and is also known as Pestivirus. Firstly, how many people here have heard of Pestivirus? It might surprise you to know that around 90% of cattle herds in Australia have been exposed to this virus at some point in time. So it’s definitely around. It’s a contagious infection of all breeds of cattle. When an animal is infected with the virus, it develops antibodies against the virus and recovers. It may be more susceptible to other infections, like respiratory disease or scours for a month or two, but after this it will never have another problem due to Pestivirus. The immune response is enough to protect that animal from ever becoming infected again. So why is this disease important and why should we worry about it??
Because when BVDV is around at the wrong place and the wrong time, it can cause significant reproductive losses. Previously unexposed animals are called “naïve” animals. When naïve heifers and cows are exposed to the virus for the first time around the time of insemination or during the first 6 months of pregnancy, BVDV can cause some real problems. This is the ‘danger time’
The sort of problems that occur depend on the exact point of time that a female is exposed to the virus. Infection at the time of mating or within a week or two either side of mating, can result in poor conception rates and early abortions. As a result, you might notice an increase in the number of animals returning to heat, or an extended calving season.
This picture is showing the ‘danger time’ for infection with the virus – around the time of mating. Or in the first 6 months of pregnancy.
If a pregnant cow or heifer is exposed to BVDV for the first time up to 6 months into pregnancy, the virus travel’s through the cow’s blood and across the placenta, infecting the developing foetus. This can cause mid-term abortions or stillbirths. You can see an aborted foetus there. Sometimes, ‘dummy’ calves are born, which just don’t act normally – and this is because they are born with abnormalities of the brain and sometimes eye. Infection of pregnant females can also result in them giving birth to what is known as “a PI calf”. These PI calves are very important and I’ll explain why.
PI stands for “persistently infected” with the virus. They are also known as carriers of the virus. A PI calf is produced when a naïve pregnant female is infected with BVDV between 30 and 125 days of pregnancy (or about 1-4 months pregnancy). If the foetus doesn’t die and abort, the calf may be a PI. PI animals are carriers of the infection for life. They are sometimes called virus factories
PIs are the potential source of infection for your stock – these PI animals spread the infection to any cattle that they come into contact with. The virus is spread in their saliva, faeces, urine, semen, in fact it’s in just about everything they produce! The infection is contagious, so 1 hour of contact with a PI animal is often enough to transmit BVDV to a naïve animal. If your stock don’t come near a PI, then you won’t have a problem due to pestivirus. Most PIs can be recognised or suspected of being a PI because they are “poor-doers” – they grow slower than other calves/weaners and are often sick. I’d say that most of you would have had an animal like this on your properties at some stage – it may have been a PI. Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy to pick out a PI and stop it getting near female stock at mating or during pregnancy, because a small proportion of PIs appear completely normal! They can live for several years and breed successfully if allowed to do so.
This is not a picture of a cow and her calf, but is actually two heifers who were born at the same time. The one in the background is normal and healthy, but the smaller one is a PI, that always did poorly. Most PIs die before they reach 2 years of age.
OK, moving on to the project I carried out while on placement in Bega. I investigated the economic impact of a BVDV outbreak on a dairy herd near Bega. The herd is a large one, with 950 cows in the milking herd. Calving is year-round. There are 3 separate properties in this operation: one for the milking herd, one where calves and weaners are reared, and one for heifers. Breeding is by AI, with bulls to mop-up the herd, and bulls do not get PACE tested. The herd is not closed, since sometimes pregnant cows are bought-in.
In the second half of last year, cows in the mature milking herd began aborting. Heifers have been unaffected. The owners could not work out why they were aborting, but diagnostic tests soon revealed that Pestivirus was the cause. There have been 30 mid-term abortions since this time – these cows were culled. Some cows have also aborted early in pregnancy after being preg-tested in calf – these cows have been given a chance to get back in-calf, but the calving-to-calving interval will be much longer than it should have been. Also, during this time, average conception rate by AI had decreased by 10%. These losses are all caused by BVDV! A high proportion of the milking herd must have been ‘naïve’ – that is, they’d never been exposed to the virus. And a large number of them must have been exposed for the first time during the ‘danger times’ - around the time of insemination and during the first 6 months of pregnancy. For those foetuses that were infected but didn’t abort, we would expect to see dummy calves and PI calves being born within a few months…
And that’s exactly what happened! Since January this year, every newborn calf has had an ear notch taken for a PACE test – and about 15% of all heifer calves born have turned out to be PIs! Another 25 heifer calves have been ‘dummy’ calves that don’t act normally. Another 5 calves have been ‘premy’ with patchy baldness, which is also caused by Pestivirus. The total result of this has been that 75 heifer calves have died or have had to be destroyed! Good genetics in a lot of these heifer calves means their value was $150, sometimes $200!
Also, calves that are not PIs have been reared alongside PI calves. When they are infected by the PI calves, they develop lifelong immunity, but for a couple of months they are more susceptible to infections. So there has been a very high rate of respiratory infections and scours in the calf-rearing unit. The infections are likely to have slowed the growth rate of the heifer calves, which means they may take longer to reach the target weight for joining. A few calves have died of respiratory infection at about 4 months old.
Now, all newborn calves are housed in separate hutches, until they are PACE tested – the calves that are confirmed as PIs are destroyed. The non-PIs can then mix together in the calf-rearing unit and do not become susceptible to infection because they are not exposed to PIs.
There have been economic losses at many levels of this dairy operation due to the Pestivirus outbreak. The cows that aborted and were culled were replaced in the milking herd by surplus in-calf heifers. This means that there was lost income because these surplus heifers would normally be sold to other farmers. Because heifers replaced cows in the milking herd, there are losses due to reduced herd total milk production, since heifers produce about 80% of the milk that mature cows do. Veterinary bills for visits and diagnostic tests were a significant cost. Labour costs in dealing with the disease outbreak are large. The herd managers are also having to knock back some contracts to rear Wagyu and Friesian calves – the lost profit from contracts to rear calves in 2009 is around $30,000! Also, with less surplus heifers around for the next couple of years, the managers will be less able to cull cows from the milking herd due to poor production or for health reasons such as high somatic cell counts – this will cause economic loss too.
The estimate I arrived at for the economic losses to this dairy herd is over $150,000!!! The outbreak is still not over yet, so this figure will only rise. So the key message here is that when Pestivirus goes bad because naïve females are infected at mating or during pregnancy, then things really can go seriously wrong! It’s an important disease for vets and cattle producers to know about.
We can’t be sure where the PI that infected all the pregnant cows in this herd came from. I think it’s most likely that when the dairy bought a herd of pregnant cows and introduced them into the herd a few years ago, one or more of the cows gave birth to a PI calf. The PI calf may have been one of the PIs that grows normally, and was mated, and then when it was introduced into the milking herd it began to infect all the naïve cows which were at various stages of their reproductive cycles. Another possibility is that an introduced cow was a PI. Another possibility is that one of the bulls that was being used was an undetected PI. Cows can also get infected if they come into close contact with a PI from a neighbouring property over a fence.
Beef breeds are also at risk of infection with BVDV.
Problems that BVDV can cause in a beef herd are similar to those seen in a dairy herd: Aborted foetuses and stillbirths, poor pregnancy rates, an extended calving period, low weaning rates, poor weaner growth rates, stunted calves, dummy calves, and more calves than usual becoming sick.
BVDV is a particular danger to breeding programs involving oestrus synchronisation. Economic losses are potentially greater with more valuable offspring. Synchronised breeding programs often involve bringing all the animals together and yarding them for insemination at the same time – around the time of insemination is the ‘danger time’ when BVDV can cause conception failure or early abortion – so if there is one PI in the group, the results can be disastrous. There are reports of only 1 or 2 cows out of a group of 50 becoming pregnant after a synchronised AI program, because they all got exposed to Pestivirus around the time of insemination.
Studies have investigated the economic losses in beef herds that have problems with BVDV. A study by Phil Holmes investigated the impact of introducing a PI bull into a completely naïve herd of heifers. There were various effects: decreased weaning rate and decreased growth of weaners. Abortions, stillbirths, the birth of dummy calves, and the dreaded PI calves. The study found that some of these PIs grew normally and in 3 years infected more females at the time of breeding or pregnancy, causing another round of reproductive losses. The study found that as a result of the outbreak of Pestivirus, the income of the beef property was decreased for 13 years before it returned to normal. The loss of income averaged $42 per female per year for 13 years!
When BVDV was introduced into a herd of heifers in which only 30% were naïve, the impact was smaller and there were fewer reproductive losses, but there was still a loss of income of $30 per female per year for several years.
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus can get pretty complicated. But there are just 2 key points to remember about this contagious disease: Don’t let your heifers or cows get infected with the virus for the first time when they are being joined or during pregnancy. And secondly, PI animals are how the virus spreads to other cattle. So controlling PI animals is the key to controlling disease!
There are diagnostic tests for pestivirus: The PACE test can be used to detect PI animals. Either an ear notch or blood sample is submitted to the laboratory for the PACE test. PIs have a positive result on the PACE test. This test costs $10 per animal tested. It can be done by the owner and then taken to the vet to submit to the lab. The AGID test is a blood test that can determine if an animal has ever been exposed to the virus in its lifetime. It costs about $12. Animals that have been exposed to the virus before, have Pestivirus antibodies in their blood. So if the AGID test finds Pestivirus antibodies in an unjoined heifer’s blood, then that heifer has already been infected at some point in its life, and there is no danger of it having an abortion or producing a PI calf once it is joined. You can test a few animals from group of unjoined heifers or cows, to estimate what proportion of the group have been exposed to the virus before. If a lot of animals in the group have no Pestivirus antibodies in their blood, this means that there is a danger of reproductive losses occurring, if they come into contact with a PI at the ‘danger time’
There is a vaccine available – called Pestigard, some of you might have seen it being sold. It’s 81% effective at protecting stock against infection. For best protection, 2 shots of the vaccine are given initially, and then 1 booster shot each year after that. The cost is around $6 per shot.
There are a few different ways you can protect your herd against the danger of BVDV: vaccination, partial vaccination, autovaccination, removal of PI animals, and biosecurity. The best approach will vary from farm to farm, so working with your veterinarian to develop the best strategy for your herd is a good idea.
Vaccination – for farmers with only a small herd of cattle, rather than performing diagnostic testing of the herd, it might be simplest and easiest to vaccinate the herd. This will have to be done annually to maintain protection. If you stop vaccinating, your herd will be vulnerable again. If your herd isn’t big enough to get through a whole bottle of vaccine, you could organise to share the purchase of the vaccine with your neighbours. In the first year of vaccination, heifers, cows and bulls should be vaccinated twice, with the 2 nd vaccination occurring at least 4 weeks before mating begins. A booster is given annually after that.
Partial vaccination means vaccinating only some groups of animals on your property. This saves money on vaccine doses, but animals that don’t receive a vaccination are given no protection. You would vaccinate those groups which you think are most at risk. The AGID test could be used on a sample of animals from each group, to identify groups that have a high proportion of animals with no Pestivirus antibodies in their blood. No antibodies means no previous exposure to BVDV and therefore these animals are at risk.
Autovaccination is another option to protect your herd against losses. This means using a PI to deliberately infect your herd. If you have a confirmed PI on your property, you can yard your heifers with the PI several months before they are joined. Most should become infected and then develop lifelong immunity, so that when it comes time to be mated, they are at no risk because they have already been exposed. If done correctly, this approach can protect > 80% of the group.
Removing all PIs from a closed herd is another option. To PACE test each animal costs $10. Several rounds of testing are needed to be sure there are no PIs. This option gets expensive in big herds.
Biosecurity is another way to protect your herd – biosecurity means keeping PIs from outside your farm away from your stock. It is probably the most important control option. Vaccination is not 100% effective so even if you vaccinate you still need to keep PIs away from your vaccinated animals. Removing PIs from your herd must also be combined with good biosecurity to protect your stock.
So what can you do to stop your vulnerable stock coming into contact with a PI from outside the farm? Keep a closed herd if possible. But if you are going to buy cattle and introduce them to your herd, test all introduced cattle with the PACE test to make sure they are not PIs. This includes asking the breeder you buy a bull from whether he has done a PACE test on the bull before he sells it to you. Keep introduced animals quarantined away from the main herd until the PACE test results are available. Don’t mix groups of animals during the ’danger time’ – and remember the danger time is around the time of mating, or during the first 6 months of pregnancy. Don’t buy pregnant females and introduce them to your herd – one could be a Trojan cow, with a PI calf growing inside. Keep breeding females away from boundary fences where they might have access to neighbouring cattle, or use double fencing or electric outriggers on boundary fences. You don’t want your cows getting up close to your neighbour’s PI. Also, be careful of transporting cattle off the farm, for example on agistment, and then bringing them back to your farm. It’s wise to vaccinate 8 weeks before moving them off your farm.
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus, also known as Pestivirus, is common in Australian cattle herds so may represent a real danger to your herd. It is potentially a very costly disease. Persistently infected animals spread the infection. So long as you don’t let your female stock get exposed to Pestivirus for the first time around mating or during pregnancy, then you won’t have a problem. Biosecurity measures are really important to protect your herd – don’t let PIs near your stock! Finally, vaccination is worth considering and at $6 per dose, it may be a worthwhile investment that saves you a lot of heartache.