Alberta Warns Against Trichomoniasis
US - The discovery of bovine trichomoniasis in Alberta cattle over the past few years has led the Alberta Agriculture and Food department to renew its efforts to inform industry about disease control methods.
31 January 2008
2 minute read
The reappearance of the disease, which was a problem in the mid-1990s, was detected by the Alberta Veterinary Surveillance Network (AVSN). “This is an example of how AVSN is working,” says Dr. Gerald Hauer, assistant chief provincial veterinarian with Alberta Agriculture and Food, Edmonton. “The network is designed to pick up emerging diseases.”
* "Herds that share bulls during the breeding season have the highest risk of contracting disease" |
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Dr. Gerald Hauer, assistant chief provincial veterinarian with Alberta Agriculture and Food, Edmonton.
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Losses to production can be large, as trichomoniasis can lead to a large percentage of females being open or calving late.
“In a single herd, the number of cows that are not pregnant at the end of breeding season can range from 30 per cent to as high as 70 per cent,” says Dr. Jagdish Patel, veterinarian with Alberta Agriculture and Food’s Food Safety Division.
“Herds that share bulls during the breeding season have the highest risk of contracting disease,” adds Hauer.
There are tests that can be used to detect trichomoniasis infection in bulls. However, they only detect about two thirds on the infected bulls when only one test is performed. This is true of both the older culture methods and the new polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Conducting three tests at weekly intervals will increase the chances of detecting an infection in a bull to over 80 per cent.
Cattle producers are encouraged to develop and implement a Trichomoniasis Prevention Plan in conjunction with their herd veterinarian.
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