Indications of a relationship between buying-in policy and infectious diseases on dairy farms in Wales

During the period February to May 2008, bulk milk samples were collected from 57 dairy farms throughout Wales in the framework of a voluntary somatic cell count project. Bulk milk samples were tested for antibodies to bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) and Leptospira Hardjo, and samples were also tested for the presence of BVDV antigen by PCR. A questionnaire was used to determine whether the herd was open or closed, what the vaccination status was, and to obtain general farm information such as the herd size and average milk yield. Vaccination against BVD, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and leptospirosis was practised on 37, 12 and 35 per cent of the farms, respectively. The presence of bulk milk antibodies on farms that did not use vaccination was 75 per cent for BVDV, 54 per cent for BHV-2 and 76 per cent for L Hardjo. Open herds had 10 times the odds (95 per cent confidence interval [CI] 1.7 to 59.4)of having bulk milk antibodies for BVDV and 16.7 times the odds (95 per cent CI 2.0 to 49.7) of having bulk milk antibodies to BHV-1 compared with closed herds. A farm with bulk milk antibodies to one disease had significantly higher odds of having bulk milk antibodies to a second disease (P<0.05).     

Bulk milk testing for antibody seroprevalences to BVDV and BHV-1 in a rural region of Peru

Bulk milk from 60 herds of dairy cattle in a rural region in the central highlands of Peru was tested for antibodies to bovine viral-diarrhoea virus (BVDV) and bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1). None of the herds had been vaccinated against BVDV or BHV-1. Commercially available indirect ELISA-kits were used for antibody detection. True prevalences of BVDV and BHV-1 antibody-positive herds were 96 and 51%, respectively. A relatively low proportion of strongly positive herds suggests, however, a low prevalence of active BVDV infection. BVDV optical densities (ODs) in bulk milk increased with herd size--indicating a higher within-herd prevalence in the larger herds (probably, in part a consequence of a higher rate of animal movement into these herds). For BHV-1, this pattern was not found; a relatively high proportion of the herds was free from BHV-1 infection in each size category. This could indicate a low rate of reactivation of latent BHV-1 infection.     

A retrospective evaluation of a Bovine Herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) antibody ELISA on bulk-tank milk samples for classification of the BHV-1 status of Danish dairy herds

Bulk-tank milk samples analysed in a Bovine Herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) blocking ELISA are still in use in the Danish BHV-1 programme as a tool to classify dairy herds as BHV-1 infected or BHV-1 free herds. In this retrospective study, we used data from the Danish BHV-1 eradication campaign to evaluate performance characteristics of the BHV-1 blocking ELISA in 1039 BHV-1-seropositive and 502 repeatedly BHV-1-negative dairy herds using the results of blood testing of the individual animals as the true infection status. At a cut-off value of 30% blocking reaction, the herd-level relative sensitivity and relative specificity were 82 and 100%, respectively. The herd-level relative sensitivity depended on the within-herd prevalence of seropositive cows and the cut-off value in the assay, but not on the time interval (up to 90 days) between the collection of the bulk-tank milk sample and the individual serum samples. The BHV-1 blocking ELISA on bulk-tank milk could detect seropositive herds (few), with prevalence proportions as low as one seropositive cow out of 70 cows.     

Dynamics of bovine herpesvirus type 1 infection in Estonian dairy herds with and without a control programme

Bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1) is an important bovine pathogen, exacerbating poor health and the productivity of cattle. The aims of this study were to detect the efficacy of vaccination programmes in lowering the seroprevalence of BHV-1 gE within the dairy herd and to follow the dynamics of the infection in non-vaccinated herds with uninfected heifers. A two-year longitudinal study was carried out on seven herds that were vaccinated, and in five herds with uninfected heifers without applying a control programme. After the start of the vaccination programme, calves born remained free from the virus. However, in one herd, 7 per cent (95 per cent CI 2 to 18) of these animals showed antibodies to BHV-1 two years after the first vaccination. A decline in BHV-1 antibody prevalence was found in vaccinating herds. Among the five herds not under the control programme, one experienced active virus spread, although one herd experienced self-clearance of the virus. In the herds with high BHV-1 prevalence, vaccinating all cattle from three months of age twice a year with a commercial inactivated marker vaccine efficiently protected offspring from becoming infected, and lowered the prevalence of BHV-1 within the herd. A small proportion of herds may experience self-clearance of the virus.     

Implications derived from a mathematical model for eradication of pseudorabies virus

Simple mathematical models based on experimental and observational data were applied to evaluate the feasibility of eradicating pseudorabies virus (PRV) regionally by vaccination and to determine which factors can jeopardise eradication. As much as possible, the models were uncomplicated and our conclusions were based on mathematical analysis. For complicated situations, Monte-Carlo simulation was used to support the conclusions. For eradication, it is sufficient that the reproduction ratio R (the number of units infected by one infectious unit) is < 1. However, R can be determined at different scales: at one end the region with the herds as units and at the other end compartments with the pigs as units. Results from modelling within herds showed that contacts between groups within a herd is important whenever R between individuals (R_ind) is 1 in one or more groups. This is the case within finishing herds. In addition, if the R_ind is more than 1 within a herd, the size of the herd determines whether PRV can persist in the herd and determines the duration of persistence. Moreover, when reactivation of PRV in well-vaccinated sows is taken into account, R_ind in sow herds is still less than 1. In sow herds with group-housing systems, it is possible that in those groups R_ind is 1. Results from modelling between herds showed that whether or not R_herd is < 1 in a particular region is determined by two factors: (1) the transmission of infection between nucleus herds and rearing herds through transfer of animals and (2) contacts among finishing herds and among rearing herds. The transmission between herds can be reduced by reduction of the contact rate between herds, reduction of the herd size, and reduction of the transmission within herds.     

Results of epidemic simulation modeling to evaluate strategies to control an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease

OBJECTIVE: To assess estimated effectiveness of control and eradication procedures for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in a region of California. SAMPLE POPULATION: 2,238 herds and 5 sale yards in Fresno, Kings, andTulare counties of California. PROCEDURE: A spatial stochastic model was used to simulate hypothetical epidemics of FMD for specified control scenarios that included a baseline eradication strategy mandated by USDA and supplemental control strategies of slaughter or vaccination of all animals within a specified distance of infected herds, slaughter of only high-risk animals identified by use of a model simulation, and expansion of infected and surveillance zones. RESULTS: Median number of herds affected varied from 1 to 385 (17% of all herds), depending on type of index herd and delay in diagnosis of FMD. Percentage of herds infected decreased from that of the baseline eradication strategy by expanding the designated infected area from 10 to 20 km (48%), vaccinating within a 50-km radius of an infected herd (41%), slaughtering the 10 highest-risk herds for each infected herd (39%), and slaughtering all animals within 5 km of an infected herd (24%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results for the model provided a means of assessing the relative merits of potential strategies for control and eradication of FMD should it enter the US livestock population. For the study region, preemptive slaughter of highest-risk herds and vaccination of all animals within a specified distance of an infected herd consistently decreased size and duration of an epidemic, compared with the baseline eradication strategy.     

Milk quality assurance for paratuberculosis: simulation of within-herd infection dynamics and economics

A bulk milk quality assurance programme for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) in dairy herds was simulated with a stochastic simulation model (JohneSSim). The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological and economic effects of preventive management measures and various test schemes in a simulated population of closed Dutch dairy herds over a 20-year period. Herds were certified as ;low-Map bulk milk' if, with a certain probability, the concentration of Map in bulk milk did not exceed a maximum acceptable concentration of 10(3) Map organisms per litre (based on pasteurisation studies). The programme started with an initial assessment; test-negative herds entered a surveillance procedure and test-positive herds a control procedure. The simulations showed that herd examinations by ELISA for the initial assessment, surveillance and control procedures effectively ensure the quality of ;low-Map bulk milk': > 75% of simulated herds were certified and > 96% of certified herds produced bulk milk with < 10(3) Map/L if the initial herd-level prevalence was 30%. Preventive management measures only had a minor effect on bulk milk quality of certified herds. Culling based on biennial faecal culture was more effective than culling based on annual ELISA. Average total discounted costs for 20-year participation in a programme consisting of initial assessment by ELISA, surveillance by biennial ELISA and control by biennial faecal culture were 16 Euro x 10(3) per herd. In conclusion, this study shows that a bulk milk quality assurance programme for closed Dutch dairy herds is feasible and provides information on the cost-effectiveness of different programmes. The concepts of this study equally apply to other countries because mechanisms of paratuberculosis infection, disease, and testing are comparable in other dairy cattle populations.     

Simulation model estimates of test accuracy and predictive values for the Danish Salmonella surveillance program in dairy herds

The Danish government and cattle industry instituted a Salmonella surveillance program in October 2002 to help reduce Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serotype Dublin (S. Dublin) infections. All dairy herds are tested by measuring antibodies in bulk tank milk at 3-month intervals. The program is based on a well-established ELISA, but the overall test program accuracy and misclassification was not previously investigated. We developed a model to simulate repeated bulk tank milk antibody measurements for dairy herds conditional on true infection status. The distributions of bulk tank milk antibody measurements for infected and noninfected herds were determined from field study data. Herd infection was defined as having either >or=1 Salmonella culture-positive fecal sample or >or=5% within-herd prevalence based on antibody measurements in serum or milk from individual animals. No distinction was made between Dublin and other Salmonella serotypes which cross-react in the ELISA. The simulation model was used to estimate the accuracy of herd classification for true herd-level prevalence values ranging from 0.02 to 0.5. Test program sensitivity was 0.95 across the range of prevalence values evaluated. Specificity was inversely related to prevalence and ranged from 0.83 to 0.98. For a true herd-level infection prevalence of 15%, the estimate for specificity (Sp) was 0.96. Also at the 15% herd-level prevalence, approximately 99% of herds classified as negative in the program would be truly noninfected and 80% of herds classified as positive would be infected. The predictive values were consistent with the primary goal of the surveillance program which was to have confidence that herds classified negative would be free of Salmonella infection.     

BVDV and BHV-1 infections in dairy herds in northern and northeastern Thailand

Bulk milk samples from 220 dairy herds were collected at 9 public milk collection centres in the northeastern and northern Thailand, and a subset of 11 herds was selected for individual testing. The samples were tested for presence of antibodies to BVDV and BHV-1 using an indirect ELISA. The results from the bulk milk testing demonstrated a moderate level of exposure to BVDV and BHV-1 (73% and 67%, respectively). However, the low proportion of herds with high BVDV antibody-levels (13%) and the low within-herd seroprevalence of BVDV and BHV-1 in the 11 herds (24% and 5%, respectively), particularly among the young stock (15% and 0%, respectively), demonstrated a low prevalence of active BVDV infection and a low rate of reactivation of latent BHV-1. The presence of a self-clearance process was also indicated by the results from the individual testing. Moreover, a surprisingly low prevalence of BVDV and BHV-1 antibody-positive herds at one of the milk centres was found. This centre was established 5-10 years before the others. Our impression is that this reflects the self-clearance process, where consecutive replacement of imported infected animals without further spread has resulted in a nearly total elimination of the infections. Based on our experiences and on these results we are convinced that this process can continue if there is awareness of herd biosecurity. This is especially important in the context of a future intensification of the dairy production.     

BHV-1 eradication program in Bavaria: a marker-independent strategy

In Bavaria a BHV-1 eradication program was initiated in 1986 and was changed to a compulsory program in 1998. The eradication success increased progressively from < 50% in 1986 to 87% of the farms in 2002. BHV 1-free farms are controlled by bulk milk serology twice a year along with blood serology in animals that are negative but from herds where positive field virus infected animals are present. All serological tests are performed with an indirect ELISA test, all positive results are confirmed by a gB ELISA. Currently about 100.000 virus infected cattle are in Bavarian herds, approximately 80% of these animals are in heavily infected herds (> 10 infected animals). These herds comprise about 5% of all Bavarian herds. The eradication of the virus in these heavily infected herds is the most diifficult, whereas the prevention of new infections appears controllable. In this review current problems in BHV1 eradication are named and possible improvements are discussed.     

Principles for eradication of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) infections in cattle populations

Systematic eradication of BVDV without vaccination started in Scandinavia in 1993. In principle, the schemes include; (1) identification of non-infected and infected herds using different combinations of serological herd tests such as bulk milk tests and spot tests (sample of animals in a certain age), (2) monitoring/certification of non-infected herds by repeated sampling, applying one of the above-mentioned methods and (3) virus clearance in infected herds aimed at removing persistently infected (PI) animals in a cost- and time-efficient manner. In the virus clearance protocol described, an initial test is performed on all animals with subsequent follow-up of calves born as well as of dams seronegative in the initial test. It is generally recommended to perform an initial antibody test on all samples. This should be done not only to screen for seronegative animals on which virus isolation should be attempted (i.e. possible PI animals), but more in order to identify non-immune animals in reproductive age, that is, the key animals in herd-level persistence of infection. In Sweden, a common finding has been self-clearance, where the infection ceases without any other intervention than controlled introduction of new animals. Other epidemiological observations concern the course of events following virus introduction. Important risk factors for spreading BVDV are discussed, where livestock trade is perceived as the most central to control. Live vaccines, imported semen and embryos constitute special hazards, since they may act as vehicles for the introduction of new BVDV strains. The importance of making farmers aware of herd biosecurity and their own responsibility for it is stressed, and in order to maintain a favourable situation after a scheme has been concluded, effort must be put into establishing such a persisting attitude in the farming community.     

Aspects of bovine herpesvirus-1 infection in dairy and beef herds in the Republic of Ireland

Background

Infection with bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1) causes a wide range of disease manifestations, including respiratory disease and abortion, with world-wide distribution. The primary objective of the present study was to describe aspects of BHV-1 infection and control on Irish farms, including herd-level seroprevalence (based on pooled sera) and vaccine usage.

Methods

The characteristics of a diagnostic indirect BHV-1 antibody ELISA test when used on serum pools were evaluated using laboratory replicates for use in the seroprevalence study. The output from this indirect ELISA was expressed as a percentage positivity (PP) value. A proposed cut off (PCO) PP was applied in a cross-sectional study of a stratified random sample of 1,175 Irish dairy and beef cattle herds in 2009, using serum pools, to estimate herd seroprevalence. The study was observational, based primarily on the analysis of existing samples, and only aggregated results were reported. For these reasons, ethical approval was not required. Bulk milk samples from a subset of 111 dairy herds were analysed using the same ELISA. Information regarding vaccine usage was determined in a telephone survey.

Results

A PCO PP of 7.88% was determined to give 97.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity relative to the use of the ELISA on individual sera giving maximization of the prevalence independent Youden''s index, on receiver operating characteristics analysis of replicate results. The herd-level BHV-1 seroprevalence was 74.9% (95% CI - 69.9%-79.8%), with no significant difference between dairy and beef herds. 95.5% agreement in herd classification was found between bulk milk and serum pools. Only 1.8 percent of farmers used BHV-1 marker vaccine, 80% of which was live while 75% of vaccinated herds were dairy.A significant association was found between herd size (quartiles) and seroprevalence (quartiles).

Conclusions

The results from this study indicate BHV-1 infection is endemic, although BHV-1 vaccines are rarely used, in the cattle population in Ireland.     

Evaluation of herd sampling for Salmonella isolation on midwest and northeast US dairy farms

Epidemiologic investigations of Salmonella infections in dairy cattle often rely on testing fecal samples from individual animals or samples from other farm sources to determine herd infection status. The objectives of this project were to evaluate the effect of sampling frequency on Salmonella isolation and to compare Salmonella isolation and serogroup classification among sample sources on 12 US dairy farms sampled weekly for 7-8 weeks. Three herds per state were enrolled from Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin based upon predefined herd-size criteria. Weekly samples were obtained from cattle, bulk tank milk, milk filters, water and feed sources and environmental sites. Samples were submitted to a central laboratory for isolation of Salmonella using standard laboratory procedures. The herd average number of cattle fecal samples collected ranged from 26 to 58 per week. Salmonella was isolated from 9.3% of 4049 fecal samples collected from cattle and 12.9% of 811 samples from other sources. Serogroup C1 was found in more than half of the samples and multiple serogroups were identified among isolates from the same samples and farms. The percentage of herd visits with at least one Salmonella isolate from cattle fecal samples increased with overall herd prevalence of fecal shedding. Only the three herds with an average fecal shedding prevalence of more than 15% had over 85% of weekly visits with at least one positive fecal sample. The prevalence of fecal shedding from different groups of cattle varied widely among herds showing that herds with infected cattle may be classified incorrectly if only one age group is tested. Testing environmental sample sources was more efficient for identifying infected premises than using individual cattle fecal samples.     

Culture of bulk tank milk as a mastitis screening test: A brief review

The culture of a sample of bulk tank milk may be a useful technique by which to screen herds for major mastitis pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae, if identified on a culture of a sample of bulk milk, reliably indicate infection of the udder. Environmental bacteria, such as the other streptococci and coliforms, are unlikely to be indicative of the proportion of cows infected with these organisms.Samples of bulk milk are readily obtainable and can be rapidly and inexpensively cultured to screen large numbers of herds for mastitis-causing bacteria, yet the performance of the test has only recently been formally assessed for its ability to correctly classify herds according to infection status.A single culture of bulk tank milk has been found to be a test with low sensitivity and high specificity for determining the presence of S. agalactiae or S. aureus in the herd. This means that many infected herds will be called negative, but few uninfected herds will be classified as positive.The literature assessing the performance of bulk tank milk culture in comparison with other mastitis screening tests, the use of bulk milk culture for prevalence surveys, and factors affecting these results is discussed.     

Test strategies in bovine viral diarrhea virus control and eradication campaigns in Europe.

Several European countries have initiated national and regional control-and-eradication campaigns for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). Most of these campaigns do not involve the use of vaccines; in Germany, vaccination is used only in states in which it is considered necessary because of high BVDV prevalence. In European countries without organized BVDV control programs, vaccination is commonly used to control BVDV. Diagnostic test strategies are fundamental to all control-and-eradication campaigns; therefore, the purpose of this review is to describe how the available diagnostic tests are combined into test strategies in the various phases of control-and-eradication campaigns in Europe. Laboratory techniques are available for BVDV diagnosis at the individual animal level and at the herd level. These are strategically used to achieve 3 main objectives: 1) initial tests to classify herd status, 2) follow-up tests to identify individual BVDV-infected animals in infected herds, and 3) continued monitoring to confirm BVDV-free status. For each objective or phase, the validity of the diagnostic tests depends on the mode of BVDV introduction and duration of infection in test-positive herds, and on how long noninfected herds have been clear of BVDV. Therefore, the various herd-level diagnostic tools--such as antibody detection in bulk milk or in blood samples from young stock animals, or BVDV detection in bulk milk--need to be combined appropriately to obtain effective strategies at low cost. If the individual diagnostic tests are used with due consideration of the objectives of a specific phase of a BVDV control program, they are effective tools for controlling and eradicating BVDV in regions not using vaccination and where vaccination is a part of the control or eradication program.     

Theoretical basis and empirical implications of the bovine brucellosis market slaughter testing program in the United States

With reductions in federal funding, the Market Slaughter Testing (MST) surveillance system might once again become the primary bovine brucellosis surveillance system for the beef-cow population in the United States. Thus, understanding the weaknesses and/or strengths of the MST surveillance system will be crucial in determining the most effective program in a limited funding control/eradication program.An estimation of a hypergeometric distribution used in previous studies to describe the effectiveness of the MST system is employed and parameters of this distribution are estimated from secondary data. Results analyzed by herd size, and within-herd infection level yield a distinct herd size bias in the MST surveillance system. For example, the probability of detection in a 9-cow herd is 24% compared to 85.4% for a 645 cow herd after 1 year of infection. This herd size bias implies that secondary testing may be efficiently u used by concentrating testing in the smaller herds when funds for secondary testing are limited.MST detection probabilities can vary 30% between the build-up and liquidation phases of the cattle cycle, i.e., secular upswings and downswings in cattle inventory numbers. First Point of Concentration testing (FPC) of purchased replacements can partially offset the effects of the cattle cycle. A 95% herd vaccination level can reduce the probability of detection as much as 40% when compared to a similar herd that is not vaccinated.     

Analysis of bulk milk samples using polymerase chain reaction: an additional tool for bovine viral diarrhea monitoring

Programmes for the eradication and control of infections with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) concentrate on the identification and elimination of persistently infected (PI) animals. The identification of these animals is mainly based on the detection of viral antigen using ELISA techniques. Protocols detecting viral nucleic acid using RT-PCR have been described recently. Due to high costs the German model recommends screening of animals of 9 up to 36 months of age. Screening of bulk milk samples using RT-PCR technology would allow a system independent of age. The aim of the present study was to test whether bulk milk samples (1433 including max. 50 animals each) collected in four counties of Lower Saxony are suitable for a complementary identification of PI animals via RT-PCR. Thirty-one bulk milk samples derived from 27 dairy herds were BVDV positive, corresponding to 2.3 % of the herds analysed in this study. Two samples first scored doubtful. Follow up tests revealed lactating PI animals in most cases (18). In other cases the epidemiological status of the herd, i.e. high sero-prevalence and/or presence of PI animals among non-lactating cattle, suggested a transient infection detected in the first bulk milk sample. These results demonstrate that monitoring of lactating cattle of any age using RT-PCR is a very sensitive, economically effective additional method for the identification of PI animals.     

Experiences in the control of brucellosis in cattle herds in the government district of Hannover

Caused by imported beef cattle new outbreaks of Brucellosis (subtype III) were observed in the government district of Hannover, which was "Brucellosis free" over a long period. With the aim to interrupt the series of infections from herd to herd it seemed to be necessary to introduce a herd screening system including frequent tests. It was not possible to screen the herds by the usual way of blood serum testing because of reasons of practicability and economy. A practicable alternative was the ELISA supported tank investigation. Four of the last six outbreaks were detected by this milk sampling. The other two infected herds were detected by only clinical symptoms because the lactating cows were not infected and had no contacts to the infected separately held heifers. The required test frequency in the dairy cattle herds could only be realized applying an ELISA supported highly sensitive tank milk test method. This method offered the chance of discovering infected herds as soon as possible and prevented greater economical losses and animal health risks. The tank milk screening of the dairy cattle herds to detect antibodies against Brucellosis (and additional EBL and IBR) has now become a standard method to continue the official status "free from..." This is a safer and a more economic alternative to the previous blood sampling of cattle older than two years with a three years interval because this method guarantees a safe information about the serological status of each cow which is now tested at least once a year, depending on the time of dry standing status.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Monitoring of dairy herds for Brucella abortus infection when prevalence is low

A total of 2,698 dairy herds were surveyed in 1981–1982 in New South Wales and north eastern Victoria in a review of the methods used to monitor them for the presence of Brucella abortus., The methods used to monitor dairy herds were testing of all breeding cows over 1 year of age using the rose bengal test (RBT) and complement fixation test (CFT), the bulk milk ring test (BMRT), and testing of blood samples collected at abattoirs using the RBT and CFT. The surveyed herds had at least one whole herd test, and BMRT was done at regular intervals in the period of the survey. Of the 99 (3.7%) herds that reacted to the BMRT, 91 (3.4%) herds had false positive reactions and 8 (0.3%) herds were declared infected on follow-up herd testing. False-positive reactions were obtained in 22 herds on more than one occasion. Common causes of false positive reactions to the BMRT were thought to be previous vaccination with Strain 19 and sampling in very early or late lactation. Of the 98 (3.63%) herds that reacted to the whole herd serological tests, 80 (2.96%) herds had false-positive reactions and 18 (0.67%) herds were declared infected. Strain 19 vaccination was thought to be an important cause of false-positive reactions. Fifty-three (2.0%) herds showed suspicious reactions on abattoir monitoring but none was declared infected on follow-up testing. Of the 18 herds with infected or equivocal status, the BMRT identified 8. In a further 6 herds, the infected cattle were not in the milking herd. Four other herds had milkers with high CFT titres which could not be confirmed as infected on culture. In no herds were culture positive RBT or CFT reactors from the milking herd detected without the BMRT being positive. The proportion of false-positive reactions to the BMRT was high but the BMRT proved very useful in identifying dairy herds infected with B. abortus, when the prevalence of brucellosis was very low. Aust Vet J, 64 : 97–100     

Bovine virus diarrhoea virus: detection of Danish dairy herds with persistently infected animals by means of a screening test of ten young stock

In each of 42 Danish dairy herds, ten young stock aged 8–18 months were tested for antibodies against bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV). At the same time a bulk milk sample from each herd was examined for antibodies against BVDV.

The herds could be divided into two distinct groups: (1) Group A (24 herds) had three or less antibody carriers among the ten young stock sampled from each herd and were considered ‘slightly infected’; (2) Group B (18 herds) had eight or more antibody carriers in the ‘spot’ sample and were therefore considered ‘heavily infected’. Persistently infected animals were not found in two Group A herds studied by a subsequent total herd blood test but were detected in five Group B herds in which all animals in the herds were subsequently tested.

Bulk milk titers were generally higher in Group B than in Group A herds. However, there was considerable variation, and in most cases it was not possible to distinguish the two herd categories from one another by means of bulk milk titers.