CALGARY – A diligent clean-up campaign to eliminate bovine trichomoniasis is allowing earlier detection of the venereal disease, but that doesn’t mean it has disappeared from Western Canada.
The first two cases of bovine trichomoniasis were reported in British Columbia last fall and cattle producers are advised to continue testing for the sexually transmitted disease in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Testing is paying off as the number of reported cases appears to be down.
“With the amount of testing that’s being done out there, if it’s around, the patrons (of public pastures) probably know about it,” said Hugh Cook, pasture manager for the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration.
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Tests on bulls entering pastures run by PFRA showed three bulls were infected this spring. All were from Saskatchewan, at Newcomb, near Rosetown; Caledonia, in the Weyburn area, and Hazel Dell, near Foam Lake, said Cook.
Shelagh Copeland of the provincial veterinary laboratory in Regina said more private practitioners are testing breeding bulls so there are no complete statistics available to show how widespread the disease is for this season.
Trichomoniasis is caused by a parasite that can live in the reproductive tract of bulls and cows. Bulls carry the parasite on the penis and its sheath. Older bulls can become permanent carriers.
Cows still fertile
Cows can abort their calves or develop uterine infections. Once the disease has cleared their systems they can become pregnant again.
A list of recommendations from the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association are as follows:
- Early pregnancy checks on cows by a veterinarian are recommended. If an unacceptable ratio of cows fails to get pregnant, bulls should be tested.
- All bulls with confirmed positive tests should be culled to prevent further spread of the disease.
- Infertile or females that failed to get pregnant could be culled from the herd.
- Breeding groups should be separated according to risk status.
No-risk groups are virgin animals.
Low-risk groups include non-virgin bulls with no prior exposure to an infected herd, cows with nursing calves and no history of exposure and virgin yearling bulls housed with mature high-risk bulls.
High-risk animals are non-virgin bulls two years or older with a history or exposure to an infected herd. Cows that failed to get pregnant and cows without nursing calves and with a history of exposure to an infected herd are also at high risk.
