Cattle-breeding disease prompts rules

Trichomoniasis, a venereal disease in cattle that causes infertility and embryonic deaths, is spreading across the country, despite testing regulations in 25 states including Arkansas.

The U.S. Animal Health Association is seeking ways to standardize testing and prevent the further spreading or introduction of the disease into cattle herds, said Executive Director Ben Richey. On April 3, the association will co-host a symposium with the National Institute for Animal Agriculture in Omaha, Neb., to discuss the standardizing process.

“At our meeting, we are looking to get a proceeding that can apply to multiple states,” Richey said. “That way if a breeder is having bull-sale buyers coming from different states, we will have a simple process and standards to abide by to satisfy import requirements by other states.”

The sexually transmitted disease causes significant cattle loss in cow-calf operations and is difficult to remove from a herd once it is introduced. Trichomoniasis only affects cattle and does not infect meat, as it is not zoonotic - it can’t be transmitted to people.

Many states have testing regulations regarding the transport and slaughter of bulls with known cases of trichomoniasis, including Arkansas, Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and Tennessee.

Arkansas had its first bout with trichomoniasis in2011 after it was diagnosed in Madison County. It spread to 20 herds before the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission instituted a set of guidelines, called the Arkansas Regulation For Trichomoniasis Testing and Movement Requirements For Cattle, in hopes of halting the spread of the disease. The regulations went into effect in June 2011.

“Now, there are two or three areas where trichomoniasis is more prevalent - Northwest Arkansas and southwest Arkansas are the problem areas,” said Pat Badley, the state veterinarian.

Southwest Arkansas has the most cases because the disease has made its way into purebred herds, Badley said.

To control it, any bull that tests positive for trichomoniasis must be sent for slaughter. The rules do not allow bulls that test positive into the state,and all bulls imported over state lines must be accompanied by proof of a negative test. The exception is bulls that have never been used for breeding, rodeo bulls or bulls raised solely for slaughter.

There is testing available only for bulls, as they are the common carrier, but both bulls and cows can transmit the disease. Cows that originate from positive herds can’t enter the state unless they are at least 120 days pregnant, according to the regulations.

“If you buy a cow that has mated with a positive bull, it takes four months for trich to clear from the sexual organs,” Badley said. Once pregnant for four months, a cow is unlikely to have the disease, he said.

Because the disease is protozoan (found in the reproductive tracts of a cow or bull), it is difficult to diagnose without testing, as there are no outward symptoms.

In Arkansas, the disease has been on a steady decline, with fewer cases each year,despite an upward trend through much of the U.S.

So far this year, only eight bulls in the state have tested positive for trichomoniasis, but officials warned that it was still too early to tell how many could be infected.

In 2013, 70 bulls tested positive compared with 83 in 2012 and 97 in 2011.

“I think we’ve got pretty good control on it right now,” said Preston Scroggin, director of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission.

Scroggin said swift action by the commission is the reason for the downward trend.

“Arkansas jumped on it before it became a national issue,” he said.

Though stiff regulations across the U.S. are being implement to control the disease, it will not be eradicated until there are better testing procedures, Badley said.

Business, Pages 27 on 03/20/2014

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