Which STD Test Is Best for Your Cattle?
Trichomoniasis, or “trich,” is a sexually-transmitted disease that can cause an increase in infertility among your cows due to early embryonic death. The long-term effects of a spread within your herd can result in major economic losses for your ranch. Testing is vitally important, but which test is best for your livestock?
The first year of a trich infection among your cattle may cause a small number of embryonic deaths, but it’s the second or third year that can present a financial challenge to your farming operation, explains Veterinarian Joe Gillespie of Boehringer Ingelheim, a human and animal health pharmaceutical based in Germany. “With multiple infected bulls breeding cows, you can see more than 50 percent of your cows open [infertile], which results in a huge reduction in production and profitability for a cow-calf producer.”
When a cow contracts trich from an infected bull the infection develops in her reproductive system and results in the loss of a pregnancy. The cow may come into heat three to five more times before her immune system is able to clear the disease. Until then she will expose any bull that breeds her. The disease, caused by the protozoa tritrichomonas foetus (t. foetus), doesn’t cause cows or bulls to look or act abnormally, since it’s strictly venereal. That’s why testing your cattle is so important.
There are two types of tests. One is known as a pouch culture. This test collects samples from the bull’s foreskin or the cow’s vagina and allows protozoa to grow in a special medium. Experts praise this test for its reliability, rapid results, and ease of use.
“If you find a positive result with this test,” says Gillespie, “you can have a great deal of confidence that you have a trich-infected animal.”
The other testing technique is called the PCR method, and it looks for fragments of RNA or DNA from trich protozoa to ascertain whether your cattle have been exposed to the disease. This method doesn’t identify an active trich infection, but it can determine whether or not you have a history of trich within your herd.
Experts encourage you to work with your local veterinarian to determine which test is best for your cattle, and to develop a tailored trich testing and management plan.
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