GD Animal Health
Cattle Health Surveillance
Surveillance - Highlights
First quarter 2013
Dutch Cattle Health Situation
Monitoring First Quarter 2013
DISEASE
DUTCH SITUATION
Foot and Mouth disease
Tuberculosis
Officially free since 2001, last regional outbreaks in 1986 and 2001.
Officially free since 1999.
The import of cattle from Belgium farms that now appear to be TBC infected has led to
the discovery of a third infected cow in the Netherlands.
Officially free since 1999.
No infection detected by monitoring
blood samples from aborters.
Not detected since 1994.
No cases detected.
Last case in 2012 (imported dog).
Officially free since 2004.
No infections detected by monitoring
Officially free since 1999.
using bulk-milk testing or slaughterhouse
blood-samples.
88 cases of BSE since 1997.
No BSE cases detected.
Since 2010 no new cases detected.
Brucellosis
Anthrax
Rabies
Aujeszky's
Leucosis
BSE
Bluetongue
Leptospirosis
Listeria
Q-fever
Salmonellosis
Breeding infections
Officially free since 2012 (all serotypes).
99% of the dairy farms have L. hardjo-free
status. Just 2% of the non-dairy farms had
animals with antibodies*.
Source mostly poorly preserved
grass silage.
65% of dairy farms tested positive for
antibodies*. 11% of the non-dairy farms
had animals with antibodies*.
14% of the non-dairy farms had animals
with antibodies.
Not detected for the last 10 years.
One confirmed infection in dairy herd.
Two infections detected in aborted
fetuses and three infections in cattle
with encephalitis.
No infections detected in aborted fetuses.
All dairy farms know their status via Q-lip
bulk-milk test – 9.4% antibodies detected.
No infections detected for Campylobacter
fetus ssp. venerealis and Tritrichomonas
foetus.
New infections detected in 0.1% of the
IBR-free farms and 0.2% of the IBR bulk
milk unsuspected farms. 68 UBNs with
clinical suspicion sent in nasal swabs,
18% tested positive for the IBR field strain.
IBR
47% of dairy farms IBR-free or bulk milk
unsuspected. 21% of dairy farms tested
positive for IBR antibodies*.
17% of the non-dairy farms had animals
with IBR antibodies*.
Paratuberculosis
97% of dairy farms have a PPN (Paratuberculosis Programme Netherlands) status,
75% of which have status A (unsuspected).
2% of dairy farms participate in the Para-intensive programme.
Status of non-dairy farms is unknown.
Three infections detected at necropsy.
Infections with Ovine herpesvirus
type 2 occur incidentally.
No infections diagnosed.
Ticks in the Netherlands are infected
with babesia divergens, Anaplasma
phagocytofilium and Mycoplasma wenyonii.
31% of dairy farms have a BVD-virus free status or are bulk milk unsuspected.
13% of dairy farms have had recent BVD-virus circulation*.
21% of non-dairy farms have had recent BVD-virus circulation*.
Important cause of abortions in
Antibodies detected in 20% of the blood
The Netherlands. 23% of dairy farms
samples of aborters.
participate in bulk-milk program.
MCF
Tick diseases
BVD
Neospora
Liver fluke
Infection present, severity dependent on
water levels and rainfall.
short news
• BVD: 23% of dairy farms have BVDvirus free status and 8% participate
in the bulk milk unsuspected for BVD
antibodies programme. These percentages are stable compared to previous
quarters.
• Disease prevention: 9.1% of dairy
farms have a relationship with a young
stock farm, to prevent the introduction of diseases.
• Bovine TBC: In the Netherlands
monitoring of bovine TBC is by visual
inspection in the slaughterhouse.
These checks identified two bovineTBC infected Belgian cows in 2012.
By tracing cattle imported from the
infected Belgian farms detected by
these findings, an infected cow was
diagnosed at a third-suckler cow farm
in the Netherlands.
• Salmonella: 91% of dairy farms are
bulk-milk unsuspected for antibodies.
86% of the non-dairy farms had no
animals with antibodies. After a rise
in the last six months of 2012, there
were fewer outbreaks on veal farms
this quarter.
• Schmallenberg virus: Still a few calves
reported with congenital lesions. At
one farm two calves with congenital
lesions were born on the same day.
SBV was detected in one calf.
2012 was a liver-fluke year – infection
detected in samples from 212 farms.
*Final Report Specific Surveillance 2011-2012; prevalence studies
Information that is used for surveillance is collected in different ways. The initiative comes in part from veterinarians, farmers and GD
Animal Health. The information is integral interpreted to achieve the objectives of the surveillance programme – the rapid identification of health problems on the one hand and the following of more general trends and developments on the other. The Product boards
(PVV, PZ) and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs financially support the surveillance programme.
Cattle Surveillance Newsletter
Results of pilot
study on nasalswab submissions
for IBR pcr
Cattle demographics in the first quarter of 2013 (Source: GD-BRBS and I&R)
•17,288 dairy farms with cattle (-110 farms versus 2012), in total
2,671,266 cattle (herds increasing in size, on average 91 diary cows)
•21,131 non-dairy farms with cattle (-14 farms versus 2012),
in total 1,645,063 cattle (herds increasing in size)
number of cattle
3.000.000
2.750.000
2.500.000
2.250.000
2.000.000
1.750.000
1.500.000
1.250.000
2012-04
2012-03
2012-02
2012-01
2011-04
2011-03
2011-02
2011-01
2010-04
2010-03
2010-02
2010-01
2009-04
2009-03
2009-02
2009-01
1.000.000
quarter
total number of cattle on dairy farms
total number of cattle > 2 years on dairy farms
total number of cattle on non-dairy farms
BVD type 2 at veal farms
In March severe clinical problems arose at a veal farm in the province of Gelderland as
a result of a BVD infection. In just a couple of weeks, more than 40% of the animals
died. Symptoms included very high fever (>40.5°C), bloody diarrhea, skin bleedings and
deaths within a couple of days. In addition to detecting pneumonia and gastroenteritis,
necropsy also revealed hemorrhages in organs. Subsequent typing of the virus by the
German reference laboratory FLI indicated BVD type 2. A virus variant that is very similar to a BVD infection diagnosed at several farms in North Rhine Westphalia (Germany,
just over the Dutch border).
BVD was also diagnosed at three other veal farms. Owing to the clinical symptoms and
high mortality among the calves, these cases are likely due to the type 2 variant. Typing
tests are being performed.
All four farms had imported calves from Germany. The parties that were involved have
been informed (via the monitoring steering committee). Veterinarians, cattle farmers
and farm visitors have been informed by GD on the necessary hygiene and management
measures. There is no evidence of spread to surrounding cattle farms.
Between 1 November 2012 and 1 April 2013,
more nasal swabs were submitted for testing
than expected. Despite the higher number of
submissions, the number of swabs in which
IBR virus was detected was comparable with
other quarters. The percentage of detected
IBR infections was thus lower than expected. The rise in submissions is therefore not
caused by an increase in the number of IBR
outbreaks. The results of laboratory tests on
other diseases and a survey carried out among
veterinarians suggest the situation is unchanged relative to before 1 November 2012.
Specifically the various symptoms seen on the
farms makes it unlikely that one disease could
be the cause of the increase.
Results of a pilot study into
‘new reports of production
loss and diarrhea’
Mycoplasma bovis
arthritis in dairy
cattle In response to the Schmallenberg virus (SBV) infection in the Netherlands, GD Veekijker
frequently received questions in 2012 on various symptoms and whether these are associated with SBV infection. There were also regular reports of diarrhea and production loss in dairy cows, with or without fever. A pilot study was performed to
clarify whether SBV infections were still involved, or other problems were causing the
symptoms. Blood samples from 21 dairy farms were submitted for virological testing
for Schmallenberg virus. Based on these tests it can be concluded that the symptoms
of diarrhea, production loss and sometimes fever in cattle in 2012 were, in most cases,
attributable to other (infectious) causes (including BVD, coccidiosis or feed problems).
Five dairy farms suddenly experienced severely lame cows (5–20%) due to arthritis,
mostly in the fetlock joint of one front leg.
The joint was clearly swollen, warm and
painful. M. bovis was cultured from a number
of inflamed joints. Blood tests from five
animals with symptoms after three weeks
showed a clear increase in mycoplasma
antibodies. The inflammation was detected
in both heifers and higher parities and was
independent of lactation stage. In early
2012, a severe M. bovis arthritis outbreak
was reported at a large dairy farm (500
cows) where more than 20 cows had to be
culled in one month for welfare reasons and
lac of respons to antibiotics. These clinical
symptoms had not previously been reported
to GD Veekijker.
GD, P.O. Box 9, 7400 AA Deventer, The Netherlands, T. +31 (0)570-63 33 91, F. +31 (0)570-63 41 04
www.gdanimalhealth.com, [email protected]