Neospora caninum is a major cause of abortions in cattle. First recognized in 1988, and linked to dogs in
1998, this parasite causes an infection called neosporosis. Studies have shown that at least half the dairy
and beef herds in the United States have one or more animals that have been exposed. In an infected
herd, up to 30 percent of the animals may test positive, and some cows may abort several times. With
good herd management, though, you can reduce this drain on your profits.
File: CL-Res-14-Recognizing-and-Preventing-Neosporosis-Infections.pdf
Valuable diagnostic information can be gained from a quantitative interpretation of the Johne's ELISA. In general, the ELISA value is a measure of the concentration of serum antibodies to Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Generally, serum antibody levels increase as the infection progresses. Animals with higher ELISA values are more likely to be shedding the bacterium in milk and colostrum and be heavy fecal shedders than lower scored animals. High ELISA scored animals are also at increased risk of developing clinical Johne's disease.
Currently, there are three, USDA-certified kits available in the U.S. for the diagnostic detection of MAP-specific antibodies. The VMRD Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, Zoetis Paratuberculosis SERELISA kit and the IDEXX Laboratories, Inc MAP Antibody ELISA. The WVDL is currently providing and is proficiency tested using the VMRD kits for the detection of MAP specific antibodies. WVDL does not currently use the Zoetis Paratuberculosis SERELISA kit or the IDEXX Laboratories, Inc MAP Antibody ELISA kits. It is important to remember that each kit manufacturer develops proprietary reagents such as antigen and conjugates (antibodies) that may not be the same. It is possible that one serum/plasma sample could test positive with one kit, but be negative with the other. This is because the antibody in the serum/plasma may only bind the one antigen or antigenic site from one kit manufacturer, but not the other kit manufacturer’s antigen. The only way to confirm if the animal is infected with MAP is to send a fecal sample for direct PCR or liquid culture.
File: CL-Res-13-WVDL-Johnes-Disease-Interpretation-Chart.pdf
Outbreaks of infectious disease have shown that it pays to be conscientious about preventing and controlling infectious
disease on livestock operations. This concept is known as biosecurity. Biosecurity refers to management practices that
reduce the chances infectious diseases will be carried onto the farm by animals or people. Biosecurity also reduces the
spread of infectious disease on farms.
File: CL-Res-12-WVDL-Biosecurity-for-Dairy-Farms-1.pdf
Deep nasopharyngeal swabs have been validated as a viable alternative to trans-tracheal wash or bronchial-alveolar lavage in cases of bovine respiratory disease and are superior to nasal swabs especially for Mycoplasma bovis.1,2 The technique is simple and safe to perform and is very reliable.
File: CL-Res-11-Use-of-Deep-Nasopharyngeal-Swabs.pdf
WVDL primarily uses the broth microdilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing, although
the Kirby Bauer, disk diffusion, method is still employed when needed.
File: CL-Res-9-Antimicrobial-Susceptibility-Testing-1.pdf
High bacterial numbers in milk, calf milk replacer (CMR) or colostrum can adversely affect the health and well being of dairy calves
File: CL-Res-8-Colostrum-and-Waste-Milk-Interpretation-Guidelines.pdf
Bacterial Culture of Colostrum, Calf Milk Replacer (CMR) and Waste Milk
Sampling Instructions
File: CL-Res-7-Bacterial-Culture-of-Colostrum-and-Waste-Milk-Sampling-and-Transport-Instructions.pdf
The best samples are collected within 4-8 hours of death, but it’s difficult to predict which cases will
be diagnostic. Please collect both fresh and formalin-fixed tissues from any organ that has gross
lesions.
File: CL-Res-35-Necropsy-Bottle-Necropsy-Sampling-Guidelines.pdf