In practice

Assessment of two essential elements of BVDV control on selected Flemish dairy and beef farms

Authors
  • J. Laureyns
  • R. Booth
  • S. Sarrazin
  • P. Deprez
  • D. Pfeiffer
  • J. Dewulf
  • S. De Vliegher

Abstract

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is one of the most important viruses to cause disease in cattle worldwide. The virus is endemically present in Belgium. Clinical diagnosis of BVDV infection is difficult. Therefore, monitoring through testing is necessary to detect the presence of the virus on farms. As vaccination alone does not suffice for eradication, a combination of measures is required for successful control. Via a questionnaire, the BVDV policy on 241 selected Flemish cattle farms was investigated. This revealed some striking results. For the majority of the herds, the BVDV status was unknown (63%), and only 23% had a monitoring program in place. Furthermore, on seven out of ten (71%) BVDV-vaccinating farms, vaccination against BVDV was implemented as a strategy without knowing the actual BVDV status.

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Published on
28 Dec 2013
Peer Reviewed