Health Status of Bulls Used For Natural Breeding on Farms in South West Scotland

Abstract

Summary One hundred and nine breeding bulls were examined during the period November 1992 to June 1993 on farms in south west Scotland for evidence of infectious diseases associated with breeding. Preputial washings were collected to screen for Campylobacter fetus venerialis, together with serial blood samples to assess their seroprevalence to Bovine Virus Diarrhoca virus (BVDv), Bovine Herpes Virus‐1 (BHV‐1), Leptospira hardjo and Bovine Herpes Virus‐4 (BHV‐4). The possible impact of natural mating on the epidemiology of these diseases is described. Evidence of infections with Campylobacter fetus and BVH‐4 were not found in this sample. The overall seroprevalence to BVDv was 78%, for BHV‐1 49%, and L. bardjo 27% at titres of ≥ 1/400. This study shows that bulls may be responsible for the introduction and dissemination of these diseases when moved from farm to farm as part of normal cattle breeding in this area. Young unproven bulls may be particularly susceptible to endemic diseases associated with lowered reproductive performance.

Virological and serological evidence of bovine herpesvirus type 4 in cattle in Northern Ireland

“…BHV-4 can cause orchitis and azoospermia in bulls, and it can be re-isolated from the epididymis after treatment with dexamethasone (Dubuisson and others 1989); although the virus was not isolated from semen, it is possible that BHV-4 may be transmitted in this way. In a study by McGowan and Murray (1999), no BHV-4 antibodies were detected in 109 breeding bulls in southwest Scotland; however, the results of the present study, together with the finding of a large number of seroreactors in stud bulls in Germany (Truman and others 1986), suggest that further investigations of the seroprevalence of BHV-4 in the UK are required.…”

“…Fitton and others (1990) reported eight seropositive cows and one seropositive fetus in a UK herd with reproductive problems, but no virus was isolated. A serological survey of 109 Scottish bulls found that they were all seronegative (McGowan and Murray 1999). On the basis of reports from the USA of BHV-4 as a cause of bovine endometritis others 2001, 2002), samples from a dairy herd in Northern Ireland experiencing a high incidence of postpartum metritis were investigated for the possible involvement of the virus.…”

Epidemiology of Bovine Venereal Campylobacteriosis: Geographic Distribution and Recent Advances in Molecular Diagnostic Techniques

“…However, the advent of AI seems to have reduced the incidence of BVC in the UK over the last few decades. In one study, McGowan and Murray (1999) found no evidence of campylobacteriosis in over 100 bulls examined on farms in south‐west Scotland. A few reports have indicated that sporadic outbreaks of bovine abortions associated with C. fetus infection in the UK (Devenish et al.…”

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV1) infection in non-vaccinated cattle herds in Andalusia (South of Spain)

“…Finally, most researchers agree with the result than bigger herd size is an important risk factor for infection with BHV1 (Mazzucchelli, 1995;McGowan and Murray, 1998;Nardelli et al, 1999;Solis-Calderon et al, 2003;Boelaert et al, 2005).…”