Perspectives on Current Challenges and Opportunities for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus Eradication in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract

This review outlines the history of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) and the current situation in Australia and New Zealand. BVDV has been reported as present in cattle from both countries for close to 60 years. It rates as the second most economically significant disease afflicting cattle, and is highly prevalent and spread throughout the beef and dairy industries. While other cattle diseases have been the subject of government control and eradication, infection with BVDV is presently not. Eradication has been undertaken in many other countries and been judged to be a good investment, resulting in positive economic returns. Presently, Australia and New Zealand have adopted a non-compulsory approach to control schemes, initiated and managed by farmers and veterinarians without the ultimate goal of eradication. Moving towards eradication is possible with the infrastructure both countries possess, but will require additional resources, coordination, and funding from stakeholders to move to full eradication.

Knowledge, attitudes and management of bovine viral diarrhoea virus among eastern Australian cattle producers: results from a 2013 cross‐sectional study

“…18,20 Producers with a higher level of knowledge are better equipped to make advantageous management decisions concerning BVDV control; improved understanding of the benefits of control also increases motivation to instigate practices. 7,18,20 Studies by Ritter et al, 13 have highlighted that producer awareness of the disease is often not sufficient in creating positive on-farm changes. For meaningful action to occur in the absence of legislation, producers must acknowledge problems, recognise their significance and then feel responsibility for instigating change.…”

“…6 Therefore, PI animals are a production loss in themselves, but costs of control such as vaccination and PI management also contribute. 7,8 Despite this, economic impacts are often poorly recognised by producers at the farm level. Losses associated with outbreaks in seronegative herds can be very large, while losses in endemic areas tend to be smaller but more consistent.…”

“…Losses associated with outbreaks in seronegative herds can be very large, while losses in endemic areas tend to be smaller but more consistent. 7 The estimated prevalence varies between regions in Australia but is collectively high, particularly at the herd-level. 9,10 An investigation conducted in 1994-1995 using a sample of 250 Queensland cattle herds reported an overall seroprevalence of 45% at the individual animal level using virus neutralisation, with 89% of herds having at least one seropositive animal.…”

“…12 With limited societal and stakeholder pressure, the responsibility for BVDV control falls on producers. 7,8 Producer decision making is driven in part by their knowledge of disease epidemiology, their perception of the impact of the disease and their attitudes towards disease risk. 13 Management of the disease could be improved by establishing a better understanding of BVDV control strategies used by Australian producers and potential limitations due to producer understanding and motivations.…”

Simultaneous Detection of Bovine Rotavirus, Bovine Parvovirus, and Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Using a Gold Nanoparticle-Assisted PCR Assay With a Dual-Priming Oligonucleotide System

“…Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a globally welldistributed pathogen that infects cows leading to great economic losses (Yarnall and Thrusfield, 2017;Reichel et al, 2018). BVDV belongs to the Pestivirus genus under family Flaviviridae (Charoenlarp et al, 2018;Quintero Barbosa et al, 2019).…”