Bovine Trichomoniasis Trich or Treat

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Bovine Trichomoniasis Trich or Treat

• Floron C. Faries, Jr., DVM, MS
• Professor and Extension Program Leader for
  Veterinary Medicine
• Texas AgriLife Extension Service
• Texas AM System

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Trich

• Cattle disease
• Venereal disease
• Long-standing endemic disease
• Increased rate of diagnosis
• Increased infected herds or
• Heightened test awareness

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Economic Losses

• Infected beef herd
• Smaller calf crops
• Less uniform calf crops
• Increased culling costs
• Increased replacement costs
• Increased veterinary costs
• Decreased herd income
• 20-40 drop
• 140 loss per cow
• National beef industry
• 650M loss per year

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Cause

• A protozoon
• A single-celled, motile parasite
• Sperm-head size
• Pear-shaped
• Three head hairs (flagellum, trich)
• One side undulating hair (membrane)
• One tail hair
• A trichomonad
• Tritrichomonas foetus
• No resistant stage in environment

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Transmission

• Venereal bull to cow cow to bull
• Infected bulls breed clean cows/heifers
• Clean bulls breed infected cows (recent aborters)
• Not cow to cow
• Not bull to bull
• Not from environment

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Bull Trichomoniasis

• Infection no disease or symptoms
• Smegma in crypts (microscopic folds)
• Penis
• Internal sheath
• Crypts deepen with age increases rate of
  infection
• Infected for life
• Persistent infection (PI)
• Sheath pus discharge (uncommon)
• Trich (no Treat)

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Bulls Age
Older gt5 yrs.
4 to 5 yrs.
Young lt 4 yrs.
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From Older Bull
Crypt
From Younger Bull
Crypts
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Cow/Heifer TrichomonosisEmbryonic Absorption

• Disease
• Colonies causes mild inflammation (lt18 days)
• Vagina
• Uterus
• Oviduct
• Embryo death absorption
• Symptoms
• Recycles (repeat breeders) (infertility)
• Trich (no Treat)

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Cow/Heifer TrichomonosisFetal Abortion

• Disease
• Colonies causes severe inflammation (gt60 days)
• Uterus
• Fetus death expelled
• Infected fetus/placenta
• Symptoms
• Recycles (repeat breeders) (infertility)
• Early abortion
• Uterine pus discharge (uncommon) (PIs)
• Trich (no Treat)

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Herd History

• Abortions (2-3 mos pregnancy)
• Recycles (repeat breeders)
• Late calvers
• Infected for 2-4 mos cleared
• Immune response (short-lived)
• Delayed conception
• Strung-out calving
• Open cows
• Overworked, tired bulls
• Trich (no Treat)

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Diagnosis

• Test bulls
• gt10 days after service
• Sheath wash culture test (3 samples)
• Staggered at 7-14 day intervals
• Sheath wash gene test (2 samples)
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
• Test aborted cows/heifers
• lt30 days after abortion
• Cervical wash culture test
• Test aborted fetus/placenta
• Stomach/placenta wash culture test

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Treatment

• No approved drugs
• Trich (no Treat)

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Control Biocontainment

• Consultation (producer-private veterinarian-diagno
  stic laboratory)
• Testing
• Culling
• Vaccinating
• Killed Vaccine (TrichGuard, TrichGuard V5-L
• Does not prevent infection
• Helps reduce severity of disease
• Helps cows/heifers clear infection
• Does not help bulls clear infection
• Trich (no Treat)

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Prevention Biosecurity

• Consultation (producer-private veterinarian)
• Replacements
• Virgin heifers
• Virgin bulls
• Pre-entry test bulls
• Annual test pre-breeding herd bulls
• Artificial insemination (AI)
• Good fences
• Vaccination
• Killed Vaccine (TrichGuard, TrichGuard V5-L
• Does not prevent infection
• Helps reduce severity of disease
• Treat (no Trich)

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State Regulations

• Texas None (proposed)
• Reportable disease (15 western states)
• state entry test requirements (bulls)
• sale test requirements (bulls only, bulls/cows)
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Idaho
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Mexico

North Dakota Oklahoma Oregon South Dakota
Utah Washington Wyoming
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TAHCs ProposedTrichomoniasis Control Program
for Texas

• Trich will be a reportable disease in Texas
• All test results positive and negative must be
  reported to the TAHC within 48 hours
• Only certified virgin bulls or test-negative
  bulls could enter Texas for breeding purposes
• Bulls must be officially identified.
• The requirements would be in effect by late March
  2009

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• Change-of-ownership testing for in-state bulls
• Bulls must be officially identified
• Certified virgin bulls exempt
• Infected bulls go to slaughter within 30 days
  and be
• moved under a permit
• The requirements would be in effect no earlier
  than
• September 2009
• The remaining bulls in the herd
• Isolated from female cattle
• Until tested and classified as negative

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Public Comments

• Must arrive at the TAHC no later than by January
  30, 2009
• Be emailed to comments_at_tahc.state.tx.us
• Be faxed to 512-719-0719
• Be mailed to TAHC Comments
• Box 12966
• Austin, TX 78711-2966
• The TAHC commissioners will consider the
  regulation proposals for adoption on February 24,
  2009