Truyers Isabelle, Luke Tim, Wilson David, Sargison Neil
University of Edinburgh, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Farm Animal Practice, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK.
West Gippsland Veterinary Centre, 1 Bona Vista Road, Warragul, Victoria, 3820, Australia.
BMC Vet Res. 2014 Nov 27;10:280. doi: 10.1186/s12917-014-0280-x.
Bovine venereal campylobacteriosis is caused by Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis and its glycerine-tolerant variant Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis biovars intermedius. The disease can be economically important when present in cattle herds, causing poor reproductive performance, embryo mortality and abortion. Sensitive and specific diagnostic tests are required in the diagnosis of infection and to inform and monitor disease control. Current tests include bacterial culture and fluorescent antibody testing of preputial sheath washings and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and an agglutination test on vaginal mucus, although the predictive values of these tests can be inadequate in field investigations. Artificial insemination is often considered as a simple control method for bovine venereal campylobacteriosis, but is impractical for many beef suckler herds where breeding takes place at pasture. Commercial vaccines are unavailable in the UK, while the efficacy of autogenous vaccines using a bacterial isolate from infected animals on a specific farm is at best unproven. Hence, for some infected herds, the development of an alternative control strategy based on segregation of potentially infected and uninfected animals in combination with culling or treatment would be desirable. This approach requires meticulous records and herd health management.
In this paper we highlight difficulties in diagnosing bovine venereal campylobacteriosis and demonstrate the benefits of good record keeping when investigating poor reproductive performance in a beef suckler herd and establishing a herd-specific approach to bio-containment of the infectious cause.
Bovine venereal campylobacteriosis is an economically important disease that should be considered in investigations of suckler herd subfertility problems. Control of the disease based on segregation of potentially infected and uninfected animals in combination with extensive culling can be achieved without the use of artificial insemination or vaccination, but requires meticulous records and strict adherence to herd biosecurity practices.
牛性病弯曲菌病由胎儿弯曲菌性病亚种及其耐甘油变体胎儿弯曲菌性病亚种中间生物变种引起。当牛群感染此病时，可造成重大经济损失，导致繁殖性能下降、胚胎死亡和流产。在感染诊断以及疾病控制措施的制定与监测过程中，需要灵敏且特异的诊断检测方法。目前的检测方法包括细菌培养、包皮鞘洗液荧光抗体检测、阴道黏液酶联免疫吸附测定和凝集试验，不过这些检测方法在现场调查中的预测价值可能不足。人工授精常被视为牛性病弯曲菌病的一种简易防控方法，但对于许多在牧场进行繁育的肉牛群而言并不实用。英国没有商用疫苗，而使用特定农场感染动物的细菌分离株制备的自体疫苗，其效果至多也未得到证实。因此，对于一些感染牛群，制定一种基于将潜在感染动物和未感染动物隔离，并结合扑杀或治疗的替代防控策略是很有必要的。这种方法需要详细的记录和畜群健康管理。
在本文中，我们强调了牛性病弯曲菌病诊断中的困难，并展示了在调查肉牛群繁殖性能不佳以及建立针对感染源的畜群特异性生物安全措施时，做好记录的益处。
牛性病弯曲菌病是一种具有重要经济意义的疾病，在调查肉牛群繁殖力低下问题时应予以考虑。不使用人工授精或疫苗，通过将潜在感染动物和未感染动物隔离并结合大规模扑杀，能够实现对该病的控制，但需要详细的记录并严格遵守畜群生物安全措施。
