Bovine viral diarrhoea disease is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cattle of all ages.
Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus causes a variety of healthy problems eg when pregnant cows are affected, they abort their calves or have still births. Infected animals usually have diarrhoea, bruises or bleeding lesions. BVDV also suppresses the immune system making infected animals susceptible to other diseases like scours. Infection weakens the herd lowering productivity and lowering profits.
Infection types
Bovine viral diarrhoea disease is of two types ie transient infection and persistent infection. Transient infection is short term, the animal is contagious during infection but usually recovers after which it becomes immune to other BVDV infection.
In persistent infection, animals have a life long BVDV infection and is always contagious. All persistently infected animals are born with the virus and many permanently infected calves appear weak and sick but some may appear healthy.
Disease management
The Bovine virus diarrhoea disease can be stopped only when the permanently infected animals are detected early and eliminated before they infect others.
Biosecurity measures can help stop Bovine virus diarrhoea disease through diagnosis and isolation and also prohibiting contact between the sick and live animals.
