Serological survey of bovine infectious causes of reproductive disorders in Colombia

Abstract

The presence of reproductive diseases of infectious origin (bacterial, viral and parasitic) in herds affects the reproductive performance of females and hence the productivity. Within these diseases are bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), leptospirosis, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), chlamydiosis, neosporosis and the diseased induced by bovine herpes virus type IV. Some of them have been identified and relatively studied in Colombia, but the current situation of other remains unknown. In the dairy cord of Boyacá milk production is high, constituting an economic activity of high impact for the region and the country, however the epidemiological situation of many of the reproductive diseases that may affect bovine females is unknown. Therefore the health plans of prevention and integral management of these diseases are uncertain. The aim of this work was to determine the seropositivity of bovine females of different ages in some municipalities of the departments of Boyacá and Cundinamarca. We extracted serum samples of 959 animals (calves, heifers and cows), which were processed in the laboratory of infectious diseases of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Parma. Neutralization was used for the diagnosis of BVD and IBR, immunofluorescence for bovine herpesvirus type IV, and Neospora spp., ELISA for Clamydia spp. and microagglutination for Leptospira interrogans. In studied animals we found 29.8% of the animals positive to BVD; 25.2% to the different serovars of Leptospira, being greater the seroprevalence for L. hardjo; 8.7% to N. caninum; 15.4% to BoHV-1 (IBR); 95.4% to BoHV-4 and 63.2% to Chlamydia psittaci. It was not possible to establish a relationship between the presence of these diseases and the presence of abortions. It was concluded that in the study area the pathogens with higher seropositivity were BoHV-4 and Clamydia psittaci. Under the established conditions we found no clear relationship between the seroprevalences to the different pathogens and the age of the animals.