A Survey of Abortions in the La Laguna Region of Mexico
Donald Klingborg, Veterinary Medicine Extension, UC Davis; Sharon Hietala, Mark Thurmond, David Hird, and Mark Anderson, University of California, Davis
Mexico serves as a unique laboratory to study certain diseases and production methods not readily available for research activity in California.
Control of some persistent diseases in Mexico that have been eliminated in California minimizes potential threats to our livestock and wildlife, and contributes to improved production an d longevity of Mexican dairy cattle.
This project, funded by a dairy cooperative in Mexico, determined that several infectious agents including Brucella abortus, Neospora caninum, bovine virus diarrhea (BVD) and Leptospira sp. contributed to high abortion rates in target herds.
More than 5,000 serum samples and tissues of aborted fetuses from seven dairies were analyzed. The persistently high abortion rates associated with Brucella abortus, in the face of an adult vaccination program, demonstrate the need for a more comprehensive management approach to control.
Strategies were recommended for control of bovine protozoal abortion (Neospora caninum), BVD, leptospirosis, Johne's disease, and salmonellosis.
Monitoring and ongoing testing programs have now contributed more than 10,000 samples to improve our understanding of these diseases and of various control strategies, including biosecurity, vaccination, isolation (or segregation) and "test and culling."
Impacts:

Improved understanding of a number of diseases associated with abortion

Improved understanding of certain foreign animal diseases by UC Davis students and faculty

New information indicating possible synergistic interactions between disease agents

Ongoing evaluation of disease prevention management strategies and their impact on herd performance