Vets helping farmers in response to Mycoplasma bovis

Veterinarians helping farmers in response to Mycoplasma bovis

The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) is supporting veterinarians to help farmers respond to the detection of Mycoplasma bovis in a dairy herd in South Canterbury/North Otago. Led by NZVA’s Dairy Cattle Veterinarians and Sheep and Beef branches, we have worked closely with members and MPI to provide technical advice and support to veterinarians to be alert to the symptoms of this disease.

This is the first detection of Mycoplasma bovis in New Zealand.

About 150 cows are affected on the property which has around 1000 milking cows. MPI has put legal containment measures in place and is now tracing movements of animals on and off the property to ascertain if other properties are at risk.

Farmers should call their veterinarian if they suspect their dairy cattle are showing any of the clinical signs of the disease. These can include:

- Mastitis in dry and milking cows.

- Arthritis in cows.

- Late term abortions.

- Premature calves.

Full technical information for veterinarians on Mycoplasma bovis, prepared and distributed by the NZVA Dairy Cattle Veterinarians branch, can be found here. MPI has released the following information on Mycoplasma bovis - the diseases it causes, its surveillance, diagnosis and control.

ENDS

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