Guidelines developed by the Australian Cattle Veterinarians organization for systematic management of BVDV in both beef and dairy production systems

Objectives

The objective was to develop two stand alone beef and dairy BVDV management guides as resources to Australian Cattle Vet members to assist them in controling and managing BVDV for their clients utilizing the tools available to them within Australia. The ultimate aim was to enable veterinarians to develop cost effective programs to define, manage, and monitor BVDV on their client’s farms, accounting for Australia’s varied farming practices.

Materials and Methods

With assistance from the Australian Cattle Veterianians, a special interest group of the Australian Veterinary Association, a working group comprised of six veterinarians developed both a beef and dairy oriented management guide. The working group workshopped the guides over a series of face to face meetings, via teleconference, and via email. The first section of the guides related to the epidemiology and pathophysiology of the disease. The second section discussed the tools available to Australian veterinarians to manage the disease. The final section was designed to guide veterinarians by detailing testing options and control strategies. A series of flow charts were developed to accompany the advice.

Results

A complete beef and a complete dairy set of guidelines were each developed. The guides provide veterinarians tools to structure their advice to assist their client to understand the mechanisms by which BVDV is both transmitted and maintained on properties. The guide provided veterinarians a synopsis of the outcomes associated with exposure to the virus at varying stages of gestation, attempting to simplify their ability to relate the topic to their clients. The guide outlined the tools available to measure BVDV antibody levels, to identify PI animals, and to provide immunity via vaccination. Lastly, the guidelines provide step by step decision trees to assist veterinarians to cost effectively manage BVDV, creating a value proposition by utilizing immune status to discerne the need to either vaccinate or screen groups for PI’s.

Conclusions

The guides were produced by the Australian Cattle Veterinarians, a branch of the Australian Veterinary Association,as a tool for veterinarians working with cattle in Australia. The tools provided allow for cost effective management of BVDV relying on either vaccination or PI hunting dictated by serology. The strategies outlined allow for systematic herd level eradication and monitoring utilizing a value proposition rather than blanket approaches, making it far more palatable for Australian producers.