Reproductive Diseases
Beef Cattle Disease

Disease description

Several viruses and bacteria affect reproductive performance.

• Vibriosis – or genital campylobacteriosis – is a venereal disease that is spread from cow to bull and bull to cow during breeding. The disease often destroys the embryo at its earliest stages.
  

• Leptospirosis or “lepto” is found worldwide, but is most common in warm, wet climates. It is shed in the urine and/or bodily fluids of infected animals. Research shows that Lepto hardjo-bovis  is the most common cause of bovine leptospirosis in the United States and is frequently associated with reproductive losses, although an infected animal may not show clinical signs. When vaccinating for leptospirosis, it’s important to make sure your vaccine contains a L. hardjo-bovis strain.
  

• Two viruses – bovine herpesvirus Type 1 or BHV-1, also called IBR, and BVD Type 1 and Type 2 – significantly affect reproductive performance, in addition to causing respiratory disease. IBR causes infectious vulvovaginitis and balanposthitis (IPV-IPB), which can result in abortion or neonatal disease.
  

• Haemophilus somnus has both respiratory and reproductive effects, including abortion and sterility.

Clinical signs

Most reproductive disease is sub-clinical, with few outward signs of infection. Early embryonic death is common with vibrio, leading to lower conception rates and repeat breeding. Cattle infected with lepto may abort late in gestation, often in the last trimester.

BVD infection causes different outcomes depending on when the cow is infected.

• At breeding: can interfere with fertilization
  
• Days 42-100 of gestation: fetal death
  
• Days 42-100 of gestation: infection with a non-cytopathic strain of BVD can result in a weak or persistently infected calf that becomes an ongoing source of infection to other cattle
  
• Days 100-150 of gestation: congenital defects

Disease prevention

A comprehensive pre-breeding vaccination program will help keep your herd free from reproductive diseases.

Vib Shield® Plus L5 is a “one shot” product that can be used to protect the breeding herd against both vibriosis and five common strains of leptospirosis. Vib Shield Plus L5 is made with Novartis’ exclusive XTend® SP adjuvant that maintains higher and longer-lasting immune stimulation. A single injection 2-4 weeks prior to breeding helps stop reproductive diseases that upset breeding schedules.

Vira Shield 6+VL5 HB and Vira Shield 6+L5 HB are the first and only inactivated vaccine combinations containing Lepto hardjo-bovis, which is the most common cause of leptospirosis in the United States. It contains three BVD isolates – cytopathic (CP) Type 1 and noncytopathic (NCP) Type 1 and NCP Type 2 – which are important for complete BVD protection. It also protects against IBR, BRSV, PI3 and Haemophilus somnus, when the Somnus combination is chosen. The Xtend® adjuvant boosts the duration of immunity.