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SUMMER 2014 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
8
MYCOP LASMA
Health regained
As soon as the vaccine had been made, and
passed its safety tests, Duncan vaccinated
everything alive on the farm that day. After
that, all new calves were treated at four
weeks of age.
The day the herd was vaccinated, Duncan
saw no response and was ready to cull the
whole herd and start again. But then a week
later, he started to see marked improvements
in calf vigour and viability.
‘It gave me hope’ says Duncan: ‘And over
the following months, the joint ills improved
and cows started to come into the parlour
more willingly without the sore udders. We
are finding that cows are regaining their
production levels once they’ve been dry and
calve again.’
In all, Duncan lost 105 cows due to
Mycoplasma infections and related symptoms.
Colin adds: ‘Looking back on that time,
Duncan had been trialling a mycotoxin binder
in his silages, and the trial finished at the end
of February 2013. It’s possible that removing
these binders, increased the toxin challenge
and pushed cows “over the edge” into
clinical disease.’
Going forward
Today, the farm has just over 120 milking
cows and the herd will be kept closed from
now on. It is vaccinated against IBR and
leptospirosis, however as the herd is housed,
it will be monitored for BVD, but not
vaccinated. In order to maintain control of
the Mycoplasma infections, the herd will be
receiving six-monthly booster vaccinations of
the autogenous M.bovis vaccine.
Colin adds: ‘It’s not expensive to make an
autogenous vaccine - especially not when you
consider the health benefits. It works out at a
few pounds per dose, and then we also have
to apply for a licence which costs £120 and
lasts for 12 months. Towards the end of this
period we get more vaccine made up if
needed, so we get a second year’s supply
without another licence.
Mycoplasmas are a type of bacterium
which can cause disease in farm animals
and humans. There are more than 120
named Mycoplasma species, and the
majority are host-specific.
M. bovis is the main Mycoplasma species
identified from sick cattle in the UK. It
causes respiratory disease, ear infections,
arthritis, mastitis, and is associated with
eye infections, abortion and infertility. It is
a major contributor to calf pneumonia, and
is spread by direct nose to nose contact,
aerosol and in milk. There are no
commercial vaccines available to prevent
this disease, but there are licensed
antibiotics for its treatment.
Mycoplasma wenyonii is much rarer.
Infections caused by this bacterium have
been reported to result in blood infections,
anaemia, fever, hind limb oedema
(swelling) and significantly reduced milk
production. It is thought to be spread via
saliva, biting flies, lice, and possibly
communal needles. Again, no commercial
vaccines are available but cases can be
successfully treated with antibiotics.
About Mycoplasmas
In cases of disease where a commercial
vaccine is not available, then a
custom-made, or autogenous, vaccine
can be made. These tailored vaccines are
specific to the herd/flock or location and
are not permitted for use elsewhere. They
are made from cultures of the pathogenic
micro-organisms which are isolated from
the site of an infection. As they take a few
months to manufacture and test, they are
only useful in situations where disease is
chronic or recurrent.
Autogenous vaccines
Cubicles on the left have yet to be modified, but cows are happy to lie down in the
modified cubicles on the right
Calves at Gateshaw Mill
Duncan monitors daily milk yields