Cattle (Bovine)

Brucellosis

Brucellosis (a.k.a. Bang’s disease or contagious abortion) is an infectious disease of cattle caused by the bacteria Brucella abortus. It causes abortions, infertility and reduced milk production and is infectious to humans. Brucellosis is transmitted from animals by direct contact with infected blood, placentas, fetuses, or uterine secretions, or through the consumption of infected raw animal products, especially milk and milk products. There is no treatment for Brucellosis in livestock.

Through a federal/state/industry cooperative effort, Brucellosis was mostly eradicated from the United States by the early 2000s. Missouri was classified as a Brucellosis Free state in March 2004.

Certified Brucellosis-Free Herd Program

The Missouri Department of Agriculture administers a Certified Brucellosis-Free Herd Program for cattle or bison herds using the Brucellosis Eradication: Uniform Methods and Rules established by USDA (APHIS 91-45-013) and summarized on this page.

Herd Certification

A herd may qualify as Certified Brucellosis-Free by one of the following methods.

  1. Complete Herd Blood Test

    For initial certification, a herd must have at least two consecutive negative herd blood tests, between 10 to 14 months apart.

    For continuous certification, a herd must have a negative herd blood test conducted within 60 days before the certification anniversary date.

    If the recertification test is conducted within 60 days after the anniversary date, the certification period will be 12 months from the anniversary date and not 12 months from the date of the recertifying test. During the interval between the anniversary date and the recertifying test date, certification will be suspended.

    If a herd blood test for recertification is not conducted within 60 days after the anniversary date, then certification requirements are the same as for initial certification.

    For purposes of certifying or recertifying a herd, the herd blood test must include all natural addition heifers and bulls that are 18 months of age or older.

    Certified Brucellosis-Free status applies only to individual herds and includes all offspring. A herd is certified for 12 months.

  2. Brucellosis Milk Surveillance Test (BMST)

    For initial certification, a herd must have a minimum of four consecutive negative BMSTs conducted at intervals of 90 days or more. The series must be followed by a negative herd blood test conducted within 90 days after the last negative BMST.

    For recertification, a herd must have a negative herd blood test.

    For purposes of certifying or recertifying a herd, the herd blood test must include all natural-additions heifers and bulls that are 18 months of age or older.

    If a dairy herd has been certified by BMST as specified immediately above or by herd blood tests as specified in section 1 above, then they may recertify by conducting four consecutive negative BMSTs at approximate intervals of 90 days, with the fourth test conducted within 60 days before the certification anniversary date.

Additions to Certified Brucellosis-Free Herds

  1. Natural herd increase.
  2. Cattle from Certified Brucellosis-Free herds or Class Free states or areas.
    1. No test requirements on breeding or dairy cattle originating from Certified Brucellosis-Free Herds or Class Free states or areas, except
    2. Test eligible animals shall not receive Certified Brucellosis-Free status for sale purposes until they have passed a 60-120 day post entry test.
  3. Cattle from Non-Certified herds or Non-Class Free states or areas.
    1. Test eligible cattle and bison from herds not under quarantine must have a negative blood test for brucellosis within 30 days prior to the date of movement; and
    2. All test-eligible cattle or bison purchased from herds that are not Certified Brucellosis-Free must have a blood test between 60 and 120 days after being added.
      1. These test eligible animals will be isolated from the rest of the herd until the 60-120 day post addition blood test is done and is negative.
    3. Test eligible animals added to a Certified Brucellosis-Free herd under this provision shall not receive Certified Brucellosis-Free status for sale purposes until they have passed a 60-120 day post addition test and have been included in the herd blood test on the next anniversary of the recertification test.

Recognition of Certified Brucellosis-Free Herds

The State Animal Health Official will issue a Brucellosis-Free Certificate when the herd first qualifies for this status.

When the herd qualifies for re-certification, the State Animal Health Official will issue a certification renewal form showing the Herd Certification Number, the number of animals, and the owner.

Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease affecting cattle and bison and caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. Bovis). This disease can be contracted by other species as well. Missouri is considered TB free since 1986. TB can be a threat to Missouri’s cattle population as long as it exists in cattle and other species in other states.

Tuberculosis-Free Accredited Herd Program

The Missouri Department of Agriculture administers a Tuberculosis-Free Accredited Herd Program for cattle or bison herds using the Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication: Uniform Methods and Rules established by USDA (APHIS 91-45-011) and summarized on this page.

Definitions and/or requirements:

  1. Accredited Herd - A herd that has passed at least two consecutive official tuberculosis tests of all eligible animals conducted at 9-15 month intervals, has no evidence of, or potential exposure to, bovine tuberculosis and meets the standards of the Uniform Methods and Rules.
  2. Accreditation and Reaccreditation - To qualify for Accredited Herd status, the herd must pass at least two consecutive official tuberculosis tests conducted within an interval of 9-15 months with no evidence of bovine tuberculosis.
    1. All animals must be bona fide members of the herd.
    2. For Reaccreditation, the accreditation period will be 24 months from the anniversary date and not 24 months from the date of the reaccreditation test.
    3. To qualify for reaccreditation, the herd must pass a test within 21 to 27 months of the anniversary date.
    4. For continuous herd accreditation, the reaccreditation test must be conducted on the anniversary date or within a time period of 3 months prior to the anniversary date.
      1. If the reaccreditation test is conducted following the anniversary date, the Accredited status of the herd will be suspended until the reaccreditation test is completed.
      2. If the reaccreditation test is not completed within 3 months following the anniversary date, the requirements for reaccrediting the herd will be the same as for the initial herd accreditation.
  3. Animals to be tested - Testing of herds for accreditation shall include all cattle or bison 24 months of age and older. All natural additions shall be individually identified and recorded on the test report as members of the herd at the time of the annual test, even though under two years of age and not tested.
  4. Additions – Accredited Herd additions must originate directly from such herds as outlined below and must meet the minimum tuberculosis test requirements as indicated:
    1. Accredited herd in a state or zone recognized as Accredited-Free within the past 5 years.
      1. No tuberculosis test requirement.
    2. Accredited herd in a state or zone not recognized as Accredited-Free within the past 5 years.
      1. Official negative tuberculosis test on the individual animal(s) within 60 days prior to entering the premises of the receiving Accredited herd.
    3. Non-accredited herd in an Accredited-Free state or zone.
      1. Official negative tuberculosis test on the individual animal(s) within 60 days prior to entering the premises of the receiving Accredited herd.
    4. Non-accredited herd in a Modified Accredited Advanced state or zone not recognized as Accredited-Free within the past 5 years.
      1. The herd of origin must have received a negative herd test of all cattle or bison within the past 12 months; and
      2. The individual animal(s) for addition that are 2 months of age and older must have a negative tuberculosis test within 60 days prior to entering the premises of the Accredited herd.
    5. Non-accredited herd in a Modified Accredited state or zone whether recognized or not recognized as Accredited-Free within the past 5 years.
      1. The herd of origin must have received a negative herd test of all cattle or bison 12 months of age or older within the past 12 months; and
      2. The individual animal(s) that are 2 months of age and older must have a negative tuberculosis test within 60 days prior to entering the premises of the Accredited herd; and
      3. Must be isolated from the Accredited herd until they are negative on a tuberculosis test conducted no sooner than 60 days from the date of entry onto the premises of the Accredited herd.
    6. Animals added under (c), (d) and (e) shall not receive Accredited herd status for sale purposes until they have been members of the herd at least 60 days and after being retested with a negative result 60 or more days after entry.
  5. Authority to test - State laws and/or regulations shall provide authority to apply a tuberculin test to any animal or herd at such times as may be deemed necessary by the cooperating state and federal officials. These officials reserve the right to supervise any test conducted by an accredited veterinarian.
  6. Report of tuberculin tests - A report of all tuberculin tests, including the official identification, age, sex, and breed of each animal and a record of all responses and test interpretations shall be submitted in accordance with the requirements of the cooperative state and federal officials.
    1. Any response noted on the reading of the tuberculin test shall be promptly reported by telephone to the cooperating state and federal officials.
    2. The handing of the herd after a response is noted will be by a state/federal regulatory veterinarian in accordance with state regulations and the Uniform Methods and Rules.
  7. Failure on the part of an owner to comply with these methods and rules shall constitute sufficient cause for the revocation of the Accredited Herd Certificate.

Bovine Leukosis Virus (BLV)

Bovine Leukosis is a viral disease that affects cattle. It is a blood-borne infection that is transmitted by the transfer of white blood cells from an infected animal to an uninfected one. The disease causes the immune system to be impaired, leaving the animals vulnerable to other diseases. It can also cause cancer in a variety of body organs. The economic impacts for producers are decreased production of milk and body weight, and possible condemnation of the carcass at processing.

Bovine Leukosis Virus Free Program

These Bovine Leukosis Virus methods and rules (BLV-UMR) are for establishing and maintaining cattle herds as Missouri designated free of Bovine Leukosis Virus (BLV).

The purpose of designating cattle herds free of BLV is to reduce economic loss and qualify such herds for the export of cattle to countries requiring certification of herd status relative to BLV.

The recognized test(s) for the presence of BLV for the purposes of these methods and rules shall be any test(s) approved by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians and so designated by the state veterinarian of Missouri.

For the purpose of these methods and rules, herd shall be defined as any grouping of one or more animals maintained on a common ground, geographically separated from all other cattle at all times with separated feed, water and drainage systems. All additions to this herd must be in accordance with Part II, Section 1, of these methods and rules.

Qualifying the Herd

  1. Each bovine animal in the herd over 8 months of age shall be tested with the recognized and approved test(s).
  2. Two negative tests at more than 90-day intervals shall be required before a herd may be designated “BLV-Free.”

Maintaining BLV-Free Status

  1. No test is required for additions from a designated BLV-Free herd.
  2. Additions from a non-designated free herd shall be negative to one test within 30 days prior to entry to a designated free herd. Animals shall be held individually or in a group, separate and apart from other cattle, in absence to exposure to any BLV infected animals and they must pass one negative test 60 to 90 days after entering the herd.
  3. Redesignation of a BLV-Free herd shall be annually.
  4. For a herd to be redesignated BLV-Free, all members of the herd that are 18 months of age or older must be tested negative no more than 30 days prior to or 60 days beyond the anniversary date of the initial designation of the herd as BLV-Free.

For further information on BLV or Johne’s programs, contact the Division of Animal Health at (573) 751-3377 or e-mail animal.health@mda.mo.gov.

For information on import or exhibition regulations contact the Division of Animal Health at (573) 751-3377.

Also the USDA maintains a 24-hour toll free telephone service that provides general import requirements for all states. Use a touch-tone telephone to contact the Voice Response System at (800) 545-8732.