Disease

Pseudorabies (PRV) Confirmed in Iowa and Texas Commercial Swine Herds

Fri, 01 May 2026 13:06:43 GMT

For the first time since being eradicated in the U.S. commercial swine herd in 2004, pseudorabies (PRV) has been confirmed in herds in Iowa and Texas.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed the detection of PRV antibodies in a small commercial swine facility in Iowa. The discovery was made through routine testing rather than pre-movement surveillance.

Traceback Confirms Texas Connection

Initial traceback efforts reveal that five affected boars in the Iowa facility originated from an outdoor production site in Texas. Subsequent testing of the Texas herd also returned positive results for the virus.

APHIS is currently collaborating with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) to expand traceback efforts and identify any further exposures.

The Feral Swine Risk

Although the commercial industry has been free of the disease for more than 20 years, PRV remains prevalent in feral swine populations across the U.S. Officials believe this detection is a result of “spillover” from wild populations.

“Pseudorabies is still found in wild or feral swine populations, which remain a potential threat of exposure for domestic pigs,” an APHIS release stated. The Texas herd involved was housed outdoors, where contact with feral swine is possible.

Impact and Symptoms

PRV is a contagious viral disease that serves as a significant threat to herd productivity:

Adult Pigs: Causes abortions, stillbirths, and respiratory issues.
Newborn Pigs: Attacks the respiratory and central nervous systems, leading to sneezing, incoordination, and high mortality rates.

While pigs are the only natural hosts, PRV can infect most other mammals—though humans, horses, and birds are considered resistant.

Official Response and Market Safety

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig emphasized that the state is moving decisively to eliminate the disease.

“The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has spent years preparing for these types of animal health events,” Naig said. “It’s important for people to know that pseudorabies is not a food safety concern, and this virus does not pose a risk to consumers. The United States’ pork supply remains safe and secure.”

Export Implications

Despite the lack of risk to food safety, the detection could have economic repercussions. APHIS warns there may be limited, short-term impacts on the exports of U.S. swine and swine genetics as trading partners evaluate the new health status.

“Established protocols were implemented immediately in response to the incident and remain in place to safeguard the commercial swine industry,” the National Pork Producers Council said in a statement. “These steps were successfully deployed through swift action and close coordination with USDA and the IDALS. The National Pork Producers Council and Iowa Pork Producers Association support these efforts and remain committed to a coordinated response to prioritize biosecurity and prevent further occurrences.”

Hidden Pneumonia in Calves: Why More Dairies Use Ultrasound to Catch Respiratory Disease Early

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 20:06:17 GMT

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains one of the most common and costly health challenges in preweaned dairy calves. The challenge is that many cases develop long before calves show visible symptoms.

“By the time calves show obvious clinical signs of respiratory disease, lung damage may already be present,” says Aerica Bjurstrom, regional dairy educator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “That’s why tools that help us detect pneumonia earlier can make a big difference in calf health and long-term performance.”

Traditional diagnosis relies on symptoms such as coughing, nasal discharge, or elevated temperature. But these signs often appear late in the disease process. In many cases, calves may look completely healthy while still carrying lung infections.

This form of illness, known as subclinical pneumonia, can reduce growth, feed efficiency and even future milk production.

“The lungs can really act as an indicator organ,” Bjurstrom explains. “Respiratory disease often reflects larger management challenges, such as poor colostrum intake, nutrition issues, or environmental stress.”

The Hidden Pneumonia Problem

Research has shown that pneumonia often develops days before visible symptoms appear.

“Ultrasound allows us to see what’s happening inside the lung tissue, even when the calf looks normal from the outside,” Bjurstrom says. “In many cases, pneumonia can be present for days before any clinical signs appear.”

Studies suggest that 50% to 80% of pneumonia cases may remain subclinical for 7 to 14 days before producers notice symptoms. That delay can allow lung damage to progress before treatment begins.

“Sometimes calves with severe pneumonia don’t show obvious symptoms,” Bjurstrom says. “But an ultrasound exam can reveal lung lesions that tell us the disease is already present.”

How Lung Ultrasound Works

Lung ultrasonography allows veterinarians to examine calf lungs in real time using portable ultrasound equipment.

A normal lung appears air-filled on the scan and produces horizontal white lines that move with each breath. These lines indicate healthy lung tissue.

Changes in the image can reveal early disease.

“Comet tails are bright vertical lines that extend down from the lung surface,” Bjurstrom says. “A few may be normal, but severe or diffuse comet tailing can suggest interstitial disease caused by fluid or inflammation within the lung.”

More advanced disease appears as lung consolidation, where portions of the lung fill with inflammatory material instead of air. On ultrasound, these areas appear as solid gray regions.

Veterinarians often use a 0 to 5 lung scoring system to evaluate severity.

“This scoring system helps identify disease before calves begin coughing or showing nasal discharge,” Bjurstrom says. “Early detection allows for earlier treatment and better outcomes.”

Dr. Ollivett demonstrates positioning for thoracic ultrasound scanning on a calf’s right lung.

(Denise Garlow, University of Wisconsin)

Why Early Detection Matters

Even when calves show no visible symptoms, lung damage can affect their long-term performance.

In one study of more than 600 Holstein heifers, calves with lung consolidation detected at weaning were less likely to become pregnant and more likely to leave the herd before first calving.

Another study found calves with significant lung lesions in the first eight weeks of life produced 1,155 pounds less milk during their first lactation.

“These findings highlight why early detection matters,” Bjurstrom says. “Subclinical disease can still influence growth, reproduction, and milk production later in life.”

Improving Treatment Outcomes

Early detection can also make treatment more effective.

“When pneumonia is caught earlier, treatment tends to work better,” Bjurstrom explains. “We’re able to intervene before the disease becomes severe and causes permanent lung damage.”

Ultrasound can also help veterinarians monitor recovery.

“That monitoring aspect is important,” she says. “It helps ensure calves are improving and reduces unnecessary retreatment.”

A Management Tool for Farms

Beyond diagnosis, lung ultrasound is increasingly used as a herd management tool.

“Ultrasound gives producers objective information about lung health,” Bjurstrom says. “That can help guide decisions about treatment, culling, or adjusting weaning timing for calves that may need more time to recover.”

Regular scanning can also reveal herd-level trends tied to management practices.

“When used consistently, ultrasound becomes a benchmarking tool,” Bjurstrom says. “It can help farms evaluate colostrum programs, ventilation, sanitation, and other factors that influence calf health.”

A Growing Tool in Calf Health Programs

Portable ultrasound units have become more accessible and easier to use, making them more common in calf health programs. With proper training, scanning a calf’s lungs typically takes less than a minute.

“The equipment requires an initial investment, but the information it provides can be incredibly valuable,” Bjurstrom says. “Earlier detection can lead to better management decisions, improved calf growth, and fewer losses.”

As dairy farms continue adopting more data-driven management practices, lung ultrasound is giving producers a new way to detect disease sooner and protect the long-term potential of their calves.

“Lung ultrasound helps us move beyond waiting for visible symptoms,” Bjurstrom says. “It allows producers and veterinarians to identify problems earlier and take action before long-term damage occurs.”

Global Expansion of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Serotype SAT1 Raises Alarms

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:42:36 GMT

Recent reports of the emergence and spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) SAT1 serotype are highlighting a concerning shift in the global landscape of this virus. The Swine Health Information Center-funded Global Swine Disease Monitoring Reports, led by Dr. Sol Perez at the University of Minnesota, have highlighted the newly affected countries in monthly publications.

“For FMDV, immunity is serotype-specific, meaning infection or vaccination against a given serotype does not confer protection against a different serotype,” Perez says in a SHIC article.

A Rapid Geographic Shift

Historically, SAT1 was maintained within endemic locations in East and Southern Africa. However, in 2025, SAT1 demonstrated a “concerning expansion” beyond its traditional geographic range, with confirmed detections of two cocirculating subtypes across Western Asia and North Africa. The increasing circulation of SAT1 poses a growing risk to previously unaffected regions, including southeast Europe and potentially beyond. As this serotype expands its geographic range, it creates additional pathways for introduction into new regions and countries, increasing the overall likelihood of transboundary spread, Perez notes.

The Immunity Gap

The primary concern for animal health officials is that FMDV immunity is serotype-specific. Current vaccination programs in many affected regions target serotypes O, A and Asia-1. Because these vaccines provide no cross-protection against SAT1, livestock populations remain effectively susceptible, research shows. This “ecological space” has allowed SAT1 to spread rapidly through populations that were previously considered protected.

Drivers of FMD Transmission

SAT1’s expansion is likely due to several factors, Perez says.

Livestock Movement: Informal cross-border movement of small ruminants, which may carry subclinical infections, is a primary driver.
Environmental Pressures: Drought and land-use changes have increased contact between wildlife reservoirs and domestic herds.
Vaccine Limitations: A lack of SAT1-specific vaccine stockpiles and gaps in surveillance have hindered rapid response efforts.

FMD Implications for the United States

Although the U.S. remains free of FMD, the expansion of SAT1 into new regions of the world increases the complexity of global risk, Perez says. The emergence of two cocirculating subtypes (topotypes SAT1/I and SAT1/III) creates more pathways for the virus to enter the U.S. via international travel, contaminated animal products, or fomites.

“These global developments underscore the need to strengthen early detection and surveillance systems, maintain stringent biosecurity measures across livestock value chains, and ensure that vaccine preparedness strategies are sufficiently flexible to incorporate emerging serotypes such as SAT1,” Perez says.

For the U.S. pork industry, this serves as a critical reminder to maintain stringent biosecurity measures and support global monitoring efforts to prevent a domestic outbreak.

Bovine Tuberculosis Detected in Michigan Dairy

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:18:19 GMT

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has confirmed a case of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a dairy herd in Charlevoix County, located west of Michigan’s Modified Accredited Zone (MAZ), where the disease is known to be present in the state’s white-tailed deer population.

(Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development)

According to state officials, the detection followed identification of bovine TB in an adult cow at a USDA Food Safety Inspection Service-inspected processing plant. Through animal traceability efforts, officials traced the animal back to its herd of origin. Subsequent testing of the herd identified additional bovine TB cases.

“This latest detection of bovine TB highlights two important realities: how challenging the disease is to address; and why it is so crucial to use all of our tools for detection to swiftly identify cases and take actions to limit disease spread,” say Nora Wineland, state veterinarian for Michigan. “While finding a newly affected herd is never ideal, this case demonstrates our systems for detection and traceability are working, allowing us to quickly implement measures to protect animal health and public health in Michigan.”

MDARD reports an epidemiological investigation is already underway to determine whether additional cases may be linked to the affected herd. There are currently two TB zones within the state: a four-county area in northern lower Michigan called the Modified Accredited Zone, and the remainder of the state’s 83 counties is referred to as the Accredited Free Zone.

This is Michigan’s second confirmed bovine TB case in the past 13 months. The previous case was identified in a beef herd in Alcona County, located within the state’s Modified Accredited Zone, in January 2025. With this latest detection, a total of 84 cattle herds have been confirmed with bovine TB in Michigan since 1998.

What is Bovine Tuberculosis?

According to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), bovine tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial disease that can infect all mammals, including humans. It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis and spreads through both direct contact between infected and uninfected animals and indirect exposure, such as contaminated feed, water or the environment.

The disease progresses slowly, often developing over several years. Infection typically begins in the lymph nodes before advancing to the lungs and chest cavity, where it can cause serious lesions.

While cattle are the primary host, the disease can also be present in white-tailed deer and elk, as well as bison, goats and certain carnivores, including coyotes.

The Symptoms

Unfortunately, infected cattle are typically asymptomatic. Detection usually occurs during live animal skin testing or, more commonly, at slaughter through our national slaughter surveillance program, according to USDA. If cattle or bison show clinical signs of tuberculosis, the disease has advanced to affect multiple organ systems, which is rare.

Can it be Prevented?

Bovine TB most often spreads through close contact, especially nose-to-nose interaction between animals, or when cattle consume feed or water that’s been contaminated. In most cases, herds become infected one of two ways: by bringing in an infected animal or through exposure to infected wildlife.

While the prevalence of tuberculosis in cattle is extremely low in the U.S., with an estimated prevalence of 7 per 1 million cattle screened, it can occur. Producers should work alongside their veterinarian to help create a biosecurity plan.

How is it Identified?

According to APHIS, the primary source of tuberculosis surveillance is carcass inspection at all federal and state inspected slaughter establishments. The other main sources of tuberculosis detection are testing animals before interstate movement and during disease investigations. Live animal testing is performed with a screening test. If positive, the regulatory veterinarian will conduct a confirmatory test.

Can it be Treated?

Unfortunately, tuberculosis in livestock is not a treatable disease. When health officials find tuberculosis in a herd, it is managed by either depopulating the herd or by testing and removing reactor animals.

Does Bird Flu Have an Effect on Cow Fertility?

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:52:18 GMT

When highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) first hit U.S. dairies, it threw the industry into unfamiliar territory. With so many unknowns, the immediate focus was on slowing the spread and caring for the cows that were affected.

Now, with more of the puzzle pieces coming together, researchers are beginning to step back and look at the bigger picture, examining how the virus affects cows not only in the days and weeks after infection, but what it may mean for their health and performance long after.

On a recent episode of “The Dairy Podcast Show”, Jennifer Spencer and Juan Pinedo, Extension dairy specialists with Texas A&M, came together to better understand what this virus is doing to reproduction — and if infected cows will be paying the price for years.

What Does HPAI Mean for Cow Fertility?

Spencer and Pinedo are just starting to study HPAI’s long-term effects, and their work is one of the first to measure how it may impact reproduction in U.S. dairy herds. Early signs point to a real effect on reproductive performance, particularly in younger animals, though the science is still evolving.

“We really want to know if it does impact reproduction,” Spencer says. “We want to let the producers know so they can understand if they might have to cull heavier to make sure that they’re managing this and replacing the cows in a timely manner — for sustainability of the herd and also to help maintain or improve their profitability.”

Like all major health events, HPAI is predicted to have an impact on cow fertility or pregnancy loss. But for Spencer and Pinedo, they are trying to figure out to what degree.

“We know that when cows get sick, they shift their energy toward fighting an infection rather than reproducing,” Spencer explains. “If these cattle that are infected with HPAI are having reduced milk production, feed intake and rumination, then there’s a high probability it’s impacting reproductive efficiency and their performance.”

Pinedo adds this pattern isn’t unique to HPAI, but still worth studying.

“Just like with any other systemic disease, having a detrimental effect in repro performance is something that we will expect,” Pinedo explains.

Dig Into Herd Data

In March 2025, Spencer’s team received rapid-response funding from USDA APHIS to study how HPAI affects reproduction in dairy herds. They designed a retrospective observational study, analyzing on-farm records from January 2021 through each herd’s HPAI outbreak and beyond.

“We’re looking at data from January 2021 until they had an HPAI outbreak,” Spencer says. “How we’re determining that is based not just on what the producer says, but by also analyzing the records and looking for that drastic drop in milk production, because that’s kind of the overall sign when they had an HPAI outbreak.”

To give the team a wide view of how HPAI is affecting herds in different settings, the project spans across three dairy regions with five to 10 dairies per region. These areas include the:

South Central
Western U.S.
Pacific Northwest

“We want to get information from different environments to have a better idea of the geographical differences, and what they deal with heat-stress-wise, or the feed availability,” Spencer says. “This will give us a 30,000' view of what is happening.”

A Hit on Heifers

While the full analysis is still in progress, the team has already taken a close look at one South Central dairy, and the early patterns are raising important questions in heifers. The study found conception rates dropped during the outbreak year but appeared to rebound the following year.

“For heifers, they actually had about a 5% decrease in their conception rates during 2024 from March until December, but that appears to go back up in 2025,” Spencer reports.

Pinedo added specific figures to put the changes into perspective.

“There was a 52% conception rate, and they dropped during the outbreak to 45%. The year after, they came back to 50%,” he notes.

These numbers show that while conception rates began to recover after the outbreak, they didn’t fully return to pre-HPAI levels. Spencer notes heifers needed more services per conception, suggesting the virus may have lingering effects on reproductive efficiency.

“For heifers, we saw an increase in services per conception, but they’ve remained higher. They went from about a 1.5 up to like 2, 2.2 number of times bred for their heifers, and it’s continuing into 2025,” she adds.

Spencer admits that wasn’t what they expected.

“We didn’t think that heifers would be impacted,” she says.

Complicating things further, some of the heifers in question were born to cows infected late in gestation.

“Some of those heifers were actually from cows that were in their third trimester of their pregnancy, so that may be a contributing factor,” Spencer adds. “There’s so many moving parts in it.”

How Are Cows Being Impacted?

For cows, the pattern is more complex. Unlike heifers, which showed a relatively clear dip and rebound in conception rates, mature cows showed more varied responses to HPAI. Some herds experienced noticeable declines during the outbreak, while others were less affected.

“We did see conception rates appeared to decrease in all of the lactations,” Spencer notes. “But for the first and third and greater lactations, they seem to be going back up, whereas the second lactation seems to be kind of having a harder time rebounding.”

Those second-lactation cows are noteworthy because many were first-lactation animals during the outbreak itself.

“It seems as if perhaps a first-lactation animal, which you might think would be more resilient to recover, maybe, is having more longer-term effects on at least reproduction, as opposed to older cattle,” Pinedo adds.

These unexpected patterns have the researchers taking a closer look at the number to try and determine why younger animals are taking a bigger reproductive hit.

How Much Should We Read Into Early HPAI Data?

While the data is eye-opening, both researchers are quick to point out that the findings are still early, and there’s a lot they don’t yet know.

“This is research that is at the very early stages, and it’s a retrospective observational study,” Pinedo emphasizes. “You really want to control confounders; it’s nothing that we could jump into conclusions [about] right now.”

He lists the kinds of changes every producer lives with year to year:

“You have bull genetics that will have changed, repro program that will have changed, feed that will have changed, heat abatement technologies, so many confounders that affect repro that have to be controlled,” he says.

Spencer sees the same complexity in the field of research.

“What if they changed a breeder? Or what if they started using precision technologies on their heifers, so their heat detection rate went up? These are things we have to take into consideration,” she says.

For now, the research is still in its early stages, but the data suggest HPAI does have reproductive effects worth paying attention to, especially in younger animals. As the team continues to analyze records and track herd performance, these early insights can help producers keep a closer eye on animals who were impacted by the virus and make more informed decisions for the long-term health and fertility of their herds.

The Hardest Call in Cattle Health: When to Treat Disease

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 19:55:53 GMT

“Are we better off treating disease early or treating disease precisely?” Veterinarians of Kansas State University posed this question a recent episode of BCI Cattle Chat .

Deciding when to initiate treatment is one of the most consequential judgment calls in cattle health management. The tension between acting early and waiting for diagnostic certainty persists because there is no single correct approach. Each decision carries both biological and management consequences.

“To me, I’m looking at this and framing the question as should I be sensitive or specific in my diagnostic approach,” says Dr. Todd Gunderson, clinical assistant professor in beef production medicine at K-State.

A sensitive approach prioritizes catching disease early, accepting that some animals will receive treatment they might not truly need. A specific approach limits treatment to animals that clearly meet disease thresholds, reducing unnecessary intervention but increasing the risk of missing cases that would have benefited from earlier action. The trade-off is unavoidable.

Gunderson puts forth different clinical scenarios where either approach could be beneficial or detrimental.

“Treating scouring calves and, as a result, creating more scouring calves because I’m contaminating equipment, I’m contaminating my clothes … I’m overly aggressive at going into the calving pen,” he says.

On the other hand, waiting too long could negate any help treatment might offer.

“[If] I wait until the animal is at a pathological state where they have consolidation, they already have fibrinous pleuritis of the chest cavity or adhesion and fibrous attachments,” he says. “That animal has enough pathology that even if I kill every microbe in that animal’s system that’s causing disease, it would still not recover.”

Disease Treatment as a Dynamic Process

Rather than viewing treatment as a one-time, irreversible decision, a more effective framework treats intervention as a dynamic process. Choosing not to treat immediately does not mean choosing inaction; it means committing to close monitoring and reassessment over defined time intervals.

“I don’t get trapped into thinking that I have to make the decisions that I’m going to stick with,” says Dr. Bob Larson, professor in production medicine at K-State. “Let me make a decision today and act on it and then reassess it in 12 hours and reassess it in another 12 hours, and be flexible because I’m not good enough today to predict the next 12, 24, 72 hours and be right all the time.”

Repeated evaluations allow decisions to evolve as new information emerges, improving accuracy over time.

“Just because I acted doesn’t mean that now all my thinking is over,” Larson says. “If I act, I need to maintain vigilance, observations, reassess, be willing to change my mind.”

Make Decisions Based on the Herd

Treatment decisions should also be considered in the context of the group not in isolation. Individual animal signs can be ambiguous, but herd-level trends provide valuable context. During times of disease pressure, subtle changes might warrant treatment, while the same signs in an otherwise healthy group could justify continued observation.

“We sometimes take these decisions and try to make them in a vacuum, and you can’t do that,” says Dr. Brad White, Professor and Production Medicine Director of the Beef Cattle Institute at K-State. “Often, that individual animal is a part of a group. My expectations for that group today should impact my decision.”

This includes the recent health of the herd and the number of animals presenting as ill.

In addition, environmental and situational factors should further shape treatment thresholds. Weather conditions and recent stressors both impact disease risk and recovery potential. Incorporating these variables into treatment decisions expands diagnostic accuracy beyond the animal itself.

Silent Carriers and Sudden Outbreaks: LSU Research looks at Equine Herpesvirus Latency

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:53:46 GMT

Four herpesviruses can infect the respiratory tract of horses, including Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), EHV-4, EHV-2, and EHV-5. EHV-1 is the most pathogenic and can induce respiratory disorders, abortions and neurological disorders. With the recent EHV-1 outbreak in November 2025 linked to the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association World Finals and Elite Barrel Race event held in Waco, Texas, interest in the virus has piqued.

Dr. Come Thieulent, Dr. Udeni Balasuriya and their team at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine are investigating one of the most difficult challenges in EHV control: identifying where the viruses persist inside the horse during periods of latency. Viral latency allows a pathogenic virus to exist in a dormant state within a cell until activated, potentially by a stress event, leading to active infection and viral shedding.

Understanding where this virus remains dormant is critical. This silent persistence is a major driver of unexpected reactivation and transmission during stress, transfer or commingling events. Thus, identification of cells latently infected with EHVs is critical for better understanding the mechanisms of latency and viral reactivation. That being said, few studies have described the identification of latent infection using novel molecular techniques.

To study latency at low viral levels, the LSU team is using digital PCR (dPCR) as a detection assay. Compared with conventional PCR or real-time PCR, dPCR offers greater precision and absolute quantification of latent viruses. Samples are prepared similarly to those for real-time PCR, but are then separated into thousands of partitions, each ideally containing one or zero templates. It allows detection of viral DNA at very low levels, which is particularly important for latent infections.

One of the key components of the research is the examination of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (i.e. white blood cells) as a site of viral persistence. While neuronal tissues have historically been associated with herpesvirus latency, blood mononuclear cells have not yet been investigated as a reservoir for latent EHVs. They could represent a more accessible and practical sample type in live horses. Identifying latent virus in blood could eventually improve understanding of which horses may be at greater risk of reactivation and active shedding.

Latency patterns vary across EHV types. EHV-1 and EHV-4 are most commonly associated with latency in neural tissues, specifically in the trigeminal ganglion. However, EHV-1 has been shown to establish latency more broadly, with viral DNA detected in the lymphoid tissues. Other EHVs, such as EHV-2 and EHV-5, persist primarily in lymphoid cells. These differences in tissue tropism likely influence patterns of reactivation, shedding and detection.

The LSU research is ongoing and addresses a foundational gap in understanding the biology of EHVs. As recent multi-state outbreaks have demonstrated, the inability to identify silent carriers remains one of the greatest obstacles to controlling EHV transmission. By clarifying where latent viruses reside and refining tools to detect them, this work may ultimately support more informed surveillance, risk management and outbreak response strategies.

California Reopens Dairy Cattle Shows Following HPAI Ban

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:01:47 GMT

After more than a year on the sidelines, dairy cattle and poultry shows are returning to California fairgrounds. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has lifted its statewide ban on exhibitions, clearing the way for shows to resume.

The restriction was put in place at the beginning of 2025 as the state tracked the spread of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). After months of surveillance and review, state officials now say conditions have improved enough to allow a cautious restart.

According to the department, the decision was based on ongoing monitoring of H5N1 activity across the state, analysis of viral trend data and consultation with state and federal epidemiologists. After a detailed review, the CDFA has determined the risk associated with poultry and dairy cattle exhibitions has declined enough to allow shows to resume, provided enhanced safeguards remain in place.

State officials pointed to stronger biosecurity awareness across the industry as a factor in the decision. Over the past year, producers and exhibitors have become more familiar with transmission risks and prevention strategies, helping reduce overall exposure concerns.

As fair season draws closer, CDFA says the move gives clearer direction to youth livestock programs, breeders and exhibitors who have spent months unsure whether animals would make it back to the show ring.

While the ban has been lifted, fairgrounds and exhibitors are being urged to stay cautious. Enhanced biosecurity measures, routine health checks and careful animal handling are still recommended, especially in high-traffic areas. State monitoring of H5N1 will continue throughout the exhibition season, with officials working alongside fair organizers and animal owners as events resume.

Inside a Simulated HPAI Outbreak in a Dairy Herd

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 19:28:32 GMT

In spring 2020, U.S. dairy producers were forced to dump millions of pounds of milk when the system around them failed. Schools closed, institutional buyers disappeared, processing plants couldn’t pivot and the disconnect between production and demand became painfully clear. That experience raised a critical question: Could similar system-wide disruptions happen again, driven not by markets but by disease?

That question helped drive a new proof-of-concept project from the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) at UC Davis: a simulation model designed to examine what happens when H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) enters a dairy herd.

“This was more a proof of concept,” says David Goldenberg, food safety and security training coordinator for WIFSS at UC Davis. “Can we develop a model that would mimic a dairy farm and the resulting impacts [HPAI] would have not only on the farm but also elsewhere and down the road?”

Rather than attempting to predict the next outbreak, their goal was to understand what an outbreak would look like on a single dairy and how its impacts unfold over time.

What the Model Simulated

The team based their simulation on a small dairy herd of roughly 260 cows with the following assumptions:

No animals were purchased from outside sources; replacements were born into the herd
Labor, equipment and milking infrastructure functioned normally
Cows were assumed healthy apart from H5N1 infection
Milk from infected cows was discarded

Further, reinfections were not modeled, and the analysis focused on acute infection rather than chronic disease.

Speed of Spread Mattered More than Severity

One of the clearest lessons from the simulation was how fast H5N1 spreads through a herd might matter more than how sick individual cows appear.

The model evaluated low, medium and high infectivity scenarios. In high-infectivity cases, nearly the entire herd became sick within about 30 days. That rapid clustering overwhelmed treatment capacity, increasing the risk of dehydration, delayed care and mortality. This wasn’t because the disease was more severe but because too many animals required attention at once.

“That’s a tremendous effort to simultaneously try to treat every cow in your herd at the same exact time due to limited resources,” says Nelson Alfaro Rivas, simulation consultant with MOSIMTEC. “Unfortunately, some of the cows might succumb just because of dehydration from the disease just because you don’t have an unlimited number of veterinarians to try and hydrate the cows as they’re sick.”

In lower-infectivity scenarios, illness spread more slowly, peaking later and involving fewer animals simultaneously. The contrast underscored why early isolation, movement control and disease recognition can fundamentally change outcomes.

Milk Loss Didn’t End When Cows Recovered

Even when cows clinically recovered, milk production did not bounce back quickly.

The simulation assumed infected cows experienced either a 15% or 30% reduction in milk yield for the remainder of their lactation, figures drawn from field observations. In high-infectivity, worst-case scenarios, total milk production across the herd fell sharply within the first month.

Over time, those losses accumulated. In the most severe scenarios, the herd produced approximately 25% less milk over the modeled period compared with an uninfected baseline. Perhaps more striking, herd-level production did not return to baseline for almost a year, long after the active outbreak had resolved.

“How long does it take to recover from something like this?” Rivas asks. “All the cows were recovered by day 26, but what you don’t really see is that the herd that got infected doesn’t really recover and produce the same amount of milk as the non-infected herd until almost 300 days later.”

This gap matters not only for producers but also reframes recovery as an extended process rather than a clinical endpoint.

Recovery Didn’t Mean Economic Recovery

Because dairies run on thin margins, sustained milk loss drove decisions beyond treatment and recovery. Cows producing well below expectation after infection were more likely to be removed from the herd, even if they survived the disease itself.

“At the end of the day, farms are businesses, and you can’t keep an underproducing and therefore unprofitable cow,” Rivas says.

The model reinforced a familiar reality: Profitability, not survival alone, determines herd composition after disease events.

Where Biosecurity Fits

Biosecurity practices were not explicitly modeled as individual actions. Instead, their effects were represented indirectly through changes in infectivity. Lower infectivity scenarios approximated the benefit of practices such as isolating sick cows, cleaning equipment and controlling farm access.

Those measures come with costs — labor, time and disruption — but the simulation showed even modest reductions in spread speed dramatically altered outcomes. The model did not attempt to assign dollar values to biosecurity steps, but it made clear why reducing infectivity yields outsized returns.

Why This Matters Now

What this model ultimately provides is a clearer sense of risk timing, not new disease facts. By compressing complex outbreak dynamics into a single on-farm view, it shows how quickly routine management assumptions can be tested once disease pressure rises, particularly when multiple animals require attention at the same time. The practical consequence is that delays in recognition or response can carry operational costs that aren’t immediately visible.

The take away is not alarm but foresight. Decisions around monitoring, separation and communication that are made early shape how manageable an outbreak remains and how disruptive its aftermath becomes. By visualizing those downstream effects in advance, the model offers a way to stress-test response strategies before they’re needed, helping dairies prepare for uncertainty rather than react to it.

Why is H5N1 Showing Up in Cattle?

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:02:00 GMT

As H5N1 continues to be detected in U.S. dairy cattle, new research shows some modern bird flu viruses are genetically better equipped to infect bovine cells than earlier strains, helping explain why cattle are now part of the outbreak.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is no longer just an avian problem. Recent detections of H5N1 in dairy cattle, including the latest confirmed case in a Wisconsin herd , have elevated concern among veterinarians, producers and animal health authorities. According to USDA, HPAI has been detected in dairy herds in at least 18 states since March 2024, with milk testing serving as a routine detection pathway.

A newly published Nature Communications study led by scientists at the MRC–University of Glasgow Center for Virus Research provides critical insight into why certain H5N1 viruses are now capable of infecting cattle and highlights that some recent H5N1 variants are better at infecting cow cells and mammary tissues than older viruses. This suggests recent spillover events are not random accidents but might reflect viral genetic traits that support infection in cattle.

“Our work shows that different bird flu viruses have very different abilities to infect cow cells and tissues,” says Professor Massimo Palmarini, from both the Erasmus Medical Center and the MRC–University of Glasgow Center for Virus Research. “While the strain currently spreading in U.S. cattle is clearly the best adapted so far, there are other bird viruses that could potentially infect cows if given the chance.”

Key Findings Veterinarians Should Know

H5N1’s ability to infect cattle varies by viral lineage and the outbreak clade stands out

Researchers evaluated a wide range of historical and contemporary H5N1 viruses in bovine cell systems. The results were clear: Replication efficiency in bovine cells differed substantially between strains. Earlier H5N1 viruses often showed limited replication, while variants of the current outbreak from clade 2.3.4.4b, including genotypes B3.13 and D1.1, performed significantly better.

Why it matters: This variability helps explain why cattle infections are being detected now, after decades of HPAI circulation in birds. This also aligns closely with what field veterinarians are seeing: dairy cows developing clinical signs, such as reduced milk production and abnormal milk, often in the absence of severe respiratory disease.

The phenotypes of the reassortant viruses described in the study using either bovine or human cells and restriction factors as indicated.

(Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-67234-1)

Internal genes, not just surface proteins, drive adaptation

The study highlights that synergistic interactions among internal gene segments, including viral polymerase complex and non-structural genes, play a critical role in determining how well H5N1 replicated in bovine cells. This shifts the focus away from viral surface protein hemagglutinin alone.

Why it matters: Viral evolution that improves replication in cattle could occur without obvious changes to classical avian influenza red flags, complicating surveillance and risk assessment.

Adaptation does not mean inevitability, but it raises the stakes

The authors stop short of suggesting H5N1 is becoming a cattle-adapted virus. However, they do demonstrate a biological pathway for improved compatibility with bovine hosts.

Why it matters: If H5N1 continues circulating in cattle, even transiently, it carries opportunities for viral maintenance, farm-level spread, and additional spillover events.

Connecting Lab Findings to Field Observations

These results provide a critical biological framework for the unusual epidemiology seen in recent cattle detections. The finding that modern H5N1 variants replicate efficiently in bovine mammary cells explains why dairy herds, and not beef, have been the focus of this outbreak and why milk has emerged as a vital surveillance sample.

This shift in viral tropism is directly reflected in the field: Infections are typically identified not by respiratory distress but by sudden drops in milk yield and abnormal milk consistency. While commercial pasteurization ensures the general milk supply remains safe, the high viral loads in raw milk highlight a pressing need for enhanced biosecurity within the milking environment. Ultimately, when production anomalies coincide with local avian influenza activity, H5N1 testing should be considered an essential component of the diagnostic workup.

France Says Lumpy Skin Disease Is Under Control as Farmer Protests Intensify

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 14:50:21 GMT

France has declared the lumpy skin disease (LSD) outbreak in its cattle population under control, yet nationwide protests continue over the government’s strict culling policies.

Farmers have blocked highways, dumped manure and staged bonfires to oppose the slaughter of entire herds. The crisis underscores the tension between disease containment and the livelihoods of rural communities.

LSD and the French Outbreak

LSD is a highly contagious viral infection transmitted by biting insects, primarily affecting cattle and buffalo.

Infected animals show the following symptoms:

Painful skin nodules across the body.
Fever and general malaise.
Reduced milk production.

While LSD is harmless to humans, the economic consequences are severe. The disease can devastate herd productivity, trigger international trade restrictions and has historically led to the culling of thousands of cattle in Europe.

Since the first reported case in June 2025, France has confirmed 113 LSD outbreaks leading to the slaughter of 3,300 cattle, or 0.02% of the French herd, according to Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard. Farmers are being compensated for their losses; nearly 6 million euros have been paid since June.

“This disease must be eradicated. Otherwise, it could cause the death of 10% of French livestock,” Genevard says.

Farmer Opposition to Culling

French rules require the entire herd to be culled when an outbreak is detected, a practice many farmers oppose. Groups, such as Coordination Rurale, argue that slaughtering entire herds, including healthy animals, is unnecessary and economically devastating. They are instead calling for targeted measures and quarantine protocols.

🔴 #DNC — La Coordination Rurale sur @BFMTV : “Yes to vaccination, but stop to total slaughter. It’s no longer acceptable for farmers.” François Turpeau, president of the CR86. Guest on BFM TV, the President of the Coordination Rurale 86 denounced an absurd health protocol that continues to impose the systematic slaughter of entire herds, including vaccinated animals. pic.twitter.com/NSzTWqqrZR
— Coordination Rurale (@coordinationrur) December 16, 2025

“Yes to vaccination, but stop to total slaughter. It’s no longer acceptable for farmers,” says François Turpeau, president of Coordination Rurale 86.

Protests against these extreme culling measures began late last week, with farmers parking their tractors to block major highways in the country. In multiple communities, farmers have gathered outside town halls and government buildings, at times dumping or spraying manure.

Containment Strategy: Vaccination and Movement Restrictions

To curb the disease’s spread while attempting to address farmer concerns, the French Ministry of Agriculture has launched a combined strategy:

Compulsory, government-paid vaccination: A vaccination program is planned to start in the Occitanie region, targeting designated high-risk areas. The program will cover nearly 1 million cattle.
Strict movement rules: Farmers must now give 24 hours’ notice for any planned transportation of cattle, allowing authorities to monitor and restrict movement swiftly.
Transportation equipment disinfection: All equipment used for the movement of cattle outside of France must be completely sanitized.

International Implications

Although LSD has not been detected in the U.S., the French outbreak provides a cautionary tale for American cattle producers and demonstrates the challenges of balancing public health, livestock production and farmer livelihoods.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has developed standard operating procedures for LSD preparedness and response.

First Case of Avian Flu Detected in Wisconsin Dairy Herd

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 21:35:02 GMT

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in a dairy herd in Dodge County, Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced Sunday. This marks the first confirmed detection of the virus in dairy cattle in the state.

Dodge County, Wisconsin

(USDA)

The herd was identified through routine National Milk Testing Strategy screening, not the surveillance required for moving cattle across state lines. The affected farm has been quarantined, and any cattle showing signs of illness are being separated for treatment.

Bird flu has already been detected in poultry flocks in Wisconsin. On Dec. 9, state officials reported HPAI in a flock in Marquette County, which is just one county away from the affected dairy herd.

HPAI in dairy cattle has been documented in the U.S. before, with the first detections reported in March 2024 in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas. Since then, there have been more than 1,000 confirmed cases across 18 states, primarily through targeted testing and monitoring programs. While the pace of new detections has slowed in recent months, one additional confirmed case has been reported in California within the past 30 days, indicating the virus is still a threat.

HPAI Confirmed Cases in the Last 30 Days

(USDA)

Total HPAI Confirmed Cases

(USDA)

A Wake-Up Call for Dairy Biosecurity

The Wisconsin case comes as new research from Farm Journal highlights ongoing gaps in dairy biosecurity practices nationwide. A survey of more than 300 dairy producers, presented at the MILK Business Conference, found that while many operations report having biosecurity plans in place, consistent implementation and regular review remain a challenge.

According to the survey, 68% of farms with at least 250 cows say they have a biosecurity plan, yet 34% of those producers acknowledge they do not routinely review or update it. The findings point to vulnerabilities at a time when disease threats such as HPAI, New World screwworm and bovine spongiform encephalopathy continue to raise concern across the livestock sector.

(Farm Journal)

“We need biosecurity efforts to be more impactful at the ground level,” said Kirk Ramsey, professional services veterinarian with Neogen, who reviewed the survey results. “Not only to prevent major outbreaks, but also to protect employees and families from what could be carried home every day.”

As emerging diseases continue to challenge dairy operations, the research reinforces the importance of consistent, practical biosecurity measures to reduce risk and protect herd health.

What are the Symptoms of HPAI in Dairy Cattle?

As monitoring continues, officials are urging producers to stay alert for early signs of illness within their herds, as prompt detection and response remain key to limiting further spread. Signs of HPAI include:

Drop in milk production
Loss of appetite
Changes in manure consistency
Thickened or colostrum-like milk
Low-grade fever

State officials are monitoring the situation and working closely with the farm to contain the virus and prevent further spread. DATCP emphasized there is no concern for the safety of the commercial milk supply, as pasteurization eliminates the virus. The CDC considers the human health risk low.

Read more on HPAI in dairy:

Managing Anaplasmosis in Changing Herd Environments

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 18:22:51 GMT

Anaplasmosis remains one of the most persistent and frustrating vector-borne diseases affecting U.S. cattle herds. Caused by intraerythrocytic bacterium of the Anaplasma genus, usually A. marginale in cattle, this disease leads to hemolytic anemia and decreased performance, and it carries serious implications for herd health and production.

Whether you’re working with dairy or beef operations, maintaining awareness of anaplasmosis is important: Its distribution is broad, diagnostic interpretation is often challenging and management requires coordinated vet-client vigilance.

Anaplasmosis spreads through both biological and mechanical routes, making its transmission highly efficient in a range of production systems. The primary biological vectors are ticks in which the bacterium lives, as Dr. Bob Larson from Kansas State University describes.

“Anaplasmosis is one of those diseases that’s quite frustrating because it is transmitted by ticks primarily,” he says. “Anything that moves blood from one animal to another can [transmit it], but ticks fill an important role in that the organism can multiply inside ticks. So not only is it physically moving blood from one animal to another, it actually injects a bigger dose than what it took in.”

Expanding Geography and Shifting Risks

Anaplasmosis remains especially enzootic in southern Atlantic, Gulf Coast and south-central states; however, reports of infection now span most of the country. A 2020/21 survey of Ohio beef herds found a statewide Anaplasma spp. prevalence of 38.5%, with some farms testing over 50% positive. Older cattle were significantly more likely to be infected.

As tick ranges expand with shifting climates, anaplasmosis affects greater numbers of naive cattle, which can lead to big problems. Larson explains that the disease is fairly common in southeastern U.S., therefore the cattle there have more resistance and are less affected. However, a recent expansion of the tick range in Kansas had a big impact on herds.

“In the southeast and eastern portions of the state, anaplasmosis has been present long enough that a lot of the cattle have some immunity, and we don’t see the big health problems. You certainly see an occasional animal gets pretty sick, but you don’t see the big health problems,” he says. “A few years ago, the disease moved into more of the central and a little bit farther west into the state, and those herds were really susceptible. We saw some pretty bad disease outbreaks and animal deaths.”

Control of these ticks is also challenging. These pests are very tough to kill, and the existing tools for tick population management aren’t quite what we wish they were.

“Some insecticides work, but only usually for a short period of time,” Larson says. “Things like burning pastures and burning areas where ticks congregate help a little, but they’ve just not given us the tools to really drive the population of ticks down in a pasture where we know we have problems.”

Mechanical transmission remains equally important. Even in areas with low tick pressure, proper use of equipment to minimize contamination is imperative.

“As you’re working with cows, if you’re castrating, dehorning, anything where you’ve got metal instruments on syringes involved where you’re potentially transferring blood from one animal to the next, is a very effective way to spread anaplasmosis,” says Mark Johnson, Ohio State University Extension specialist. “Swapping needles animal to animal, making sure we don’t do anything to permit that blood from moving from one animal to the next, is a very important step in controlling anaplasmosis.”

Working With Infected Animals

There are some key considerations when working with cattle suffering from anaplasmosis.

Severely anemic cattle could be unsafe to handle.

With lower red blood cell counts, there is a lower amount of oxygen being delivered to the brain. This can cause animals to become aggressive.

Exercise can be dangerous or fatal.

Walking an anemic cow long distances can precipitate collapse and death.

“If I identify some animals that are affected, I don’t necessarily want to walk a mile to a squeeze chute. I really have to be cognizant of the fact that exercise is not a good thing at this point,” says Dr. Fred Gingrich, executive director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.

Treatment is helpful, but not necessarily curative.

Long-acting tetracycline antibiotics are the primary therapeutic option and can improve clinical signs and survival. However, treated cattle often remain lifelong carriers — an important point for herd-level planning.

“The sooner we identify [an affected animal], the more effective the treatment is,” Gingrich says. “The treatment, I will say, is not curative. It’s not going to get rid of anaplasmosis. It may take care of some clinical signs, but that animal is going to have to rebuild its blood cells.”

Managing Anaplasmosis

Because anaplasmosis spreads in multiple ways and can be hard to control once established, a good vet-client relationship and helping producers stay ahead of the disease is essential. This starts with assessing the herd’s risk, screening new or high-value cattle before they move and setting up biosecurity steps that limit both tick exposure and mechanical transmission. Good communication around handling practices, instrument sanitation and seasonal vector activity helps prevent problems before they start.

How Vet Visits and Biosecurity Shape Producers’ Views on Disease Preparedness

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:45:58 GMT

When it comes to animal health, what beef producers believe about disease risk can shape what they do about prevention. A recent study by Dr. Csaba Varga and his colleagues at the University of Illinois explored what influences how beef cattle producers in Illinois think about biosecurity, prevention and the threat of foreign animal diseases (FADs). The findings point to a simple, but powerful, truth: meaningful engagement with veterinarians and structured biosecurity evaluations can dramatically improve producer outlooks on disease preparedness.

The Survey

Between June and August 2022, researchers surveyed more than 500 beef producers across Illinois. They wanted to know how producers viewed disease prevention and the risk of FADs, and what factors might shape those views.

The team focused on three things:

Whether the farm had a biosecurity evaluation
Whether a veterinarian visited the farm
Whether the producer was willing to invest money in prevention measures

These factors were then compared to producers’ attitudes about disease risk and preparedness.

While the majority of respondents recognized infectious diseases could threaten their operations, attitudes toward the likelihood of an outbreak and the value of prevention varied widely.

Veterinarians Make a Clear Difference

The results showed producers who had regular veterinary visits were far more likely to think positively about disease prevention and awareness. That means simply having a vet stop by, even for routine herd checks, can strengthen a producer’s understanding of disease risk and increase confidence in prevention measures.

For veterinarians, this highlights the value of staying engaged with beef clients — not just for treatments or emergencies, but as trusted advisers on herd health and biosecurity. Every visit is a chance to start a conversation on prevention.

“Veterinarians should engage in proactive, ongoing communication with producers about the importance of biosecurity and disease prevention strategies,” Varga encourages. “Emphasizing the potential negative economic and herd health consequences of an FAD outbreak is also important to show producers the long-term benefits of investing in prevention measures. Biosecurity assessments and educating producers on how to assess their farm’s biosecurity vulnerabilities and recommend specific actions to address these gaps are also important, which were associated with better preparedness in our study.”

The Power of Biosecurity Evaluations

The same was true for producers who had a formal biosecurity evaluation. These producers were more likely to see prevention as worthwhile and to feel ready for a potential disease outbreak.

Biosecurity reviews help turn vague ideas into practical action. They pinpoint areas that need improvement, like managing visitors, animal movement, or feed deliveries, and make prevention feel achievable — rather than overwhelming.

For vets, helping producers complete or interpret these evaluations can be a simple way to boost awareness and strengthen farm-level protection.

Willingness to Invest Reflects Awareness

Producers who said they were willing to spend more money on prevention, whether through new equipment, facility upgrades or herd health programs, also tended to have stronger positive views on disease preparedness. Those same producers were also more likely to believe FAD outbreaks could happen in the U.S.. Awareness of risk seems to motivate action.

This suggests that honest, evidence-based conversations about disease threats can encourage producers to invest in prevention. When the risk feels real and relevant, preparation feels worthwhile.

Practical Takeaways for Vets and Producers

The message from this study is straightforward: regular veterinary engagement and structured biosecurity evaluations work. They improve understanding, confidence and readiness across beef operations.

For veterinarians and industry educators, practical steps could include:

Adding quick biosecurity check-ins to routine herd visits
Encouraging producers to join state or industry biosecurity programs
Showing how prevention pays off by reducing the cost and stress of disease events
Using real examples of outbreaks to make the importance of preparedness clear

Even small efforts can have lasting impacts when they come from a trusted voice.

While this study focused on Illinois, the lessons apply anywhere beef cattle are raised. With foreign animal diseases, such as lumpy skin disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza , posing threats, preparedness is a shared responsibility.

The more producers understand about prevention, and the more veterinarians engage them in those conversations, the stronger the industry becomes. Varga’s team has also developed an educational website where producers can access information on disease prevention, biosecurity best practices and FAD risks.

“Disease prevention is a shared responsibility,” Varga says. “For veterinarians, it means taking a proactive role in engaging producers through regular farm visits, biosecurity evaluations and education on emerging disease risks. For producers, it means recognizing that investing in prevention — whether through improved biosecurity, veterinary partnerships, or ongoing education — is more cost-effective than responding to an outbreak after it occurs.”

Ultimately, prevention isn’t just about protecting a single herd. It’s about building resilience across the entire beef community. That starts with everyday conversations between producers and vets.

Bluetongue Outbreak Reported in Poland

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:58:17 GMT

Bluetongue virus (BTV) continues to spread across Europe. Today, the World Organisation of Animal Health announced that Poland reported an outbreak of Bluetongue disease near the Czech border.

Bluetongue is an infectious viral disease spread by biting midges (Culicoides spp.) affecting sheep, cattle and other ruminants. It is not contagious from animal-to-animal and does not affect human health. Infections range from mild to severe depending on the species affected. Sheep are most significantly affected by BTV, while most cattle infections are asymptomatic.

Over 27 serotypes of BTV have been identified, each developing differently in its host. Immunity against one serotype provides no protection against another, making vaccination strategies complicated. The current outbreak is of serotype 3, which has been detected in many European countries since fall 2023.

This serotype has also been reported and established in the U.S. along with several others. Notably, serotype 8, which dominated in Europe from 2007 to 2010 and has high virulence with the potential for transplancental transmission in cattle, has never been reported in the U.S..

Clinical signs in cattle are rare; however, the following may be observed:

Fever
Increased respiratory rate
Teary eyes
Salivation
Stiffness
Oral ulcers
Ulcerative dermatitis

Further, susceptible cattle infected during pregnancy can abort or deliver abnormal calves.

Animals infected with BTV typically develop a serologic response within one to two weeks of exposure. There is no known cure for bluetongue; infected animals should receive supportive care to prevent secondary infection.

Salmonella Dublin Remains a Stubborn Dairy Health Challenge

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:28:30 GMT

No one wants their calves to be infected with Salmonella, but the serotype Dublin is an especially ominous threat, and it’s not going away.

According to Angel Abuela, veterinarian and instructor of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Salmonella Dublin has become substantially more prevalent in dairy and calf-rearing facilities in the U.S. and Canada since 2012.

At the 2025 Recent Graduate Conference of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, Abuela briefed young veterinarians on the characteristics and challenges presented by S. Dublin.

While Salmonella is most often associated with scours in calves, he notes S. Dublin usually causes pneumonia, respiratory distress and fevers instead. Calves appear listless, anorexic, dehydrated and can also suffer from septicemia and arthritis. Bloody scours are possible but not very common.

Acute infections of S. Dublin typically strike calves at 2 to 12 weeks of age, and sudden death within one to two days after onset of illness can occur due to endotoxic shock. Data from S. Dublin outbreaks shows up to about one-third of infected calves became clinically sick, and about a quarter of calves with confirmed S. Dublin diagnosis died.

For those that survive, lingering effects can include poor growth rate, ill thrift, lameness due to arthritis, and loose stools. It is less common in adult animals, but when infected, those older cattle can experience a sudden drop in milk production, slight fever, mild diarrhea and abortion. Persistent infection with intermittent fecal shedding during times of stress is also possible in adult cows.

In addition to its critical impacts on cattle health, two distinct characteristics of S. Dublin make it a high-level concern: its multi-drug resistance properties and its potential effects on human health.

“In the U.S., S. Dublin has become one of cattle’s most important multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria,” Abuela notes. “The MDR has complicated the treatment of clinically sick animals and has become a threat to human medicine.”

S. Dublin is resistant to many common antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections in animals and humans. Currently, there are no approved antibiotics for veterinary use to treat S. Dublin. Abuela notes the only therapeutic tools are supportive care, including fluid therapy to correct dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, along with anti-inflammatory therapy.

As a zoonotic disease, it is possible for S. Dublin infections to spread from ill animals to humans, causing severe digestive illness and bacterial infections of the bloodstream. While uncommon, S. Dublin infections in humans are most likely to occur in the individuals caring for sick animals, including farm personnel and veterinarians who might accidentally ingest infected animal feces or fluids.

Abuela recommends the following on-farm offense strategies to help minimize the transmission of S. Dublin infections in cattle:

Providing clean, dry calving pens and avoiding large group-calving areas.
Removing calves from contact with their dams’ feces as soon as possible after birth.
Placing calves in a clean environment, where they have no contact with other calves or adult cattle.
Maintaining strict control of colostrum management.
Feeding pasteurized, rather than raw, milk to calves.
Identifying and isolating newly sick cattle immediately and ensuring that farm personnel handle sick cattle separately.
Sanitizing and disinfecting all equipment used between animals.
Ensuring personnel wash hands, boots and any common equipment used between groups of animals.

A herd veterinarian should investigate suspected cases of S. Dublin for a full diagnostic work-up, treatment and prevention plan.

Your Next Read:
3 Tips to Get Ahead of Low Milk Prices in 2026

Europe's Outbreaks Raise Alarms: Is Lumpy Skin Disease Headed Here?

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:53:14 GMT

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is making its way through Western Europe. There is a current outbreak in France with recent cases being reported along the Spanish border. First seen in Zambia in 1929, the disease has since spread north through Africa with outbreaks in Israel in 1989, the Middle East in the 2000s, and in 2013 it was detected in Turkey and the Balkans. Since then, LSD has been reported in Georgia, Russia, Bangladesh and China. LSD has never been detected in the Western hemisphere or Australia.

LSD is an infectious disease of cattle and water buffalo. It is characterized by firm, round nodules on the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs that can ulcerate, fever, emaciation, enlarged lymph nodes, skin edema, decreased fertility and can result in death. Cattle affected by LSD have exhibited physical weakness, reduced milk production, poor growth, infertility and increased abortion rates.

LSD is transmitted primarily through blood-feeding insect bites (flies, mosquitoes, ticks), but it can also be spread by direct contact between animals. Control relies on prompt detection, control of animal movement and vaccination.

While this virus is not a threat to humans, its production impacts on cattle can be severe. LSD morbidity can vary widely between herds depending on vaccination status. Mortality is usually low, but production losses result in an economic hit for producers due to decreased performance, costs of care and the potential for trade bans. In addition, secondary bacterial infections of the skin lesions can increase morbidity and extend recovery times. Because biting insects are the main transmission route, LSD risk is seasonal, increasing during warm, wet periods.

The Current LSD Situation

In 2025, several western and southern European countries that had been free of LSD reported their first confirmed outbreaks. Italy and France recorded initial cases in June, while Spain reported its first case this month. Last week, France banned cattle exports and bullfighting, while Spain announced a cull of affected animals and export limitations as LSD continues to spread.

La dermatosis nodular llega a España y frena el millonario negocio de vacuno con Marruecoshttps://t.co/WetPY0WLTI
— Efeagro (@Efeagro) October 15, 2025

Authorities in affected countries have implemented vaccination campaigns, movement controls and heightened surveillance. Regional and international bodies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health, have convened experts to coordinate a response and have put together information sheets to aid in the development of LSD Contigency Plans and to answer any LSD vaccination questions .

What the U.S. Needs to Know

To date, the U.S. has not reported endemic LSD in domestic cattle, but USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has developed standard operating procedures for the disease. This document is meant to bolster the preparedness of the U.S. for LSD occurrence and outlines the ecology of LSD, as well as information on vaccination and disease control. The FAO has also created an accredited veterinary LSD preparedness course .

The sudden appearance of characteristic skin nodules, concurrent fever or unexplained drops in milk yield should be treated as suspicious and warrant immediate reporting to state animal health officials.

The following are some practical points for producers and vets surrounding LSD:

Know the signs: Multiple round, firm skin nodules (sometimes with ulceration), fever, swollen lymph nodes and sharp milk production drops.
Report quickly: Early notification to a veterinarian and a state health official triggers tracing, testing and control measures that limit spread.
Vector reduction: Reduce insect breeding sites, use physical barriers (screens and fans), and consider using insecticides to lower transmission.
Movement control and biosecurity: Quarantine suspect animals, disinfect equipment and limit personnel traffic to reduce mechanical spread.
Vaccination planning: Where outbreaks have occurred, mass vaccination has been a key tool to control spread. No specific LSD vaccine is currently approved for use in the U.S. as it has not been prevalent here.

LSD is primarily an animal health and economic threat rather than a public health threat, but its expanding geographic reach over the past decade should put previously unaffected regions on alert.

New World Screwworm: The Billion Dollar Battle at the Southern Border

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:27:59 GMT

Nearly 60 years ago, the U.S. eradicated New World screwworm (NWS). Today, the risk of reintroduction is real. So real that Ethan Lane with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) says it’s not a matter of if NWS will reach the U.S. but when.

“We need to spend $300 million now to save us $8 billion down the line in eradication costs,” says Lane, who serves as the senior vice president of government affairs. “This is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s going to take years to re-eradicate New World Screwworm and push it back to Panama.”

As the fight to keep NWS out of the U.S. ramps up, the economic impact on ranchers and the industry is top of mind.

“Successfully eradicating New World screwworm from the U.S. in 1966 cost stakeholders’ tens of millions of dollars,” says TR Lansford III, DVM, deputy executive director and assistant state veterinarian with the Texas Animal Health Commission. “The freedom from NWS provides an estimated $1 billion in direct benefits to livestock producers and $3.7 billion in benefits to the general economy annually.”

Financial Impact of NWS On Ranchers
Regular, large-scale outbreaks of NWS started occurring in the U.S. in the 1930s. According to APHIS, producer losses have reached:

1930s and 1940s — $5 million to $10 million per year
1950s and 1960s — $60 million to $120 million per year
1970s — $132.1 million per year (While the U.S. successfully eradicated the devastating pest, there have been outbreaks, primarily in Texas, since then.)

(APHIS)

Experts agree if NWS reaches the U.S., eradication today will be far more expensive due to the size of the cattle herd, speed and distance of cattle movement in commerce, and increased wildlife interfaces.

“Historically it cost tens of millions, and now it’s estimated to cost into the billions of dollars to eradicate this pest if it gets back to the U.S,” Lansford says.

Based on historical data from an isolated outbreak in Texas in 1976, per-head impact reached $452 in today’s dollars, totaling $732 million.

“[NWS] is a highly impactful foreign animal pest because it is expensive and deadly,” Lansford says. “Back in 1935, when screwworms were endemic in Texas, the state lost about 180,000 head of cattle alone in that year.”

Lansford says the industry will see decreased livestock production and increased veterinary services, medication, insecticide, labor and vehicle costs for the inspection and treatment of NWS.

“Infested wounds and/or mucous membranes and lesions created by this pest cause significant distress and damage to an animal, which can lead to chronic conditions making the animal less marketable and less productive in its lifespan,” he adds.

USDA Investment to Fight NWS
The reopening of Moore Air Base in Texas as a sterile fly distribution facility has an estimated price tag of $8.5 million. A brand new production facility, which would take two to three years to build would cost $300 to $600 million, depending on location and resources.

“That doesn’t include what it would cost to continue to operate one of those facilities,” Lansford says. “Certainly, research dollars also need to be spent to develop more effective treatments and other methods and modalities that we can use to help offset not only the infestations, but help prevent those infestations.”

USDA is also investing $21 million in the renovation of an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, to further the long-term goal of eradicating NWS.

Border Closing Impacts U.S. Cattle Industry
Since May, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has suspended imports of live cattle, horses and bison from Mexico to keep NWS out of the U.S. Many U.S. cattle feeders depend on Mexican cattle to fill feedlots, especially now when the U.S. cattle inventory is at a 74-year low.

“Mexico exports, on average, 1.2 million head of cattle to the U.S. each year,” says Kathy Simmons, chief veterinarian for NCBA.

Obviously, that number will take a hit with the border closed, but Simmons says even prior to the May 11 suspension, mitigation protocols for NWS, including wound inspections, for cattle from Mexico allowed less than 25% of the usual numbers to cross the southern border each month.

As the U.S. fights to limit the impact of NWS, it’s a long-term battle, reminds Lane with NCBA.

“They’re getting those flies on that leading edge of the incursion. As I understand it, that is slowing the advance in a way that is very good to see,” he says. “The fact is, there are just so many different vectors. There are so many different ways this thing can move north, and we’re going into the hot season where flies thrive. So it’s really about slowing it, about preparing and about making sure we have the resources to meet it and push it back down as quickly as possible. But certainly everyone’s trying to focus right now on trying to hold the line as much as humanly possible.”

As Lansford has come to realize: “This pest will be one that leaves quite a mark on our economy.”

Your next read: How to Win Beef Consumers’ Trust: Authenticity and Responding to Concerns

Rollins Rolls Out 5-Point Plan to Contain New World Screwworm

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 19:02:02 GMT

Today Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a five-pronged plan to combat New World screwworm (NWS) – a pest that would devastate ranchers if it made its way across the border.

Rollins made her announcement at the Moore Air Base facility near Edinburg, Texas. Moore was instrumental as a sterile fly production lab to rid the U.S. of NWS in the 1960s and 1970s. Hundreds of millions of flies were reared, sterilized with radiation and dropped from aircraft to eliminate the parasitic pest that preyed upon wildlife and livestock. According to a USDA spokesperson it will cost an estimated $8.5 million to get the base up and running as a distribution facility.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins this morning launched an $8.5 million sterile New World screwworm (NWS) fly dispersal facility in South Texas and announced a plan to enhance USDA’s already robust ability to detect, control, and eliminate this pest.

(U.S. Department of Agriculture)

According to the Texas Wildlife Association , there are currently more than 1,800 cases of livestock infestation in southern Mexico. The flies are moving north and are currently 600 miles from the south Texas border.

“We have defeated the screwworm before, and we will do it again,” Rollins says.

Here in McAllen, TX to announce a BOLD 5-pronged plan to combat the deadly parasite called New World Screwworm – which would devastate ranchers if it made its way across the border.

We are protecting producers, strengthening biosecurity, and ALWAYS standing up for American… pic.twitter.com/VHOlqZyZ9a
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) June 18, 2025

Her five-pronged plan to combat NWS includes:

Stop the pest from spreading in Mexico.
Rollins plans to continue partnering with her Mexican counterparts and using sterile insect technology to stop the spread. This includes investing $21 million to produce up to 100 million additional sterile flies weekly.

“We are first enhancing the international sterile fly production and investing $21 million in renovation of an existing fly facility in southern Mexico, which will provide up to 100 million additional sterile flies every week to stop the spread,” Rollins says.

Currently, the only sterile fly facility is located in Panama. It’s jointly run by the Panamanian government and the U.S. government. USDA had previously announced its plan to invest in the retrofiting of a fruit fly facility in Chiapas, Mexico, to produce additional sterile flies.

According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association , “The Chiapas facility produces about 117 million flies per week, but to form an effective barrier along the U.S. southern border, we need upward of 300 million sterile flies per week.”
Protect the U.S. at all costs.
Rollins temporarily closed the southern border to live animal imports and intercepting illegally introduced livestock. USDA is working closely with Mexico to improve surveillance.

“I do believe we have met and moved into a new era of productive partnership —perhaps better than ever before — with our Mexican counterparts,” Rollins says.
Maximize our readiness.
This will be achieved by partnering with state animal health officials to update emergency management plans and stockpile therapeutics for ranchers.
Take the fight to the screwworm.
The domestic fight includes establishing a sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base. Rollins says they are exploring options for building a domestic production facility at Moore that could produce up to 300 million sterile flies per week.

“We can’t get a brand new facility up and running probably before two or three years. So, that’s why we’ve got to really focus on the today,” Rollins explains.

She also announced USDA will be hosting listening sessions in affected areas starting next week.
Innovate Our Way to Eradication.
Leverage the sound science including USDA’s Agriculture Research Service (ARS) to continue to quickly develop novel treatments, preventatives and response strategies. Rollins says this includes working with land grant universities in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. She listed these key strategies during the press conference:
- Develop better fly traps and lures
- Provide local training
- Improve surveillance methods
- Create new response strategies

Nearly 80 lawmakers led by House Ag Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Pa.) sent a bipartisan letter on Tuesday to Rollins urging immediate action and promising congressional support for the significant funding required.

The letter included this message, “When looking solely at the historical impact of NWS in Texas, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) estimates a contemporary outbreak would cost producers $732 million per year and the Texas economy a loss of $1.8 billion. Extrapolating those results to the states within the historic range of NWS pre-eradication, a contemporary outbreak of NWS could cost producers $4.3 billion per year and cause a total economic loss of more than $10.6 billion. This does not account for the possible expansion of NWS beyond the historic range.”

U.S. Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) was at the announcement and recently shared in a letter to Rollins these key advantages of the Moore Air Base location:

Border proximity: The proximity to the border with Mexico is crucial for effective monitoring and control of potential incursions of invasive fly species. A facility in this region would allow for rapid response and containment, minimizing the spread of infestations into the U.S.
Existing agricultural infrastructure: The region boasts a robust agricultural sector with established infrastructure and expertise in livestock management. This existing framework would facilitate efficient integration of the sterile fly facility and streamline its operations. Additionally, Moore Air Base has operations runways equipped to distribute sterile flies.
Strategic location: Moore Air Base offers a central location for distribution of sterile flies to other areas in the southern U.S., if such a need arises. Additionally, this base was the site of a facility used in the 1960s to successfully combat NWS.
Economic impact: The establishment of such a facility would provide valuable economic opportunities for the region by generating jobs and stimulating local economies.

U.S. Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) summarized at the announcement, “This is important to the whole country. We are going to be aggressive about this, and we are going to make sure that we don’t get screwed by the screwworm.”

Your Next Read: Urgency in Action: We Must Eradicate New World Screwworm

7 Management Practices for BRD Mitigation

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 13:44:10 GMT

The threat of disease-causing bacteria, Mycoplasma bovis, has risen with the increase of comingling in confinement cow-calf operations, according to Vickie Cooper, DVM, a Zoetis beef technical services from Iowa.

M. bovis causes bovine respiratory disease (BRD), targeting beef calves, and leads to irreversible lung damage, mortality, and higher production costs, she adds.

The bacteria are present in the respiratory system of perfectly normal calves but become a bigger problem when calves face stressors such as transportation, commingling, entry into the feedlot, and weather changes, Cooper explains.

Although disease symptoms are similar, the nature of M. bovis makes this pathogen more challenging to detect and treat than other BRD-causing pathogens, she adds.

“Mycoplasma bovis operates a bit like a chameleon,” Cooper says. “The organism lacks a cell wall, and has variable surface proteins, so mycoplasmas can assume many forms and are very good at evading the calf’s immune system.”

The lack of a cell wall also makes treatment more difficult.

“Symptoms must be caught very early for treatment to be effective,” Cooper says. “Mycoplasmas will begin forming communities within the lung, and once those communities are formed, it becomes very difficult for an antibiotic to penetrate the lesion and control the mycoplasmas.”

Management practices for BRD mitigation include:

Minimize commingling where possible and segregate groups based on age, sex and arrival date.
Provide good ventilation and avoid overcrowding.
Maintain proper sanitation of equipment and pens.
Provide adequate nutrition with fresh feed and clean water.
Use low-stress cattle handling techniques.
Provide adequate shelter and avoid dusty environments.
Consult your herd veterinarian for operation-specific strategies.

“We need to focus on doing all of the small things well,” Cooper says.

She encourages producers to work with their herd veterinarian to identify opportunities for improving calf management to limit the risk of M. bovis and other disease-causing pathogens.

Preventing BRD caused by M. bovis through vaccination

Helping to prevent M. bovis infection includes focusing on a calf’s environment and a vaccination program.

“Depending on your management practices and disease prevalence, Protivity may be a great fit for your herd,” Cooper says. “But a solid vaccination program only works if other preventive practices that prioritize calf well-being are also in place.”

Your next read: Young California Couple Returns to Ranch to Build Beef Business

Chinese Scientist Accused Of Smuggling ‘Potential Agroterrorism Weapon’ Into the U.S.

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:39:56 GMT

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with trying to smuggle a fungus, Fusarium graminearum, into the United States.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, citizens of the People’s Republic of China, were charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the U.S., false statements and visa fraud.

The charges against the pair were unsealed in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, on Tuesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office references Fusarium graminearum online as a “dangerous biological pathogen … which scientific literature classifies as a potential agroterrorism weapon.”

Fusarium graminearum causes significant diseases in a number of U.S.-grown food crops, including corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and rice.

Diseases caused include Fusarium head blight (scab) in wheat, and two corn diseases Gibberella ear rot and Gibberella stalk rot , which can lower yield and feed quality of silage corn, according to the Crop Protection Network, a partnership of land grant universities.

Toxins the fungus produces can cause vomiting, liver damage, reproductive defects and mycotoxin-induced immunosuppression in humans and livestock, including cattle, hogs, horses and poultry.

One Scientist Arrested, One Returned To China
The 25-page criminal complaint alleges Liu tried to smuggle the fungus through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DMA) in July 2024, so he could study it at a University of Michigan laboratory where his girlfriend, Yunqing Jian, worked at the time.

Jian had been living in the U.S. and working at the university laboratory since 2022.

The roots of the case involving Yunqing Jian, 33, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, 34, stretch back to March 2024. That is when Liu applied for a B2 tourist visa to enter the U.S.

(The Detroit News and Sanilac County Jail)

According to the criminal complaint, Jian and Liu had both previously conducted work on the fungus in China.

Officials further allege Jian received funding from the Chinese government for her research on the pathogen in China. They also claim she is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

Jian, who was arrested by the FBI, remains in federal custody. On Thursday, her detention hearing was adjourned until 1 p.m. June 13 to allow time for a new defense attorney to get up to speed.

Liu was sent back to China last year after changing his story during an interrogation at the Detroit airport about red plant material discovered in a wad of tissues in his backpack, the FBI says.

The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China, which makes Liu’s arrest unlikely unless he returns.

In a statement released on June 3, the University of Michigan said it condemns “any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission.”

“It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals,” the university added. “We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution.”

In a statement released on June 3, the University of Michigan said it condemns “any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s critical public mission.”

(Michigan News Source)

Boyfriend Spills Intentions To Investigators
An article in The Detroit News said Liu told investigators during an interrogation at the Detroit airport he planned to clone the different strains and make additional samples if the experiments on the reddish plant material failed, according to the government.

“Liu stated that he intentionally hid the samples in his backpack because he knew there were restrictions on the importation of the materials,” an FBI agent wrote. “Liu confirmed that he had intentionally put the samples in a wad of tissues so CBP officers would be less likely to find and confiscate them, and he could continue his research in the United States.”

Liu told investigators he planned on using UM’s Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Laboratory to research the biological materials, the FBI agent wrote.

“Liu stated that, while he was in the United States, he would have free access to the laboratory at the University of Michigan on some days, and that other days his girlfriend would give him access to the laboratory to conduct his research,” The Detroit News article reported.

Before preventing Liu from entering the U.S. and sending him back to China, the investigators found messages between the couple that indicate Jian previously smuggled biological material into the U.S., the FBI agent wrote.

The messages are from August 2022 and discuss smuggling seeds into the U.S.

Lawmakers Respond To The Criminal Complaint
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that the Justice Department “has no higher mission than keeping the American people safe and protecting our nation from hostile foreign actors who would do us harm.”

“Thanks to the hard work of our excellent DOJ attorneys, this defendant — who clandestinely attempted to bring a destructive substance into the United States — will face years behind bars,” the attorney general says.

“I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on Tuesday.

(FBI)

FBI Director Kash Patel addressed the arrest of Jian late Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter.

“This case is a sobering reminder that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is working around the clock to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate American institutions and target our food supply, which would have grave consequences … putting American lives and our economy at serious risk.”

U.S. Custom and Border Protection, Director of Field Operations Marty C. Raybon says the criminal charges against Jian and Liu are indicative of CBP’s critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate its agricultural economy and cause harm to humans.

“This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners,” says Raybon in a prepared statement. “I’m grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America’s national security interests.”

Your next read: Surveillance State: Game Wardens Sued for Secret Private Land Intrusions in Alabama

Urgency in Action: We Must Eradicate New World Screwworm

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:53:14 GMT

New World screwworm (NWS) continues to threaten the U.S. cattle industry. The potential impact is devastating — the larvae can kill an animal in just four to seven days if not quickly detected and treated.

Colin Woodall, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO, discussed the hurdles of controlling the spread of NSW on the latest episode of the “Unscripted” podcast .

“We have to eradicate it from here,” Woodall stresses. “We need to eradicate it from Mexico. We need to eradicate it from Central America. We need to push this thing all the way back down to South America.”

The NSW fly and its larvae are flesh-eating parasites that pose a significant threat to warm-blooded animals.

“This is not just a cattle issue,” Woodall says. “This could be dogs. This can be cats. It can get into people. So, anything that is warm blooded could be a host for this flesh-eating parasite.”

Woodall says NSW is approximately 700 miles from the U.S. border, having breached the isthmus of Mexico in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, adding that Texas is expected to be the first point of entry if the fly continues to move north.

“We’re going to look at every eradication option possible, because we have to get rid of this thing,” he says. “This is not something that can become endemic to United States. We have to eradicate it from here.”

Woodall says the situation has been complicated by cooperation challenges with Mexico. Earlier attempts to transport sterile flies were hindered by bureaucratic obstacles, with planes unable to land and flies dying before deployment. This led Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to close the border, sending a clear signal to the Mexican government about the need for more serious action.

He explains cooperation has reportedly improved, with USDA teams planning to visit Mexico to assess the current situation. The primary strategy for control involves releasing sterile flies into the wild to disrupt breeding and push the population back southward.

Woodall says NCBA is actively working on several fronts to address the threat:

Pushing for the establishment of a domestic sterile fly production facility.
Exploring genetic engineering technologies for fly control.
Investigating treatment options (such as ivermectin) and helping producers understand how to detect and treat potential infections quickly. Woodall says treatment is possible, explaining ivermectin has proven effective in killing larvae and treating wounds. However, early detection is crucial due to the rapid progression of infection.
Conducting education and awareness campaigns to explain the threat without causing panic. He says misinformation has been a significant challenge. A recent false report about NSW in Missouri caused panic and temporarily impacted cattle prices. He adds that while the threat is serious, it’s not a cause for panic.

“While everybody needs to be aware, they don’t need to panic, and that’s the thing we want everybody to understand,” Woodall summarizes.

NCBA is taking an active role in addressing the threat of NSW through education, technological exploration, government collaboration and a clear commitment to preventing its spread.

Your Next Read: Secretary Rollins Announces $21 Million Investment to Renovate Fruit Fly Production Facility

Is That Cattle Herpes or a Rash?

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 14:44:22 GMT

A cow with signs of a urinary tract infection was treated by a veterinarian and then later developed bumps on her vulva. The veterinarian diagnosed the cow with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR). Also known as “red nose,” IBR is a contagious viral disease caused by the bovine herpesvirus type 1 (BHV-1).

Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute experts discussed the diagnosis and cattle herpes during a recent “ Cattle Chat ” podcast.

K-State veterinarian Bob Larson says herpes is a common and highly contagious virus in cattle. The virus typically creates vesicles (small bumps) in two primary locations — the respiratory tract and the reproductive tract. These vesicles appear on areas such as the nose, penis, prepuce and vulva.

While the virus is widespread, clinical symptoms are relatively rare due to existing immunity from vaccines and natural exposure. However, when symptoms do appear, they can be significant. The most concerning potential complication is abortion, which can occur weeks after the initial infection.

Brian Lubbers, K-State veterinarian, says like human herpes, the cattle herpes virus can become dormant in nerve roots after initial infection. This means the virus can remain inactive and then reactivate under stress, similar to how humans experience cold sore recurrences.

The discussion highlighted how herpes can enter a herd, particularly in closed herds. In this case, a recently purchased bull likely introduced the virus. Most cattle herds already have animals that are carriers, making transmission relatively common.

Diagnosing IBR
The K-State veterinarians emphasized the importance of proper veterinary diagnosis. While the veterinarian suspected herpes in the example mentioned, Lubbers notes the need to rule out other conditions like trichomoniasis, which can cause similar reproductive tract symptoms.

He says the key diagnostic considerations include:

Examine the location and nature of bumps (external versus internal reproductive tract)
Check for additional symptoms like discharge
Conduct appropriate veterinary testing to confirm the specific disease

Management Strategies

The discussion included several management recommendations.

“Our vaccines for IBR herpes virus are pretty effective,” Larson says. “So, a lot of cattle have decent immunity to herpes virus, either from natural exposure or vaccines, or probably a little bit of both.”

If you suspect IBR after vaccination, Larson suggests reviewing and potentially updating current vaccination strategies.

“Recheck your vaccine protocol, make sure that you’re using the vaccines appropriately,” he explains.

He adds vaccinating during an active outbreak might not change the immediate outcome.

If a producer suspects IBR, they should closely watch the herd for potential abortion events in the weeks following the initial infection.

Selling Considerations

The experts addressed the concern about selling an infected cow.

“Lots of herpes carriers are getting sold,” Lubbers notes.

The K-State experts encourage producers not to sell one that is clinically ill and to consult sale barn regulations regarding disease-specific selling restrictions.

Proper understanding, veterinary guidance and proactive management can help producers effectively navigate cattle herpes.

Your Next Read: Five Pre-Pasture Turnout Tips

U.S. Cattle Industry Urges Mexico's Border to Remain Closed Over Spread of New World Screwworm

Tue, 13 May 2025 20:26:20 GMT

New World screwworm (NWS) has been detected in Mexico only 700 miles from the U.S. border. With the impending threat, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) says it’s not a matter of if the U.S. gets the deadly pest — but when.

Mexican officials said Tuesday they won’t close the southern border to cattle from Central America, but the U.S. cattle industry strong supports USDA’s decision over the weekend to suspend cattle, horse and bison imports from Mexico , saying the 15-day suspension will likely be extended due to Mexico’s lack of action so far.

NWS Detected 700 Miles From the U.S.
It’s an issue that started in November. The detection of NWS in Chiapas, which is near the Guatemala border, caused USDA to close the border to cattle imports. While shipments resumed in February, USDA says Mexico isn’t doing enough to eradicate the invasive pest, causing an even greater threat to the U.S. cattle industry. And now NCBA wants the U.S. to ramp up efforts as well.

“When we discovered New World screwworm flies in the southern border of Mexico right before Thanksgiving back in November, at that point in time, USDA provided counsel, they provided some money to help the Mexican government try to stop the incursion of the fly,” Colin Woodall, CEO of NCBA, told AgriTalk’s Chip Flory.

“But unfortunately, because of the ineptitude of the Mexican government, quite frankly, the corruption of the Mexican government, the inability to actually allow the planes that are carrying the sterile males to land and to be able to do their job, they have now come further north,” Woodall says. “And right now we know that New World screwworm flies have been detected just 700 miles south of the U.S. Border.”

Woodall told AgriTalk’s Flory that the pest is now way too close for comfort.

Mexico Won’t Close Mexico/Central America Border
According to Reuters, Mexico’s agriculture minister said on Tuesday it will take a long time to eradicate the pest. While the officials said they won’t close Mexico’s southern border to cattle from Central America, Mexico will tighten the flow of cattle from the south of the country to limit the potential spread of the screwworm.

“We are going to be restricting cattle movement from the south of the country much more tightly,” Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegue said on Tuesday, adding that “closing the border is a complex issue that needs to be carefully analyzed, because it also impacts the national meat supply.”

MEXICO AGRICULTURE MINISTER:

WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO ERADICATE SCREWWORM FROM MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA
— PiQ (@PiQSuite) May 13, 2025

Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, spoke with Drovers about the geography of southern Mexico and how the NWS has been able to move further north.

“Mexico has that narrow point down there at the bottom, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, then to the east of it is the Yucatan Peninsula. To the west is the rest of Mexico, and that narrow gap is, historically, where we established the boundary way back when,” Peel explains. “When we initially controlled screw worm in the U.S., we pushed it down through Mexico and got it past below that isthmus, and that was the boundary for years. Then we eventually got it down to Panama, but it got away from them. In Panama, it came back up through Central America, and now that’s the reason we closed the border. It’s actually jumped past that isthmus and is into a part of Mexico now where it’s going to be increasingly difficult to contain it, just physically. That’s the concern and the reason for this latest action.”

NCBA Blames Corruption in Mexico’s Government
Woodall told AgriTalk the country has poorly managed the situation so far and was pointed with his words, saying it’s because of the Mexican government’s failures that Rollins stepped up and closed the border on Sunday to “send a very clear signal that they have failed, and they’ve got to step up their approach.”

“We do know that the first meeting to review the ban is in about 15 days, and then it’ll be reviewed on a month-by-month basis,” Woodall said on AgriTalk. “That’s what the secretary has said. But unless they do something miraculous as far as changing the approach that they are taking in trying to address this in Mexico, I doubt that it’ll be lifted in 15 days just because of what we’ve already seen. They’ve had six months to step up here and try to address it, and they’ve fumbled the ball.”

“They’ve had six months to step up here and try to address it, and they’ve fumbled the ball.”

Colin Woodall, Chief Executive Officer, NCBA

The corruption claims are rooted in what the U.S. has experienced over the past several months. As the U.S. has tried to ramp up efforts to help stop the spread, Woodall told Flory that there have been instances where the government wouldn’t allow U.S. planes to fly over impacted areas, or not allow those planes to land.

“Will they allow that without additional hurdles or trying to extort money from these planes?” Woodall says. “Will they be true cooperators in helping us get those sterile flies delivered into the country? And can we show that there is a check in their northern approach? If we can look at some things like that, then we’ll be willing to go back to the table, because as I said, we know that this is an economic impact on us, but it’s also a pest that we do not want here domestically.”

The Risks of NWS If It Enters the U.S.
The risks are high. Not only is the U.S. beef cattle herd the smallest in more than 60 years, NWS can be lethal to other species.

“We have to be prepared, and that’s why I talked about it. We need to make sure producers understand what to look for because if you don’t catch it fast, you’re going to lose that animal,” Woodall says. “Also this is not just a cattle issue; we’re talking all warm-blooded animals. This can be on birds. This can be on hogs. It can be in pets like dogs. And it can be in people. So, this is going to be a significant issue that we have to deal with not just as a cattle industry, but us in agriculture because I think it also could look really bad from an optics standpoint if somebody’s dog gets screwworms and they want to blame us as agriculture for being responsible for it.”

“This is not just a cattle issue; we’re talking all warm-blooded animals. This can be on birds. This can be on hogs. It can be in pets like dogs. And it can be in people.”

Colin Woodall, CEO of NCBA

Woodall says NWS is a nasty parasite. It hasn’t been in the U.S. since the 1960s, but the reason it’s so difficult to manage is it lays larva, and the larva dig into the flesh of the animal, basically eating the flesh.

“That’s how it develops,” Woodall says. “And so, if it’s not treated, within four to seven days, you can lose an animal. This is a significant animal health issue.”

Currently, there’s a sterile fly production facility in Panama. Jointly funded by the U.S. government, the facility produces a little more than 100 million sterile flies a week, according to Woodall.

“Now, when we were dealing with this down in southern Mexico, 100 million were enough to be able to stop it,” he says. “But now that they have gone through that phytosanitary border and are coming north, that’s no longer going to be enough. We do not have enough sterile flies.”

NCBA Is Working with Congress and USDA to Ramp Up Sterile Fly Production Domestically
NCBA is talking to both USDA and Congress about building a sterile fly production facility in the U.S. When NWS was a problem in the U.S. more than 60 years ago, there was a production facility based in Texas.

There is legislation to do just that. The STOP Screwworms Act was introduced by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). It would fund the opening of a new sterile fly facility in the United States, with the legislators saying the bill would help protect both livestock and human health from the New World screwworm.

“One of the things that we’re also talking to the secretary about and also with Congress is how do we have the funding to build a sterile fly production facility here in the United States because that is the only way we’re going to stop these flies, get them out of the United States, out of Mexico, and ultimately push back into South America,” he says.

“One of the things that we’re also talking to the secretary about and also with Congress is do we have the funding to build a sterile fly production facility here in the United States?”

Colin Woodall, CEO, NCBA

He says in the ‘60s, it took more than 400 million sterile flies a week to eradicate the issue.

“We are focused on getting the domestic production up and running as quickly as possible, so is Secretary Rollins,” Woodall says. “She’s doing a tremendous job in leading this effort. This is something that she has taken on personally. And so I have a lot of faith in her and her willingness to help us as an industry push back this pest, eradicate it as quickly as possible and try to get back to normal training.”

Groups like the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) also support a bill to protect the U.S. from NWS.

“The STOP Screwworms Act is a vital step in protecting the U.S. cattle herd from the growing threat of the New World screwworm. This legislation provides USDA the support needed to construct or retrofit domestic sterile fly production infrastructure which Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association believes is essential in preventing a widespread outbreak,” President Carl Ray Polk Jr. said in a statement. “We are grateful to both Sen. Cornyn and Rep. Gonzales who understand the importance of acting quickly to support cattle raisers and ensuring the threat of the New World screwworm is taken seriously at the highest levels in Washington.”

Read More: U.S. Suspends Mexican Cattle, Horse and Bison Imports Over Screwworm Pest

USDA Maintains Cattle Imports Amid Second New World Screwworm Case in Mexico

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 14:35:44 GMT

USDA announced it will not impose new restrictions on cattle imports from Mexico despite the latest detection of New World screwworm in a cow from Tabasco state. The decision follows the agency’s implementation of a pre-clearance inspection and treatment protocol, which aims to ensure safe livestock movement and mitigate screwworm risks. This comes after a previous screwworm case prompted Washington to halt Mexican cattle shipments in November, exacerbating already tight U.S. cattle supplies.

On Feb. 1, USDA’s APHIS announced the resumption of cattle and bison imports from Mexico under a new comprehensive protocol. With herd levels at a 74-year low and high beef prices, traders had speculated during Tuesday trading that another import ban might follow, briefly driving up feeder cattle futures.

The new comprehensive protocol includes:

Pre-export inspection pens in San Jeronimo, Chihuahua, and Agua Prieta, Sonora
Multiple veterinary inspections and treatments
Insecticide dipping of approved animals
Final APHIS inspection before crossing at designated ports of entry
The United States and Mexico have been working to approve additional pre-export inspection pens and reopen trade through other ports of entry.

APHIS has allocated $165 million in emergency funding to protect U.S. livestock, pets, and wildlife from the NWS threat. The agency is also collaborating with partners in Mexico and Central America to eradicate the parasite and restore the biological barrier in Panama, including the deployment of sterile flies to control the screwworm population.

Second Bird Flu Strain Found in U.S. Dairy Cattle, USDA says

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 14:36:48 GMT

U.S. dairy cattle tested positive for a strain of bird flu that previously had not been seen in cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday, ramping up concerns about the persistent spread of the virus.

The H5N1 virus has reduced milk output in cattle, pushed up egg prices by wiping out millions of hens, and infected nearly 70 people since April as it has spread across the country.

Genome sequencing of milk from Nevada identified the different strain, known as the D1.1 genotype, in dairy cows for the first time, the USDA said. Previously, all 957 bird flu infections among dairy herds reported since last March had been caused by another strain, the B3.13 genotype, according to the agency.

Reuters reported news of the detection of the second strain on Wednesday ahead of USDA’s announcement.

The second strain was the predominant genotype among wild birds this past fall and winter and has also been found in poultry, the USDA said. It was identified in dairy cattle through an agency program that began testing milk for bird flu in December.

“We’re seeing the H5N1 virus itself be smarter than all of us,” said Beth Thompson, South Dakota’s state veterinarian.

“It’s modifying itself so it’s not just staying in the poultry and the wild waterfowl. It’s picking up a home in the mammals.”

Wild birds likely transmitted the second strain to cattle in Nevada, said J.J. Goicoechea, Nevada’s agriculture director. Farmers need to ramp up safety and security measures to protect their animals, he said.

“We obviously aren’t doing everything we can and everything we should or the virus wouldn’t be getting in,” he said.

“We didn’t get a hold on it before,” Hansen said. “We want to avoid that same scenario from happening in Nevada.”

Dairy herds that were formerly infected may be at risk again from the second strain, experts said.

“Now it looks like we have new strains of virus that may escape some of the immunity associated with the other strains of viruses that could exacerbate the epidemics among animals and wildlife,” said Gregory Gray, a University of Texas Medical Branch professor studying cattle diseases. “It’s alarming.”

Your Next Read: Beef-on-Dairy: A Critical Solution to the Shrinking U.S. Cattle Herd

More Action Needed By Mexico Before Reopening Border for Feeder Cattle Imports, Says Vilsack

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 20:54:32 GMT

A letter sent Friday by outgoing USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture Julio Antonio Berdeguê acknowledges the progress made in reopening cattle trade between the two countries following the detection of New World Screwworm (NWS) in Mexico, but says more action is needed to resume trade.

Key developments:

Technical collaboration between U.S. and Mexican teams
Full technical agreement on protocol reached on Dec. 12, 2024
Ongoing work to approve pre-export NWS inspection facilities.

Vilsack emphasizes the importance of expediting the approval process for these facilities to resume safe export as soon as possible, citing the significance of trade for a safe and affordable food supply.

The letter also addresses efforts to combat the spread of New World Screwworm:

Emergency funding has been authorized to increase sterile fly production
Production has increased fivefold in the past year
Enhanced regional response through increased dispersal, surveillance, education, and partnerships
Acknowledgment of Mexico’s partnership in sterile fly releases, movement controls, and surveillance
Shared goal to push the pest south to the Darien Gap

Vilsack requests immediate support from Secretary Berdegué for the establishment of two planned sterile fly dispersal centers in Southern Mexico to strengthen current efforts.

The letter maintains a cordial and cooperative tone throughout, emphasizing:

Shared commitments and goals
Acknowledgment of Mexico’s efforts and partnership
Expressions of gratitude for collaboration
Requests for continued support and expedited action

Industry sources say specific testing will take place Monday, Jan. 20, and that and other tests will go a long way in establishing a trade resumption timeline.

NWS Trade Impacts Started in November
As previously reported, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) suspended imports of live cattle and bison from Mexico on Nov. 22, 2024, following the detection of New World screwworm (NWS) along Mexico’s southern border. This pest can have a significant negative impact on cattle health, and U.S. authorities have been working to develop protocols to screen animals coming into the country.

Several factors are influencing the timeline and pace of reopening:

Facility inspections: Both countries have agreed on protocols, but implementation requires facility inspections and approvals.
Quarantine period: A seven-day quarantine after animal checks
Port readiness: The most important port to get moving again is Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

The temporary suspension of cattle imports from Mexico has had notable effects on the U.S. cattle market:

Reduced supply: About 250,000-300,000 fewer head of cattle are estimated to have been imported due to the suspension.
Price support: The trade disruption has been supporting feeder cattle and calf prices in the U.S.