Control Salmonella on Your Dairy
Posted by Unknown in Biosecurity, Dairy Farm, Salmonella, Veterinary Issues on Sunday 27 January 2013
The
clinical signs of Salmonella are easy to identify — sudden weight loss,
weakness, fever, diarrhea and dehydration. While these symptoms signal
clinical Salmonella on dairy operations, they are only the tip of the
iceberg.
The
majority of Salmonella infections in herds are sneaky and often can go
undetected for long periods of time in the form of subclinical
salmonellosis. These cases show no visible clinical signs of disease, so
they are difficult to identify yet reduce a herd’s productivity. What’s
worse, Salmonella pathogens can spread from animal to animal throughout
an operation for months without detection.
“USDA
data tells us that nearly half of all dairies are infected with
Salmonella, and in herds over 500 cows, that number jumps to 61%,”1
explains Gary Neubauer, veterinarian with Pfizer Animal Health. “Most of
those infections are subclinical, resulting in decreased milk
production and cattle that are more susceptible to other diseases,
especially right after calving.”
A subclinical case of salmonellosis can develop as a result of exposure to three different types of pathogen carriers:
- Active carriers that shed the Salmonella organism in manure and/or milk.
- Symptom-free carriers that infrequently shed organisms.
- Dormant carriers that harbor Salmonella but do not shed bacteria.
Neubauer
points out that cattle can often move among these carrier states. For
example, a dormant carrier may become an active carrier and vice versa.
Carriers can infect the rest of the herd through fecal-oral
contamination of bacteria shed during periods of stress. Neubauer
recommends taking these steps as part of a Salmonella control plan:
Maintain clean facilities. Evaluate
fresh cow, transition and calving pens. Apply fresh bedding on a
consistent schedule and remove all manure from the facilities.
Sanitation is key. Feeding
equipment and loaders should not be used for manure handling. Clean
calf-feeding utilities and oral treatment equipment on a regular basis.
Enforce biosecurity measures.
Insist that all visitors, including veterinarians, wear clean boots and
clothing. Wash boots regularly and launder work clothes daily. Ideally,
work attire should be left at the dairy.
Work
with your herd veterinarian to develop a Salmonella control and
vaccination program. Reducing your herd’s risk of Salmonella is
important for the safety of our food supply. Don’t wait until you’ve
seen a clinical outbreak of the disease; start working on a program
today.
For more information on ways to reduce the risk of Salmonella visit www.SalmonellaRisk.com.
[1] National Animal Health Monitoring System. APHIS Info Sheet, July 2009, #N562.0709
Source: Pfizer Animal Health
