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Irons PC, McGowan M, de Assis PM, Randhawa I, Awawdeh L, Mugwabana J, Barnes TS, Boe-Hansen G, McCosker K, Fordyce G. Prevalence of Tritrichomonas foetus in beef bulls slaughtered at two abattoirs in northern Australia. Aust Vet J 2022; 100:201-204. [PMID: 35080007 PMCID: PMC9305749 DOI: 10.1111/avj.13149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Bovine trichomoniasis, caused by the protozoal parasite Tritrichomonas foetus, is a highly contagious venereal disease characterised by early pregnancy loss, abortion and pyometra. Persistently infected bulls and cows are the primary reservoirs of infection in infected herds. This research investigated the prevalence of T. foetus infection in bulls from properties located across northern Australia and New South Wales. Preputial samples were collected from 606 bulls at slaughter and tested for T. foetus using the VetMAX‐Gold Trich Detection Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific). The apparent prevalence of T. foetus infection varied between regions, with northern regions in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia showing a prevalence of 15.4%, 13.8% and 11.4%, respectively. There was some evidence of an association between infection and postcode (P = 0.06) and increasing bull age (P = 0.054). This study confirms that T. foetus infection is likely to be present in many beef breeding herds and contributing to lower than expected reproductive performance, particularly across northern Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- P C Irons
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
| | - M McGowan
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - P M de Assis
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Seventeen Mile Rocks, Queensland, 4073, Australia
| | - I Randhawa
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - L Awawdeh
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - J Mugwabana
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - T S Barnes
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia.,Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - G Boe-Hansen
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, 4343, Australia
| | - K McCosker
- Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade, Katherine, Northwest Territories, 0851, Australia
| | - G Fordyce
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, Centre for Animal Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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