6-5 IAT Trich Testing

 Trichomoniasis  is a venereal disease of cattle that causes infertility and occasional abortions in cows and heifers.  It is caused by Trichomonas fetus, a small motile protozoan found only in the reproductive tract of the bull and cow.   Disease organisms transferred to the cow's vagina from the bull during breeding migrate up to the uterus and cause the infection. Large numbers of cows, often over 90% of the herd, will be affected in herds that have not been previously infected. No vaccines are available for its prevention, but using artificial insemination and virgin bulls aid in control.  Bulls are the main carriers of Trichomoniasis and, once infected, remain infected for life but show no signs of disease.  Diagnosis of the disease can be confirmed microscopically. “Trich testing is a reproductive disease in cattle that causes abortions and there is a requirement in southern Idaho that all bulls have to be tested but in northern Idaho they don’t have any testing requirements. So there are producers who are concerned, especially in that where the border is on the Salmon River where you have to test and you don’t have to test on each side of it and there is concern that there are a lot of bulls moving North and South and in and out of those areas and that could increase their risk of exposure to the disease.