Mycoplasma Bovis

M. Bovis is a bacterial disease that cattle can catch from touching and most likely saliva. It doesn’t affect humans and there are no big worries about eating anything such as meat, milk and milk products. Some conditions can be treated, but the affected cattle will always carry the disease. No sheep, goats or horses can catch this disease, because it is only a disease cattle carry.

Some of M. Bovis’ most common symptoms are swollen joints, lameness, arthritis, 30% of cows get hacking coughs and discharge from the nose. If you are noticing a pattern including most of these signs, call a vet and make sure your N.A.I.T details are up to date.

Ways to protect your animals from M. Bovis are; look out for signs of the disease. If you are bringing in cattle identify where they came from and if that farm has any signs of M. Bovis. Make sure all N.A.I.T details are up to date.

Bringing cattle in together for shows has low risk of disease

spread, but it is always better safe than sorry, as the disease spreads from touching and saliva of grass.

Effects that M. Bovis leaves are untreatable mastitis (when their milk goes creamy and clumpy), they abort their calves meaning that the calf inside them dies and their weight gain gets higher.

M. Bovis was first discovered in 1993 and 10 months later the whole world had it. The first case in NZ was in 2017 21st of July. It was in Waiotahi near Opotiki. There are now 238 farms affected and 207 farms cleared.

It is a terrible disease that no one wants to have as it can lead to having to kill all your cows and untreatable mastitis which you don't want!