Question: What is vibriosis [campylobacter fetus (venerealis)]?

• Vibriosis in cattle is a typical venereal disease passed from one animal to another during mating.
• It is caused by a comma-shaped bacterium known as campylobacter fetus of which there are a number of subspecies.
• Bulls usually become infected when they serve infected cows.

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• When infected bulls serve susceptible heifers or cows the infection gets transmitted and results in an inflammatory reaction in the female genital organs.
• Conception usually does not take place, or the embryo is resorbed or aborted at a very early age.
• The result is that cows come on heat repeatedly and this eventually manifests as a low calving percentage in the herd.

There are many other causes of infertility in which feeding, management and other infectious diseases such as trichomoniasis may play a prominent role. All cases of infertility should therefore not be ascribed to vibriosis.

Heifers should be immunised 8 weeks before they are served and again 4 weeks later. A single booster injection should then be given 4 weeks before each ensuing breeding season.

The dosage of 2 ml for heifers and cows not pregnant and 5 ml for bulls gets injected subcutaneously (i.e. under the skin).

• This article was written by Cois Harman and first appeared in Farming SA.