Use of milk samples in epizootic surveillance of cattle diseases

Relevance. The analysis of the possibility of using milk as a non-invasive type of samples in the epizootological control of diseases of cattle is given. During pathogenesis, many etiologic agents cause breast lesions or are excreted together with milk, which makes milk an ideal sample for laboratory diagnostics of infectious diseases of cattle, since it is available in any quantity and its samples are easy to collect.

Methods. Conventional methods of document analysis were used.

Results. It is shown that milk samples can be used both at the individual and at the population level for early identification of infected herds, screening of infected herds and use to obtain evidence of the well-being of herds. The availability of commercial diagnostic test systems for detecting antibodies in milk to the causative agents of leukemia of cattle, viral diarrhea of cattle, Brucella abortus, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, Fasciola hepatica, Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) makes available programs for the control and eradication of diseases in dairy herds and at the level of countries. The use of combined non-invasive milk samples makes it possible to combat slowly progressive and chronic cattle infections of dairy cattle (bovine leucosis, paratuberculosis, brucellosis), and exclude carrier animals from the production chain in real time, which indicates the feasibility of introducing this type of samples into veterinary practice in the Russian Federation.

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