Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Postal survey of contacts between cattle farms on the Isle of Lewis.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2010
- Authors:
- Vernon, M C et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Science · United Kingdom
Plain-English summary
Researchers conducted a study on the Isle of Lewis to better understand how cattle farms interact and the potential risks for spreading diseases. They asked local cattle farmers to keep track of their activities and practices for a month, with help from a local veterinarian. The study found that many farmers use common grazing land, which allows their cattle to come into contact with each other, but these movements are often not reported to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS). About half of the farms surveyed reported using this shared grazing land, highlighting a gap in the data that could affect disease tracking. The findings suggest that unreported contacts through common grazing could pose a risk for disease transmission among cattle.
Abstract
The British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) database contains an unprecedented quantity of data on the movement of cattle within the UK. These data may be used to construct models of the contact structure of the UK cattle herd, for epidemiological purposes. There are two significant potential sources of inaccuracy within such models: movements that are not reported or are reported inaccurately to the BCMS, and contacts between farms that might transmit infection, but are not animal movements. This field study addressed these issues. Cattle farmers on the Isle of Lewis were recruited with the assistance of the local veterinary surgeon, and asked to record a range of potential risk behaviours for a one-month period. They were also asked questions about husbandry practices on their farm. Comparison of the BCMS contact data with that reported by Lewis' farmers highlighted use of common grazing land as a significant source of contact, and potential disease transmission, between cattle that currently goes unreported; around half of responding holdings on Lewis use common grazing land at some point during the year, and these movements are not reported to the BCMS.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20064976/