Prevalence of trichomoniasis among California beef herds

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Abstract
Summary Sixty cow-half herds of more than 50 cows each were randomly selected for a prevalence survey of bovine trichomoniasis in California. Herd size, as judged by the number of bulls, ranged from 1 to 210 bulls (median = 8; mean = 59 ± 15.8). Preputial smegma was collected from 729 bulls (median = 6 bulls/herd) and cultured for Tritrichomonas foetus. Of 57 herds from which samples were collected, 9 (15.8%) had at least one infected bull. Of the 729 bulls from which samples were cultured, 30 (4.1%) were infected. Correcting for sensitivity of the diagnostic test yielded a prevalence of 5.0%. Infection rates for bulls >3 years old and ≤3 years old were 6.7% and 2.0%, respectively (P > 0.025). Median herd sizes were 14 bulls (range, 6 to 114) for infected herds and 7 (range, 1 to 210) for uninfected herds. These findings suggest that trichomoniasis is common in California beef herds. Because several bulls <4 years old were infected, we suggest that control measures stressing replacement of older bulls with younger ones should be combined with diagnostic procedures in those younger replacements, to ensure that they are not already infected.