Farmers considering avoiding vaccination against bluetongue strain eight (BTV8) this year, in the belief cattle will only be mildly affected, are being warned of the danger posed by transmission of the disease to unborn calves when cows are infected in the early stages of pregnancy. Speaking exclusively to Farmers Weekly, Ian Anderson, Intervet Schering Plough's product manager, said experience of the disease in Holland had shown that BTV8 can be transmitted to unborn calves before their immune systems are fully prepared and these calves can then go on to be reservoirs of disease once they are born.
展开▼
