Abstract

A bovine viral diarrhea/mucosal disease (BVD/MD) control and eradication program was introduced on Beijing large dairy farms in 2009 and 2010, according to the Scandinavian countries’ experience with moderate modification. At present, 30 of 48 large dairy farms (with≥500 cows) in Beijing have participated in this program. After screening the entire cow individually with antigen capture ELISA in these farms, 130 persistently infected (PI) animals were identified. The total PI rate is 0.34% (134/39290), which is a little lower than that of other countries (0.5 to 1.5%). The PI farm rate is 76.7% (23/30), which is significantly higher than that of other regions (about 15 to 60%). The most important risk factor for bovine viral diarrhoea (BVDV) transmission in these farms is trading of cows, including buying of cows from other local farms and importing cows from other countries.

Key words: Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), eradication, persistently infected animals, BVDV-transmission