Diseases in New Zealand Cattle & Dairy Herds

By Qadosh Erectus

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Note: This article should be treated as a draft; it well be revised and amended when time permits.

Although there are a number of different diseases infecting animals used as a source of food for human
consumption only four are covered here.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV)

New Zealand cattle are infected a disease called the Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV). This disease goes
by several names such a BLV, Bovine Leukosis, Lymphosarcoma or Malignant Lymphoma. Within BLV
infected cows, the virus is associated with the white blood cells call lymphocytes. BLV is transferred
from cow to cow or cow to calf in blood that contains the virus-laden lymphocytes. Very small amounts
of blood have been experimentally shown to be capable of transmitting the virus. Many cows are
infected with BLV; however, only 2-5% of infected cows eventually develop tumours of the lymph nodes
after a prolonged incubation period. The sarcoma tumours that develop are the most common malignant
tumour found in cattle. A sarcoma is a cancer of the connective or supportive tissue (bone, cartilage, fat,
muscle, blood vessels) and soft tissue.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is a bovine virus closely related to HTLV-I, a human tumour virus.

Most infections (90%) take place early in the life of a calf when virus is transmitted in the milk. Some
calves are born infected. The mechanism for these in utero infections is not known. Infections can also
take place by movement of blood from one cow to another through routine husbandry practices. There is
a risk of transmission from ear tagging, gouge dehorning, tattooing, multiple animal needle use and
rectal palpation.

When exposed to the virus, not all cows become infected. Those that do become infected remain
infected for the remainder of their life. The virus seems to be able to hide within the lymphocytes from
the cow’s immune system. Even though the cow develops antibody titers that can be measured in a
blood sample, the virus is not inactivated by the immune system. BLV can readily be transmitted though
milk from a cow to her calf. Bloody milk may be particularly loaded with BLV.

The most important disease caused by BLV is enzootic bovine leukosis, essentially a form of malignant
lymphoma (ML). ML develops in only a small percentage of cattle infected with BLV, but it is a fatal
disease characterized by lymphomatousinvolvement of multiple organs. These include lymph nodes, the
heart, gastrointestinal tract (especially abomasum), liver, spleen, uterus, and kidneys. Cardiac
involvement usually includes the right atrium and can result in congestive heart failure with
subcutaneous, ventral-dependent edema. Poor reproductive performance and palpable enlargement of
the uterine wall or intra-pelvic lymph nodes are also indicators of ML. Dairy cows are more commonly
affected with enzootic bovine leukosis than beef cattle.

New Zealand butchers and slaughterhouse workers have increased risks of a number of cancers and
BLV has been identified as a possible cause.

Overseas research has shown that BLV can survive the milk pasteurisation process.

As BLV can cross the species barrier from cattle to other animals, and taking into consideration the
serious fact that BLV from cattle can be transmitted to primates, the relationship between BLV and
cancer in humans must be urgently investigated.

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVD)

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVD) is a species of the genus Pestivirus and is responsible for a
cosmopolitan disease affecting cattle and other ruminants. The disease presents a wide range of clinical
manifestations, including abortions, congenital malformations, enteric, respiratory and neurological
disorders. A haemorrhagic syndrome with severe thrombocytopenia and high mortality also occurs. The
infection is characterised by a transitional but severe and multi-functional immune depression which
explains the high frequency of BVD-associated infections.
The BVD virus spreads by two methods (1) direct transmission between animals through physical
contact and, (2) virus invading the foetus in a pregnant cow. If a cow is infected from 1 to 4 months of
pregnancy and the calf survives there is a strong chance that the calf will be born persistently infected
with the virus and thus becomes a carrier.

BVD can cross species lines thus infecting other animals, like sheep, goats, and chimpanzees; once
they are infected they are prone to developing diseases associated with BVD. Estimates, from 2006,
point to most New Zealand cattle herds being affected by the BVD virus at some point with more than
60% showing evidence of recent infection.

Pestivirus infections were thought to occur exclusively in animals but recent evidence suggests
otherwise. Research conducted overseas has shown the presence of anti-BVDV antibodies in 87% of
animal handlers and veterinarians that were studied. Lower prevalence (15-16%) has been reported in
adults. Another investigation among children under two years of age shown Pestivirus antigens were
present in 24% of specimens from diarrhoea episodes that could not be explained by more common
enteric pathogens.

The role of pestiviruses in human pathologies remains uncertain but observations suggest the potential
of causing emerging infections in humans. Some studies that have been done suggest a link between
Pestivirus and neurological disorders in humans.

Sheep infected with the BVDV Pestivirus leads to extensive necroses and cysts in the periventricular
white matter and enlarged ventricles in lamb foetuses. This type of damage closely resembles that of
WMD (white matter damage) in preterm human children. Epidemiologic observations support the
contention that infection, inflammation, and neonatal white matter damage (WMD) are associated. There
is also documentation from multiple experimental models that infection/inflammation can damage
developing white matter.

In addition, BVD infection is accompanied by a decrease in thyroid hormone activity in lambs. Low
thyroid hormone values are also an important indicator of maldevelopment among preterm human
infants.

Given Pestivirus tropism for nervous cells in animal pathology, these findings deserve further evaluation
in order to examine the full extent of the problem in the human population.

Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus (BIV)

Bovine Immunodeficiency-like virus (BIV) is a member of the Lentivirus subfamily of retroviruses.

The virus, bovine immunodeficiency-like virus, or BIV, is spread through the blood and is a member of a
family of slow-acting viruses that have been shown to reduce the activity of an animal's immune system.
Its genetic structure is similar to the human AIDS virus. Bovine immunodeficiency viruses can also be
properly referred to as bovine AIDS virus

It is rare to see cows with overt symptoms of the disease--swollen lymph nodes, neurological illness,
and wasting. That's because symptoms like decreased milk production and increased susceptibility to
infection, which are believed to be earlier and more subtle effects of BIV, usually prompt dairy farmers to
cull cattle from their herds before the full-blown onset of the disease. For the same reason, it is not
known whether BIV is normally lethal.

This virus is able to cross the bovine placenta at various stages of gestation, resulting in very different
clinical outcomes such as: fetal abortion, congenital defects, and offspring that are persistently infected.

Bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) is a retrovirus which is genetically and antigenically related to the
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1)

It should be noted that the BIV virus can cross species lines and infect other animals, like sheep, goats,
and primates.

Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis (MAP) aka Johne’s disease

Another disease in New Zealand cattle that should be closely scrutinised is Mycobacterium
Paratuberculosis (MAP) commonly called Johne’s disease, which is closely related to the organisms that
cause tuberculosis and leprosy.
MAP bacteria are obligate pathogenic parasites of animals. This means that the only place they can
multiply in nature is inside an animal. Most accurately, it is inside cells that are part of the animal's
immune system called macrophages. MAP is resistant to environmental degradation as well as many
disinfectants. This organism survives in stagnant water, manure or deep soil for up to a year. It also
withstands freezing at minus 14°C for up to a year, but it can not multiply once it is outside the animal.
Ingestion of faeces containing MAP, or faecal contaminated feed or water is the most common way
animals become infected. MAP is a slow growing organism. After infection, it may be years before the
infected animal becomes ill.
MAP is a chronic debilitating disease that affects the intestines of all ruminant animals including cattle,
sheep and goats. Although many animals in a herd may be infected, usually less than five per cent of
infected animals develop clinical signs of disease. This is called the “Iceberg effect.” Clinical signs
seldom develop in animals under two to three years of age. Affected animals may develop intermittent
bouts of diarrhoea that gradually become more frequent. Other animals suddenly develop diarrhoea,
which persists until death. Progressive weight loss is typical of this disease and may begin before
diarrhoea develops.

Vaccines have been developed in the United States, Europe and New Zealand. They are effective in
reducing the number of clinically affected animals. Unfortunately, vaccination does not reduce the total
number of infected animals in the herd.

Milk from infected female animals is a second source of MAP infection. The likelihood of MAP being
excreted into milk increases with time as the infection progresses. The probability of offspring becoming
infected by drinking milk from infected cows is a direct function of the time spent with the mother and/or
how often they are fed milk from infected females.
Animal age is perhaps the most well recognized factor affecting MAP transmission. In cattle, there is an
age-dependent increase in resistance to MAP infection. This means it takes a larger dose of the
bacterium to infect an adult (over 2 years-old) than it does to infect a young animal (0 to 6 months-old).
This may also be true for small ruminants, but it is not as well studied and clinical reports suggest there
is a greater susceptibility of sheep, goats and deer to this infection, even as adults.

There is strong evidence supporting a link between MAP disease in cattle and Crohns disease in
humans. The similarity between the ruminant and human conditions has long suggested a common or
very similar aetiology. However, the first plausible evidence came from John Hermon Taylor and his
colleagues at St. George’s Hospital Medical School in Tooting, South London, United Kingdom. They
reported a DNA repetitive element, IS900, in an organism from a Crohn’s disease patient which DNA
fingerprinting showed to be identical with MAP (J. D. Sanderson et a1., Gut 33:890, 1992). This and
later claims from Hermon-Taylor’s group have to be weighed against claims from other centres that
MAP DNA is present not only in Crohn’s disease but also in certain non-inflammatory bowel disorders.

Since MAP is not classified as a human pathogen, meat, milk and other products from animals infected
with MAP may be continually entering the human food chain. There is a wealth of evidence which
appears to indicate that MAP is capable of surviving the food processing methods that we employ to
protect us from disease, such as cooking and pasteurization.

 Milk in the New Zealand is pasteurized by heating it to 71.7 °C (161 °F) for 15 seconds. This
process is known as "High Temperature Short Time" (HTST) pasteurization. The most
commonly used pasteurisation method for milk products in New Zealand

 Five independent research groups in three countries (USA, Northern Ireland, Australia) have
reported that MAP may be capable of surviving HTST pasteurization, and thus may be present
in the retail milk supply

 Live MAP has been shown capable of surviving HTST pasteurization, as conducted by a
commercial-scale HTST milk pasteurization unit, in research conducted in Australia. The
Australian researchers were able to culture MAP from milk which had been heated to 82 °C
(179.6 °F ) for 15 seconds, demonstrating that MAP can survive temperatures which are higher
than commercial milk pasteurization temperatures used in New Zealand

 Live MAP has been cultured from the retail milk supply in England and Wales. Both England
and Wales use the same commercial milk pasteurization process as New Zealand

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