• The testing veterinarian and/or laboratory that read the test will report the positive result to their local Animal Health Branch District Office within 2 days.
• District personnel will quarantine infected animals and herdmate bulls. Infected bulls are permanently quarantined until they go to slaughter. Herdmate bulls require three (3) consecutive negative trichomonosis tests to be released from quarantine.
• District personnel will investigate the infected herd, including gathering information from the owner about herd management and risk factors for trich. Additionally, personnel will collect information on all locations herd bulls have been during the past 12 months and any known or possible contacts with neighboring herds that may have occurred in the past 12 months.
• Herdmate bulls must have three (3) consecutive negative trichomonosis tests conducted by an approved private veterinarian at least seven (7) days, but not more than 28 days apart. All tests must be performed following 10 days sexual rest (no contact with sexually mature female cattle).
• If an approved trichomonosis veterinarian did the first test, the test is within the specified time frame (three tests at least seven but not more than 28 days apart), and the test included all herdmate breeding bulls, it will count as the first of the three required tests.
• Bulls diagnosed as infected with trichomonosis at any of the three tests will be permanently quarantined until they are slaughtered; remaining herd bulls will be released from quarantine once they test negative on three consecutive tests.
• While the investigation is taking place, until appropriate testing has been performed, and the Department has released the herd, all herdmate breeding bulls within the herd will be held on the premises where the infection was diagnosed.
• Movement off premises may be allowed with written permission from CDFA. If the owner of the herd is non–compliant with testing requirements, the whole herd may be restricted from movement off the premises where infection was diagnosed.
• Written confirmation of slaughter is required when infected cattle are slaughtered.

• Test all bulls three times and send all infected bulls to slaughter.
• Heed the adage, “good fences make good neighbors” – keep fences in good repair to keep neighboring bulls out of your herd. Commingled grazing or fence–line contact with other herds is a documented risk factor for trichomonosis infection.
• Trich test all herd bulls annually prior to breeding, at the time of annual fertility exams.
• Maintain a defined breeding season – this will help identify reproductive problems more readily and will produce a more uniform calf crop.
• Pregnancy test all cows and heifers after the breeding season and cull open females.
• Segregating cows based on gestation length at the time of trichomonosis diagnosis may be considered:
  • Cows pregnant five or more months have the lowest risk of being infected.
  • Cows pregnant less than five months should be pastured separately and observed closely. Cull any of these cows that abort.
  • Open cows with or without pyometras or other uterine abnormalities should be culled.
• Maintain a closed herd.
• Maintain a young (∨4 years old) bull battery – cull older bulls.
• If unable to maintain a closed herd, purchase only virgin, yearling bulls.
• Do not share or lease bulls.
• Maintain separate breeding groups. This way, if one bull is infected with trichomonosis, he will not spread it through the entire herd. Breeding groups must have no contact with each other for this to be an effective control strategy.
• Use artificial insemination. Artificial insemination is considered the classic method for controlling venereal diseases of cattle. However, this is often impractical in range cattle operations due to lack of facilities, expertise or management practices.
• Vaccinate cows to decrease duration and severity of infection. Vaccines, when used according to label directions, show effectiveness in the female, but not in the bull.

It depends.
If the leased bull tested negative on an official trichomonosis test just prior to leaving your premises, did not have any contact with other breeding age cattle following that test until arriving at the premises he was leased to, and when he arrived back at your premises he was quarantined away from all bulls and cows until the official positive test result was obtained, then testing of all other bulls you have available for lease should not be necessary.

CDFA Animal Health Branch personnel investigate all positive trichomonosis test results. As part of this investigation, personnel will want to know about all locations positive bulls have been during the past 12 months and all potential contacts with other cattle during that 12 month period, including herdmates and neighboring herds.

Your Animal Health Branch District Office should be contacted if you have specific questions.

• District AHB field personnel will conduct an epidemiologic investigation on any herds identified as being potential exposures to affected herds.
• Herdmate bulls in exposed herds will be quarantined to premises, and must have one (1) negative trichomonosis test conducted by an approved trichomonosis veterinarian to be released from quarantine.
• If any bulls in exposed herds test positive for trichomonosis, the herd will be treated as an affected herd.
• Movement off premises may be allowed with written permission from CDFA. If the owner of the herd is non–compliant with testing requirements, the whole herd may be restricted from movement off the premises where infection was diagnosed.

• Heed the adage, “good fences make good neighbors” – keep fences in good repair to keep neighboring bulls out of your herd. Commingled grazing or fence–line contact with other herds is a documented risk factor for trichomonosis infection.
• Maintain a closed herd.
• Trich test all herd bulls annually prior to breeding, at the time of annual fertility exams.
• Maintain a young (∨4 years old) bull battery – cull older bulls.
• If unable to maintain a closed herd, purchase only virgin, yearling bulls.
• Do not share or lease bulls.
• Maintain separate breeding groups. This way, if one bull is infected with trichomonosis, he will not spread it through the entire herd. Breeding groups must have no contact with each other for this to be an effective control strategy.
• Maintain a defined breeding season – this will help identify reproductive problems more readily and will produce a more uniform calf crop.
• Pregnancy test all cows and heifers after the breeding season and cull open females.
• Use artificial insemination.

Yes, Fort Dodge makes a killed vaccine, labeled for cattle, that is shown to help decrease severity and duration of infection (helps clear infection in cows faster). Directions on the label read: Cattle, inject one 2mL dose subcutaneously under aseptic conditions. A second dose should be administered 2 to 4 weeks later. The last injection should precede the breeding season by 4 weeks. Revaccinate annually. Vaccination should be done 30 days prior to turning bulls in with cows.

Vaccination will not prevent transmission of and infection by Tritrichomonas foetus. Because the infection is transmitted during breeding, infection will occur. However, vaccination will limit the duration of infection and result in more pregnancies being carried to term. If your herd has been diagnosed with trich or if you are aware of significant risks for introduction of infection into your herd, vaccination may help decrease your immediate economic losses; however, testing and culling bulls in addition to culling any open cows are the most important steps to take in clearing the infection from your herd. Most abortions attributable to T. foetus occur around 60–70 days after breeding with infected bulls, but some abortions do occur later in gestation. Consideration should be given to segregating short–bred cows and re–evaluating their pregnancy status at a later time. Vaccination alone, without implementation of other control measures, is of limited value.

There is some suggestive evidence that properly vaccinated bulls can resist infection following experimental inoculation with T. foetus organisms; vaccination of bulls needs to be studied much more extensively and with a large number of bulls before any recommendations for widespread use could be made.