Unique official identification is required for each animal tested.

Examples of approved individual official identification include USDA metal silver brite tags; USDA approved electronic identification devices, and breed registry tattoos with corresponding paperwork.

Tags that only have a herd id number such as bangle ear tags, brands, and backtags are not considered official identification for the trichomonosis program.

Only California licensed, USDA accredited veterinarians who have completed training approved by CDFA in sampling and handling of specimens used in the diagnosis of trichomonosis are eligible to perform official trichomonosis testing in California.

A test for the detection of active infection with Tritrichomonas foetus from a specimen (A sample taken from the preputial cavity of a bull, or the uterine contents of a bovine female) collected by or under the supervision of a trichomonosis approved veterinarian and conducted at a trichomonosis approved laboratory.

A negative test result from a bull is an official test only if the specimen is collected following ten (10) days without contact with sexually mature female cattle.

Official identification of the animal tested must be recorded and accompany the sample to the laboratory. Trichomonosis test results must be recorded on forms approved by the Department of Food and Agriculture for that purpose. Copies of all test results shall be sent to the Department of Food and Agriculture within 30 days of the test results. Positive tests must be reported within two (2) days of test result.

No, there is no commercially available serologic test for trichomonosis. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has been researching blood testing for diagnosing trichomonosis. The test they have been working with is called a “hemolytic” assay; this is actually an old fashioned Complement Fixing assay, in which bovine red blood cells from known negative cows are coated with T. foetus antigen, then exposed to titrated test sera or negative control sera. Following the addition of rabbit or guinea pig complement, the red cell suspension lyses if there is Complement Fixing antibody in the serum. If not, the RBC's just sink to the bottom, forming a pellet. The CF test described above has shown some benefit in trying to determine exposure of a herd to trich, but results are meaningless if the herd has been vaccinated in the past 18 months or so. A Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test using serum (for trichomonosis DNA) is unlikely to be of use, since it is believed this organism never gets across mucosal barriers into the blood.

The easiest way to know if your veterinarian is approved for sampling and if their clinic is approved to read collected samples is to ask your veterinarian. You may also notice certificate(s) posted in their office showing approval for sampling and/or reading samples. Approval can be confirmed by Contacting your nearest Animal Health Branch District Office.

Official trichomonosis testing must be done under the supervision of a veterinarian approved for sampling. That veterinarian must have a valid Veterinarian–Client–Patient Relationship (VCPR) with the herd owner and animals being tested.

Testing performed without the supervision of an approved trichomonosis veterinarian, or testing performed without a valid VCPR with the approved trichomonosis veterinarian, will not be accepted for regulatory requirements, including sale and interstate movement.

Reading tests must be done by a laboratory approved to read trichomonosis samples.

Any positive trichomonosis test result(s), regardless of source, must be reported to CDFA within two days, and CDFA will investigate the source of the positive test(s) and possible exposure to neighboring herds.

Any positive trichomonosis test result(s), regardless of source, must be reported to CDFA within two days, and CDFA will investigate the source of the positive test(s) and possible exposure to neighboring herds.

Testing is official for sale and interstate movement only if they are working under the supervision of a veterinarian approved for sampling. That veterinarian must have a valid Veterinarian–Client–Patient Relationship (VCPR) with the herd owner and animals being tested.

Trichomonosis testing in California is required for all bulls 18 months of age and older sold through a public saleyard. If bulls do not have a negative trich test on arrival at the saleyard, they will be marked to go directly to slaughter or through an approved feeding channel to slaughter.

Green tags placed on bulls at saleyards are a visual indicator that the bull is only tagged to be sold for slaughter. Brand inspectors or livestock inspectors will place a green tag on any bull that does not have a negative trichomonosis test and is 18 months of age and older.

Lack of a green–tag does not definitely indicate the bull has a negative trichomonosis test, as each saleyard may have alternative ways to identify tested versus untested bulls.

California regulations do not have specific requirements for bulls sold via private treaty; however, we recommend buyers require a negative trichomonosis test and a breeding soundness examination (semen test) on any bulls being purchased for breeding.

Trich testing is also required for bulls 18 months and over entering California. This test must be done within 60 days of entry. Exceptions to the test requirement are: bulls going direct to slaughter, bulls on exhibition that have no contact with female cattle, and bulls entering California to be used solely for artificial insemination using protocols that meet Certified Semen Services (CSS) standards.

Bulls entering California on a Pasture–to–Pasture permit require a negative trich test within 12 months.

Cattle with eruption of one or more central adult incisors are considered to be 18-24 months of age. If all deciduous (baby) teeth are still present, the animal is considered to be 15-18 months of age. For more detailed information, please refer to the document: Using Teeth to Age Cattle, available under “For Public Sale Yards” on CDFA’s trichomonosis web page. Information and photos in this document were taken from the USDA-FSIS webpage: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ofo/tsc/bse_information.htm

Green tags placed on bulls at saleyards are a visual indicator that the bull is only to be sold for slaughter. Brand inspectors, working with livestock inspectors, will place a green tag on any bull that does not have a negative trichomonosis test and is 18 months of age and older.

Yes; however, the test must be performed prior to sale, with full and informed consent of the seller. If the test is positive for T. foetus , the source herd of the bull will be investigated, as will any neighboring herds. The positive bull, and any subsequent bulls diagnosed as positive during the investigation, will be quarantined until they go to slaughter.

The buyer, seller and saleyard are expected to negotiate who pays for saleyard trich testing.

Bulls tested at the saleyard should not go through a sale or leave the saleyard premises until a final negative trichomonosis test result has been reported to the approved testing veterinarian by the approved laboratory reading the sample(s).

No. California’s trich regulations state that bulls must have a negative test within 60 days PRIOR TO SALE or be sold only to slaughter. If a buyer wants to purchase a bull that does not have a negative trich test, the seller should be contacted and the bull should be pulled from the sale, held at the yard until a negative test result is obtained, and then put through the ring. Alternatively, the seller could take the bull home for official testing, and then return the bull to the saleyard to be sold once the bull tests negative for trich.

No. California does not have a trich test requirement on bulls sold via private treaty. This requirement was purposely left of out the regulations because the cattle industry and CDFA felt that uniform enforcement would be difficult to impossible. Additionally, it was felt that there would be more accountability in a private treaty sale to sell a bull free from trich infection because of the face–to–face interaction between buyer and seller.

CDFA strongly recommends that all individuals purchasing bulls via private treaty for breeding require bulls to be tested negative for trich at least one time before sale.

This down time allows protozoal numbers in the epithelial crypts of the prepuce and penis time to multiply to detectable levels. Bulls may test negative, even if they are actually infected with Tritrichomonas foetus (false negative) without this period of sexual rest.

Each test must be conducted at least seven (7), but not more than 28 days apart. Testing on bulls must be conducted following 10 days without contact with sexually mature female cattle.

Generally, if bulls in an affected herd (any herd with one or more bulls test positive for T. foetus) have been turned out for the breeding season prior to being tested negative three (3) times, bulls may remain quarantined to the premises until they are gathered and tested following the breeding season. Once they are done with the current breeding season, all herd bulls in an affected herd require three (3) negative tests conducted at least seven (7), but not more than 28 days apart. Bulls must have no contact with mature female cattle for at least 10 days prior to each test.

There may be circumstances where districts may require bulls from affected herds to be gathered and tested before the breeding season is finished. CDFA District office personnel will work with owners to set up a plan for investigation and testing of all affected and exposed herds.

District animal health personnel will begin an epidemiology investigation of the affected herd and contact exposed neighboring herd owners following the first positive test from a herd; contacts with neighbors may be initiated before all testing on the affected herd is complete. If these neighbors share grazing allotments, they may opt to pull their bulls out of shared grazing areas and complete the one (1) required test on all herd bulls prior to completion of affected herd testing. If bulls from exposed herds are tested in this manner, they should not be returned to grazing allotments shared with bulls from the affected herd.

Studies of known "positive" bulls have shown that the culture method will miss about 10–20% of infected bulls if we only test them once; testing the herd (all the bulls in the herd) once gives us an 80–90% chance of finding the disease if it's there.

If no infected bulls are found on the basis of a single culture of all bulls, then we can be 80–90% sure that the herd is "clean" (free of trichomonosis).

At the second test, we are trying to find infected bulls that were not detected on the first test; this means we are looking for bulls called negative on the first test when they were infected (false negatives). After a second test we can be 80–90% + 8–9% more certain we have found all positive infected bulls, so 88–99% sure the herd is not affected with trich.

A third consecutive test of all herd bulls allows us to be more than 99% sure that the entire bull herd is free of disease.

The bull owner is expected to pay for all required testing.

We do not know that the herd diagnosed with trichomonosis is the source of infection; therefore, we cannot make testing all neighboring herds the responsibility of that owner. The original source of infection may be one of the neighboring herds or a different source entirely.