TDK conference 2017

Earlier, between 2007 and 2012 an unknown new disease was diagnosed in young calves in several countries Europe-wide. The majority of calves affected were born in good health and condition after typical bovine gestation length. The largest damage was caused on farms with excellent management and prominent husbandry where animals received above average health care.

The symptoms appeared on 1 to 4 weeks old calves. Severe haemophilia was the most distinctive trait of the syndrome. Disorder in the blood clotting was easily detected because every injury to the skin (injection, bite of bloodsucking insects) was followed by persistent bleeding and spontaneous bleeding (epistaxis, haematuria, bleeding of the gums). After the appearance of the symptoms the calves died shortly (in 2 to 7 days). The mortality rate was quite high.

Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP) is widely accepted as an immune pathological disease which is caused by alloantigens introduced into the maternal body (possibly by immunization processes) and then acquired by its calf through colostrum whose cells have MHC-antigens (inherited from the father) on their surface which are the same type as the alloantigens ingested.

This study presents a series of cases which occurred in a non-vaccinated livestock. It proves that the syndrome can make an appearance without the usage of the suspected vaccine (Pregsure). This is the first evidence in Hungary that the disease can turn up spontaneously.