Lepto – ‘Just add water’, it’s no joke!

Background

• Leptospirosis is a very serious disease caused by Leptospira bacteria that humans can contract from infected cattle, pigs and rats or contaminated soil and water.

• Symptoms in humans range from flu-like symptoms to liver failure and sometimes death. The disease in cattle is often mild but in severe cases has been attributed to more severe disease and abortion storms.

• Fortunately following development of highly effective vaccines and the success of our lepto vaccination programs we now see significantly less human cases. However based on WorkSafe statistics, Lepto in NZ still remains one of the most significant ‘zoonoses’ (diseases transmitted from animals to humans).

• Dairy farmers and abattoir workers, remain the most at-risk group in terms of contracting lepto and despite best efforts, compliance across the agricultural industry to gold standard vaccination programs is waning.

Just add water

• In an earlier study it was shown that over 50% of unvaccinated calves that

had never been exposed to Lepto, became infected following several weeks

of rain and of those calves, a number remained as ‘shedders’.

Based on this observation and many other studies on the pattern of this

disease, it is obvious that wetter months like winter and spring coincide

with the spread of Lepto through a population of animals.

Tips to minimise risk and maximise protection

• Adhere to ‘Gold Standard’ vaccination of cattle as described below (Spring calving herd).

o   R1’s

• 2 x 7:1 Vaccinations 4 – 6 weeks apart, from 3 - 4w of age.

• 1 x Lepto Autumn booster from March à June (Ideally prior to wet season).

o   R2’s/ Cows

• 1 x Lepto Autumn booster from March à June (Ideally prior to wet season & calving).

  
  

Note: Some farmers are reluctant to do the R1 Autumn booster due to logistical/ financial constraints but missing this could mean some stock are not vaccinated for 18 – 22 months which falls outside the recommended vaccination window increasing the risk of infection and the animal shedding bacteria at milking age.

·       Staff education, avoiding eating, drinking and smoking/vaping in the dairy while

milking.

·       Ensuring pigs are not close to areas where cows are.

·       Ensuring adequate control of rodents – especially around stock feed.

·       Avoiding staff coming into contact with waste water/ drains and waterways potentially

contaminated with run off from the dairy.

We encourage you to discuss and questions with your veterinarian.