Impact of bovine herpesvirus-1 infection on fertility in dairy cattle

Abstract

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) is endemic in the UK dairy herd and can have an important negative impact on fertility. As well as being the cause of infectious pustular vulvovaginitis and infectious balanoposthitis, BoHV-1 can reduce conception rate following introduction of the virus in contaminated semen at the time of artificial insemination. Its ability to cause abortions, particularly in the last trimester, is well-documented and the incidence of abortions can be high following the introduction of infection to naïve herds. The impact of BoHV-1 on herd fertility will depend on the degree of herd immunity, route of infection and strain of BoHV-1. Vaccination has been shown to reduce spread of BoHV-1 within and between herds, and to significantly reduce the risk of abortion. In light of the cost of a single abortion, and the impact of BoHV-1 on milk yield, routine vaccination against BoHV-1 offers a cost-effective control strategy suitable for most UK dairy herds.