Trichomonas Testing

"Trich" is a sexually transmitted infectious disease of cattle. It is caused by a protozo- an parasite Tritrichomonas foetus, which is about the size of a sperm. These parasites hide out in folds found on the penis and pre- puce of the bull.

Trich is spread at the time of breeding. Most often it is spread from the infected bull to an uninfected cow; however, spread from an infected cow to an uninfected bull can occur. Transmission from contaminated insemination equipment or CIDR devices has also been reported.

Bulls show no clinical signs of disease. The main indicator of infection is infertility in cows. Other clinical signs can include vaginal discharge or early term abortions. Infertility can have many causes, so if you and your vet have ruled out more common causes then consider testing for Trich.

As bulls are carriers, especially older bulls (>3 years), regular testing of preputial/penis washes before breeding season can help detect infected bulls. Removal of infected bulls from breeding is recommended.

• Test all bulls before coming onto the farm.
• Using young or virgin bulls will greatly reduce the risk of Trich on the farm.
• Do not share or lease bulls and maintain good fences so that neighboring bulls can’t get into the pasture with your cows.
• Cows with Trich usually clear the infection on their own, which usually takes 90-95 days. Cows do not act as carriers, so once it is cleared they should be fine to breed. Caution should be used when re- breeding as the cow could spread Trich to an uninfected bull.

Sample collection must be performed by an accredited veterinarian and usually is done at the time of the breeding soundness exam. Preputial/penile washes or scrapings are taken and placed in commercially available media. This InPouch media can be purchased by the veterinarian through BioMed Diagnostics, Inc.

In order to better serve the SC cattle in- dustry we have added Trichomonas PCR to our inventory of tests.

If you require Trich testing for your bulls we ask that you contact us a week ahead of collection so that we can coordinate our schedules to accommodate your testing needs.

Delivered to the lab Monday -Wednesday, results can be expected in 48 hrs.

Delivered to the lab Thursday - Friday, results can be expected by Tuesday of the following week.

Rates are reviewed and subject to change annually. Call for current pricing or see the "Service Fee & Schedule" on our website.

At the current time the PCR tests can only be run on samples in the InPouch or TF-Transit tubes from BioMed Diagnostics.

During transport, samples must be kept in a temperature range of 59-98°F (15-37°C). If samples are kept out of this temperature range results will not be valid and repeat testing may be necessary.