BVD
TESTING
Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD)
- Infection reduces reproductive performance by decreasing conception and inducing abortion
- Persistently infected (PI) calves developed in-utero lead to frequent death, poor performance, and ongoing reinfection within the herd
- Utilize ELISA (antigen) or PCR analyses and strategic pooling to reduce testing costs
- More information
Sample Type(s)
- Milk
- Individual (fresh, frozen, or preserved)
- Bulk tank (fresh or preserved)
- Serum (fresh)
- Tissue (fresh or frozen ear notch)
Timing
- Test tissue or blood samples from calves to identify PI animals
- Test individual or pooled milk samples from cows to efficiently clear adult herd of PI suspicion
Results
- Individual ELISA (milk, tissue, blood) available within 5 days of sample receipt
- PCR available within 10 days of sample receipt
- Reported as Positive, Negative or Suspect
| Test Type | Positive | Negative | Undetected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk, Blood, Earnotch, ELISA | >0.30 | <0.30 | |
| Milk, Pooled, Earnotch PRC | <38 | >38 | >40 |
- PCR samples that showed no evidence of BVD within the analytical range (maximum 40 Ct) are not reported with a specific Ct value, but rather are labeled undetected.
Price
- Individual ELISA (milk, tissue, blood) $6.50/sample
- Multiple test discount! $11 for two ELISAs on same sample; $15.00 for 3 ELISAs
- Individual PCR (milk, tissue, whole blood) $40
- Group PCR (pooled tissue, milk)
- Pooled tissue samples (10-20 samples) $3.70/sample
- Pooled milk samples (20-250 samples) $2.50/sample
- Testing billed upon sample receipt
- $10 sample submission fee per order
Submit Samples
- Send direct
- Talk to your DHI Specialist
Vaccination is only one step in stopping the BVD cycle
Chances are you vaccinate for BVD and forget about it. Is that really the approach you should take? At a cost of $2.5 billion to dairy- and beef-cattle producers through sick animals, treatment costs and death, is burying your head in the sand the best approach?
CentralStar Laboratories
CentralStar’s Laboratories provide sample analyses on milk, blood, fecal, and tissue samples for a variety of production, disease and health-related traits.
More than 5.3 million samples are processed annually using state-of-the-art equipment and techniques including infrared spectroscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA, PCR, and more.
Diagnostic tests are intended to identify diseases in the cow for their health, and do not determine the “safety” of milk. Testing prices listed effective 10/1/2020.
How To Collect a Blood Sample for Serum Tests
Supplies Needed:
- Vacutainer® Vial
- Double-sided needle
- Needle holder
Be sure to check which type of vial is required for your desired test type.
- Red-top vials: Pregnancy, Johne’s, Leukosis, BVD and Neospora.
- Purple-top vials: A1/A2 and BLV SSI PCR.
Step 1:
Screw needle into needle holder
Insert the Vacutainer vial into the holder
DO NOT puncture the vial stopper
Step 2:
Lift the tail straight up and clean area
Find the midline groove 4 to 6 inches from the base of the tail
Insert the needle about ¼ inch into the groove, perpendicular to the underside of the tail
Step 3:
Engage the vacuum by pressing the vial up puncturing the stopper
If blood does not flow, carefully redirect the needle
DO NOT remove the needle from the tail
Step 4:
Once blood begins to flow maintain needle position
Collect a minimum of 4cc of blood
Step 5:
Disengage the vial from the holder BEFORE removing needle from the tail
Step 6:
Clearly label vials with animal identification
Fill out a sample submission form
Step 7:
Keep vials at room temperature to allow clotting (1 to 2 hours)
Once clotted, keep samples refrigerated until submitted to the lab