About the Animal Health Division (2024)

The Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Surveillance Program is a federal program sponsored by USDA in which accredited veterinarians are trained to collect samples from certain cattle to be submitted for BSE testing. Both the accredited veterinarian and the producer may receive payment for each sample submitted. Participation in the program assists Missouri, and the nation, in meeting surveillance requirements and reassuring our international trading partners of our freedom from BSE.

To qualify for testing, cattle must be in one of the following categories:

• Any age or breed of cattle showing neurologic symptoms.
• Any cattle that are down and over 30 months of age.
• Any cattle found dead with a known clinical history.

For more information regarding the program, see here.

Brucellosis (a.k.a. Bang’s disease or contagious abortion) is an infectious disease of cattle caused by the bacteria Brucella abortus. It causes abortions, infertility and reduced milk production and is infectious to humans. Brucellosis is transmitted from animals by direct contact with infected blood, placentas, fetuses or uterine secretions, or through the consumption of infected raw animal products, especially milk and milk products. There is no treatment for Brucellosis in livestock.

Through a federal/state/industry cooperative effort, Brucellosis was mostly eradicated from the United States by the early 2000s. Missouri was classified as a Brucellosis-Free state in March 2004.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture administers a Certified Brucellosis-Free Herd Program for cattle or bison herds using the Brucellosis Eradication: Uniform Methods and Rules established by USDA (APHIS 91-45-013) and summarized on this page.

Herd Certification

A herd may qualify as Certified Brucellosis-Free by one of the following methods.

1. Complete Herd Blood Test
   • For initial certification, a herd must have at least two consecutive negative herd blood tests, between 10 to 14 months apart.
   • For continuous certification, a herd must have a negative herd blood test conducted within 60 days before the certification anniversary date.
   • If the recertification test is conducted within 60 days after the anniversary date, the certification period will be 12 months from the anniversary date and not 12 months from the date of the recertifying test. During the interval between the anniversary date and the recertifying test date, certification will be suspended.
   • If a herd blood test for recertification is not conducted within 60 days after the anniversary date, then certification requirements are the same as for initial certification.
   • For purposes of certifying or recertifying a herd, the herd blood test must include all natural addition heifers and bulls that are 18 months of age or older.
   • Certified Brucellosis-Free status applies only to individual herds and includes all offspring. A herd is certified for 12 months.
2. Brucellosis Milk Surveillance Test (BMST)
   • For initial certification, a herd must have a minimum of four consecutive negative BMSTs conducted at intervals of 90 days or more. The series must be followed by a negative herd blood test conducted within 90 days after the last negative BMST.
   • For recertification, a herd must have a negative herd blood test.
   • For purposes of certifying or recertifying a herd, the herd blood test must include all natural-additions heifers and bulls that are 18 months of age or older.
   • If a dairy herd has been certified by BMST as specified immediately above or by herd blood tests as specified in section 1 above, then they may recertify by conducting four consecutive negative BMSTs at approximate intervals of 90 days, with the fourth test conducted within 60 days before the certification anniversary date.

Additions to Certified Brucellosis-Free Herds

Natural herd increase.

1. Cattle from Certified Brucellosis-Free herds or Class Free states or areas.
   • No test requirements on breeding or dairy cattle originating from Certified Brucellosis-Free Herds or Class Free states or areas, except
   • Test eligible animals shall not receive Certified Brucellosis-Free status for sale purposes until they have passed a 60-120 day post-entry test.
2. Cattle from Non-Certified herds or Non-Class Free states or areas.

• Test eligible cattle and bison from herds not under quarantine must have a negative blood test for brucellosis within 30 days prior to the date of movement; and
• All test-eligible cattle or bison purchased from herds that are not Certified Brucellosis-Free must have a blood test between 60 and 120 days after being added.
  • These test eligible animals will be isolated from the rest of the herd until the 60-120 day post-addition blood test is done and is negative.
• Test eligible animals added to a Certified Brucellosis-Free herd under this provision shall not receive Certified Brucellosis-Free status for sale purposes until they have passed a 60-120 day post-addition test and have been included in the herd blood test on the next anniversary of the recertification test.

Recognition of Certified Brucellosis-Free Herds

1. The State Animal Health Official will issue a Brucellosis-Free Certificate when the herd first qualifies for this status.
2. When the herd qualifies for re-certification, the State Animal Health Official will issue a certification renewal form showing the Herd Certification Number, the number of animals and the owner.

Johne's (pronounced "Yo-knees") is a contagious, chronic and usually fatal bacterial infection (Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis). It is a hardy bacteria related to the agents of leprosy and tuberculosis, primarily of the lower small intestine. Johne's most often infects dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goats and other ruminants by invading the walls of the intestinal tract. Typical clinical signs include diarrhea (maybe intermittent, maybe ongoing), with a normal appetite, weight loss, decreased milk production, increased incidence of mastitis, prolonged calving interval, emaciation and then death. Several weeks after the onset of diarrhea, a soft swelling may occur under the jaw (bottle jaw). That swelling, also known as intermandibular edema, is due to protein loss from the bloodstream into the digestive tract. Animals at this stage of the disease will not live very long, perhaps a few weeks at the most. During that time, however, the infected animal may be shedding large amounts of the bacteria in its manure, serving as a source of infection for other animals. Johne's disease should be considered a herd problem as well as an individual problem.

The affected animal is typically exposed to the bacteria when very young. It takes several months to years for the disease to progress to the point where clinical signs appear. Signs are rarely evident until two or more years after the initial infection, which usually occurs shortly after birth. Animals are most susceptible to the infection in the first year of life. Newborns most often become infected by swallowing small amounts of infected manure from the birthing environment or udder of the mother. In addition, newborns may become infected while in the uterus or by swallowing bacteria passed in milk and colostrum. Animals exposed at an older age are not likely to develop clinical disease until they are much older than two years.

The initiative for the Johne's Disease Control Program has three objectives:

• Minimize the impact of Johne's disease in herds already infected.
• Reduce the possibility of introducing Johne's disease into unaffected herds.
• Education and outreach regarding Johne’s disease to producers across the state.

Program Requirements

Risk Assessment

• A licensed and accredited veterinarian must conduct an on-farm risk assessment to identify management practices and facility issues which may put them at risk of disease introduction.
  • A copy of the risk assessment must be submitted to the Johne’s Coordinator for approval.
  • Risk assessments must be renewed every three years.
• Herd Management Plan
  • The herd veterinarian and the herd owner work together to develop a herd management plan aimed at minimizing the introduction and/or spread of disease in the herd.
  • The risk assessment must be done prior to completing a herd management plan.
  • A copy of the herd management plan must be submitted to the Johne’s Program Coordinator for approval.
  • Herd plans must be renewed annually.
• Animal Identification
  • All cattle must be individually identified using identification methods approved by the State Animal Health Official.

Testing Requirements
As described in the Johne's Voluntary Control Program Standards, cattle herds can achieve “Negative Status Levels.” There are four levels a herd can achieve; and the probability that a herd is not infected with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (the causative bacterium for Johne's disease) increases as herds progress through these levels. Level 1 conveys an 85% probability the herd is Johne's free, while Level 4 (the highest level attainable) conveys a 99% probability the herd is Johne's free. A herd that reaches Level 4 has had at a minimum at least 4 years of testing and management in the program.

Level 1: Herds that complete the risk assessment, have a herd management plan, and have applied official ID to all animals will be entered into the program at Level 1.

Level 2: Initial testing is required to determine the herd’s Johne’s status. All cattle 24 months or older must have completed serology or fecal PCR test with negative results. Level 2 testing must be completed within 10 months of enrollment in the program.

Level 3: Herds have met the requirements of Level 2 and have completed whole herd fecal PCR tests with negative results. Testing must be completed between 10 and 14 months after Level 2 testing.

Level 4: Herds must have met the requirements for Level 3 with no positive test results and completed whole herd individual animal fecal PCR tests with negative results. Herds that completed fecal PCR testing in Level 2 may advance straight to Level 4. Level 4 testing must be completed between 10 to 14 months after any Level 2 (PCR testing) or Level 3 testing.

Herds with a positive serology or PCR test at any level will be placed back into Level 2.

All samples must be collected by, or under the supervision of, a licensed and accredited veterinarian.

All samples must be submitted to one of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratories:

Fecal PCR samples must be refrigerated as soon as possible after collection and submitted on ice (appropriate refrigerant) to the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in Springfield.

Sample collection supplies can be ordered from the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory in Jefferson City at 573-751-3460.

Other Helpful Resources

• Johne's Handbook for Veterinarians and Beef Producers
• Johne's Handbook for Veterinarians and Dairy Producers
• How to Do Risk Assessments and Management Plans for Johne's Disease
• Johne's Information Center

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease affecting cattle and bison and caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. Bovis). This disease can be contracted by other species as well. Missouri is considered TB free since 1986. TB can be a threat to Missouri’s cattle population as long as it exists in cattle and other species in other states.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture administers a Tuberculosis-Free Accredited Herd Program for cattle or bison herds using the Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication: Uniform Methods and Rules established by USDA (APHIS 91-45-011) and summarized on this page.

Definitions and Requirements

1. Accredited Herd - A herd that has passed at least two consecutive official tuberculosis tests of all eligible animals conducted in nine to 15 month intervals, has no evidence of or potential exposure to, bovine tuberculosis and meets the standards of the Uniform Methods and Rules.
2. Accreditation and Reaccreditation - to qualify for Accredited Herd status, the herd must pass at least two consecutive official tuberculosis tests conducted within an interval of nine to 15 months with no evidence of bovine tuberculosis.
   1. All animals must be bona fide members of the herd.
   2. For Reaccreditation, the accreditation period will be 24 months from the anniversary date and not 24 months from the date of the reaccreditation test.
   3. To qualify for reaccreditation, the herd must pass a test within 21 to 27 months of the anniversary date.
   4. For continuous herd accreditation, the reaccreditation test must be conducted on the anniversary date or within a time period of three months prior to the anniversary date.
      1. If the reaccreditation test is conducted following the anniversary date, the Accredited status of the herd will be suspended until the reaccreditation test is completed.
      2. If the reaccreditation test is not completed within three months following the anniversary date, the requirements for reaccrediting the herd will be the same as for the initial herd accreditation.
3. Animals to be tested - testing of herds for accreditation shall include all cattle or bison 24 months of age and older. All natural additions shall be individually identified and recorded on the test report as members of the herd at the time of the annual test, even though under two years of age and not tested.
4. Additions – accredited herd additions must originate directly from such herds as outlined below and must meet the minimum tuberculosis test requirements as indicated:
   1. Accredited herd in a state or zone recognized as Accredited-Free within the past five years.
      1. No tuberculosis test requirement.
   2. Accredited herd in a state or zone not recognized as Accredited-Free within the past five years.
      1. Official negative tuberculosis test on the individual animal(s) within 60 days prior to entering the premises of the receiving Accredited herd.
   3. Non-accredited herd in an Accredited-Free state or zone.
      1. Official negative tuberculosis test on the individual animal(s) within 60 days prior to entering the premises of the receiving Accredited herd.
   4. Non-accredited herd in a Modified Accredited Advanced state or zone not recognized as Accredited-Free within the past five years.
      1. The herd of origin must have received a negative herd test of all cattle or bison within the past 12 months; and
      2. The individual animal(s) for addition that are two months of age and older must have a negative tuberculosis test within 60 days prior to entering the premises of the accredited herd.
   5. Non-accredited herd in a Modified Accredited state or zone whether recognized or not recognized as Accredited-Free within the past five years.
      1. The herd of origin must have received a negative herd test of all cattle or bison 12 months of age or older within the past 12 months; and
      2. The individual animal(s) that are two months of age and older must have a negative tuberculosis test within 60 days prior to entering the premises of the Accredited herd; and
      3. Must be isolated from the Accredited herd until they are negative on a tuberculosis test conducted no sooner than 60 days from the date of entry onto the premises of the Accredited herd.
   6. Animals added under (c), (d) and (e) shall not receive Accredited herd status for sale purposes until they have been members of the herd at least 60 days and after being retested with a negative result 60 or more days after entry.
5. Authority to test - state laws and/or regulations shall provide authority to apply a tuberculin test to any animal or herd at such times as may be deemed necessary by the cooperating state and federal officials. These officials reserve the right to supervise any test conducted by an accredited veterinarian.
6. Report of tuberculin tests - a report of all tuberculin tests, including the official identification, age, sex and breed of each animal and a record of all responses and test interpretations shall be submitted in accordance with the requirements of the cooperative state and federal officials.
   1. Any response noted on the reading of the tuberculin test shall be promptly reported by telephone to the cooperating state and federal officials.
   2. The handing of the herd after a response is noted will be by a state/federal regulatory veterinarian in accordance with state regulations and the Uniform Methods and Rules.
7. Failure on the part of an owner to comply with these methods and rules shall constitute sufficient cause for the revocation of the Accredited Herd Certificate.

Animal Health Division

1616 Missouri Blvd
PO Box 630
Jefferson City, MO 65109

Email: Animal.Health@mda.mo.gov
Phone: (573) 751-3377