In this project we study the course and risk factors for Mycoplasma bovis infection in dairy herds and it was Vera Talvitie's (prev.Haapala) PhD project. M. bovis was detected for the first time in Finland 2012. We followed closely 19 farms with M. bovis infection. Moreover, we investigated the effect of M.bovis infection on the meat inspection records and fertility of the cows. This Timo Soveri's project was funded by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and industry partners.
Respiratory diseases are well known problem in beef production, especially with young calves. We studied the effect of vaccination with intranasal vaccine in the calf rearing unit. We also collected data from 28 000 transported calves for the evaluation of factors affecting antimicrobial usage, mortality and daily weight gain in beef production. This Heli Simojoki's project was funded by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (2212/03.01.02/2015) and industry partners.
Vasikkakasvatuksen ongelmat ja muutosvaihtoehdot - Projektin loppuraportti. Simojoki, H., December 2020, only in Finnish
In Finland, nearly one third of the calves have too low maternal antibodies. This project investigate reasons for this phenomenom through colostrum and calf management. Additionally, we study how calves with better quality perform in calf rearing. This Heli Simojoki's project was funded by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Terve vasikka-project VN7717/2020) and and industry partners.
With these studies we investigate hypotrichosis in Hereford cattle, musculosceletal disorders in Charolais and calf mortality during growth period. The pricipal investigators are Heli Simojoki and Heli Venhoranta.
Projects with interdigital phlegmon (IP) and digital dermatitis (DD) study infectious hoof diseases in Finland. During last ten years, outbreaks of IP have occured in dairy farms. The morbidity has been high, in some farms nearly all cows are affected. Purchasing new animals to the farm is the main risk factor for the outbreak. Acute phase response is strong.
Digital dermatitis cause less signs. Active lesions are not common in Finnish dairy herds, but chronic lesions occur quite regularly. The project leader for these projects is Timo Soveri and the principal investigator of DD project is Minna Kujala-Wirth. Both studies are funded by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Additional to ruminants we have some research with camelids. In 2020 new diasease was detected in Finland. In one alpaca herd some of the animals were positive for Mycoplasma haemolamae. In an ongoing project we study the prevalence of this infection. The principal investigator is Mari Friman and it is funded by Finnish Foundation of Veterinary Research. More information and a survey for alpaca and llama owners here (in Finnish).