The MSD Animal Health Podcast · MSD Animal Health

Taking a whole herd approach to controlling IBR on Irish farms with Maria Guelbenzu

June 5, 2024·25 min·2 clips

Eleanor Brady and Maria Galbenzu discuss controlling IBR, an endemic disease threatening Irish cattle herds.

This episode focuses on controlling Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) in Irish cattle herds. Host Eleanor Brady, a ruminant veterinary manager at MSD Animal Health, interviews Maria Galbenzu, the BVD and IBR Programme Manager for Animal Health Ireland. Galbenzu is a veterinarian with a PhD focused on BVD and IBR, bringing direct experience from mixed practice and research. IBR is a highly infectious, worldwide disease of domestic and wild cattle caused by Bovine Herpesvirus Type 1. The disease manifests with respiratory signs, reproductive problems like abortions, and can cause milk drop. Control is complicated because infected animals become lifelong carriers, periodically shedding the virus, especially during times of stress. A key control strategy involves vaccination, with both live and inactivated vaccines available, each with different properties and uses. The discussion emphasizes that control requires a whole-herd approach, considering all animals and their movements. Animal Health Ireland runs an IBR certification program where herds can achieve various status levels based on testing. The program provides a structured pathway, starting with herd blood testing to establish a baseline. A critical insight is that vaccination alone does not change a herd's official IBR status within the certification program; testing and management are essential for that. The virus can spread through direct contact and over short distances through the air, making biosecurity challenging. Interestingly, the same virus can cause a fatal encephalitis in young calves, showing a different disease form. A major challenge is that latent, carrier animals show no signs until they shed the virus, silently sustaining infection within a herd. The financial impact stems from reduced production, treatment costs, and the constraints placed on trading animals from infected herds. The tone is professional and educational, structured as an informative interview between two animal health experts. The style is conversational yet technical, aimed at farmers and veterinarians seeking practical disease management advice. This episode is ideal for Irish cattle farmers, veterinarians, and livestock advisors seeking a clear explanation of IBR control and certification. Listeners looking for broad agricultural commentary or non-technical animal content might find it too specialized.

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