Search

Sera from 152,434 cattle held on 6175 farms in England and Wales were tested for the presence of antibodies to Hypoderma bovis during the 10 weeks starting on February 6, 1989. Thirty-nine positive animals (25.6 animals/100,000 tested) were identified on 21 of the farms (0.34 per cent). In comparison, the survey in 1988 examined 74,502 cattle on 3087 farms and found 29 positive animals (38.9/100,000 tested) on 18 farms (0.58 per cent).

The antibody titre of seven calves, naturally infected with Hypoderma bovis, was estimated by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on sera collected from June to early December 1983 following infection in 1982. It was found that the antibody was lost from the circulation of these animals about 14 weeks after the disappearance of the infection. It is suggested that the presence of antibody in the sera of calves sampled in the late autumn and winter indicated that a new infection had been acquired.