Cow & Buffalo (Livestock) Tests Cow Buffalo

Campylobacter fetus (Bull) - Culture & RT-PCR

The Campylobacter fetus test looks for Campylobacter fetus venerealis, a bacterium passed on at mating, in a bull's sheath wash or a cow's vaginal mucus. It can help explain infertility and abortion in a herd.

Sample: Preputial wash or vaginal mucus
Quantity: As advised
Report: Confirmed when you book
Collection: Free in Bhopal

What this test checks

Campylobacter fetus grown from a sheath wash or vaginal mucus
Campylobacter DNA by PCR, which supports or confirms the culture result

When your vet may advise it

Several cows or buffaloes failing to conceive after natural mating
Heat cycles that are longer or more irregular than usual across a herd
Abortions in a herd that uses a bull for natural mating
Checking a new bull before it is used for breeding

About this test

Campylobacter fetus venerealis is a bacterium that causes bovine genital campylobacteriosis, also called vibriosis. It spreads during natural mating. Carrier bulls look normal, while infected cows and buffaloes may fail to hold a pregnancy, return on heat at odd times or, less often, abort. The germ dies quickly outside the body, so the sheath wash or vaginal mucus taken by a veterinarian must travel in a special transport medium. Culture tries to grow the bacterium, and PCR looks for its DNA to support the result. A negative sample does not always mean the bull is free. A registered veterinarian interprets the findings with the herd's breeding and abortion history.

How to prepare

Only a vet should take a sheath wash or vaginal sample. Ask the lab for the right transport medium before the visit, and send the sample promptly. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.

Questions about Campylobacter fetus (Bull) - Culture & RT-PCR

What is vibriosis in cattle?

Vibriosis is an infection of the reproductive tract caused by Campylobacter fetus venerealis and passed between bulls and cows at mating. It mainly causes infertility, with cows returning on heat, and sometimes abortion. Lab tests on the bull's sheath wash or the cow's vaginal mucus can help your vet confirm it.

Why is a Campylobacter culture done together with PCR?

The two methods support each other. Culture can fail because the bacterium dies easily on the way to the lab or is overgrown by other germs, while PCR can find its DNA even when it no longer grows. Your vet reads both results together.

Before you book this test

Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.

Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.

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