A cross-sectional study of keratoconjunctivitis among dairy cattle farms subject to Mediterranean climatic conditions
Maartens, L. H., Thompson, P. N., Grewar, J. D., Picard, J., and Gummow, B. (2025) A cross-sectional study of keratoconjunctivitis among dairy cattle farms subject to Mediterranean climatic conditions. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 57 (3). 141.
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Abstract
The epidemiology of bovine keratoconjunctivitis (BK) is complex and involves several conjunctival microbiota as well as host and environmental factors. Data about BK in dairy cattle are scarce, and even scarcer for dairy cattle in Mediterranean climates. We determined the BK prevalence among dairy cattle in Southern Africa’s Mediterranean climatic zone by examining 1,675 dairy cattle across 28 herds. Conjunctival swabs were analysed using real-time PCR. Risk factor data were collected by questionnaire and evaluated by multivariable logistic regression. The BK prevalence was 19.4%, (95% CI: 15.0 – 24.8%). Mesomycoplasma bovoculi was demonstrated in 75.7% of the sampled eyes (95% CI: 62.8 – 85.2%) across all farms. Moraxella bovis (18.3%, 95% CI: 11.9 – 27.0%) and Moraxella bovoculi (8.6%, 95% CI: 4.6 – 15.6%) were detected on 89% and 64% of the farms, respectively. Mycoplasmopsis bovis was rarely encountered. Moraxella bovoculi was significantly associated with BK (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.3 – 5.6, Wald P: 0.01). Prevalence varied significantly by age and breed. Shade availability (OR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.4 – 4.4, Wald P < 0.01), sanitation frequency, (OR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2 – 1.0, Wald P: 0.05), fly burden (OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3 – 3.6, Wald P < 0.01) and introduced cattle (OR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.1 – 3.5, Wald P: 0.02) were significantly associated with the prevalence of BK. Closed herds with proper biosecurity, fly control via sound management practices, and access to shade are recommended for preventing BK in dairy herds farmed in a Mediterranean climate.
| Item ID: | 88163 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1573-7438 |
| Keywords: | Dairy cattle, Keratoconjunctivitis, Moraxella, Multivariable logistic regression, Prevalence, Risk factors |
| Copyright Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Mar 2026 04:32 |
| FoR Codes: | 30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3009 Veterinary sciences > 300907 Veterinary medicine (excl. urology) @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 10 ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRIMARY PRODUCTS > 1004 Livestock raising > 100402 Dairy cattle @ 100% |
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