Reproductive losses in extensive beef cattle breeding systems in Northeast Argentina (NEA): analysis of sanitary and non-sanitary factors in a herd from Formosa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30972/vet.3719655Keywords:
Integrated diagnosis, pregnancy loss between pregnancy diagnosis and calving, bovine viral diarrhea, venereal diseasesAbstract
Reproductive losses represent one of the main constraints on productive efficiency in extensive beef cattle breeding systems in Northeast Argentina (NEA). The aim of this study was to quantify reproductive losses between pregnancy diagnosis and calving, and between calving and weaning, and to identify the main sanitary and non-sanitary factors associated with these losses in a beef cattle herd from Formosa Province, Argentina. The study was conducted over four years using an integrated diagnostic approach that included production records, reproductive evaluations, sanitary sampling of cows, bulls and calves, and univariate statistical analyses. The greatest losses occurred during gestation, particularly in late-calving groups, which showed pregnancy losses between pregnancy diagnosis and calving exceeding 10% throughout the four-year study. Circulation of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) was confirmed by serology, detection of high antibody titers, and identification of an acute infection. Seropositivity to BVDV was significantly associated with the occurrence of abortion. In addition, campylobacteriosis and trichomoniasis were detected in bulls, consistent with the high proportion of late-conceived pregnancies observed in the herd. Perinatal and postnatal losses were associated with both sanitary factors and potential environmental and management-related factors. In conclusion, the findings demonstrate the multifactorial nature of reproductive losses in extensive beef cattle systems and highlight the importance of an integrated diagnostic approach and systematic monitoring of reproductive indicators to improve productive efficiency in the NEA.
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