The activities carried out by the professional staff of the Veterinary Institute "Dr. Vaso Butozan" Banja Luka are related to the control and prevention of the following cattle diseases:

Bovins spongioform encefalopathie

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy was first reported in England in 1986. Epidemiological studies have shown that the disease began to appear in the early 1980s. The disease is fatal and is caused by prions. The term prion comes from the acronym Proteinaceus infectious particle. Prions can be isolated from humans and animals, and can be transmitted to various types of laboratory and other animals. To date, it has been established that all epidemics/epizootics have been caused by a common source: contaminated food. Namely, it is believed that the disease arose due to the feeding of cows with bone meal from sheep that were sick with scrapie. The clinical picture is characterized by nervous symptoms: tremors, hypersensitivity, hyperesthesia with aggressive behavior of the animal, unnatural postures, decreased milk yield and progressive weakening of the animal. Accredited diagnostic procedures are regularly carried out in the pathology and TSE laboratories of the Institute Western blot and PrioSTRIP technique. The material used for testing is exclusively bovine medulla oblongata.

Enzootic leukosis

Enzootic leukosis is a viral infection of cattle of all ages that is asymptomatic. In 30% of cows older than three years, persistent lymphocytosis occurs, and in a smaller number, lymphosarcomas in the internal organs. The enzootic leukosis virus belongs to the genus Deltavirus, family Retroviridae. The reservoirs of the virus are diseased animals, so that once an infected animal is a source of infection for life. It is a weakly contagious disease. The virus spreads slowly and does not spread to neighboring herds. All types of animals are susceptible, and the speed of horizontal spread of the disease also depends on the zoosanitary conditions on the farm. The clinical picture is non-specific, sometimes tumorous formations can be observed in the lymph nodes, subcutaneous tissue and internal organs. The Institute has accredited the ELISA test for the diagnosis of enzootic leukosis in the Republic of Srpska.

Bovine brucellosis

Bovine brucellosis is a chronic, infectious systemic disease caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella which causes significant economic damage in livestock farming. Most often it is an infection caused by B. abortion. Brucellosis, bovine, as well as ovine and caprine brucellosis, is a zoonosis. In regions where cattle are kept with sheep, infection with B. melitensis. Brucellosis occurs on all continents, and the reservoirs are infected animals. According to the rules, the main symptoms of bovine brucellosis are miscarriages in the period from 5 to 9 months of gestation. The following methods of diagnosing brucellosis are accredited by the Veterinary Institute: Rose Bengal, iELISA and cELISA tests.

Q fever

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by an intracellular gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetiIn animals, it most often causes a clinically inapparent infection, while in humans it manifests as septicemia, atypical pneumonia, hepatitis, endocarditis, severe headache, and muscle pain.. Q fever is most commonly found in sheep and goats, followed by cattle, and less commonly in horses, dogs, and poultry. The causative agent is resistant in nature and is transmitted by vectors (ticks), while infection in humans occurs mainly aerogenically. The accredited method at the Veterinary Institute for the diagnosis of the disease is  iELISA serological test.