Bovine dilated cardiomyopathy: Almost forgotten but still present

Numerous cases of bovine dilatative cardiomyopathy (BDCMP) were registered in the nineteen-eighties, but the prevalence decreased steadily thanks to classical selection measures, i.e. excluding putative carrier animals from breeding. The cases described here show that the recessively inherited disease is still present in the Swiss cattle population. By use of a direct gene test developed a few years ago, a clinical tentative diagnosis can be confirmed. Since the end of the year 2016, carriers are officially labelled as such in Switzerland. Currently, about 2% of the insemination sires of the Holstein, Red Holstein and Swiss Fleckvieh breeds carry the causative mutation in the OPA3 gene. A combination of increased awareness of the disease and use of the gene test should allow for complete elimination of the disease from the Swiss cattle population.