Heck cattle in nature reserve 'De Oostvaardersplassen': a risk for infectious diseases or not?

This article discusses risk analysis of infectious diseases in a cattle pop ulation. Week cattle living in nature reserve 'De Oostvaardersplassen' were studied as an example of the risk analysis approach. Twenty-five adult cat tle were tested for every infectious disease agent that the risk analysis i ndicated might be prevalent. All sampled cattle tested positive for Bovine Herpesvirus 1, whereas the prevalence of antibodies against other infectiou s disease agents was below the level that was assumed to be the threshold f or spread of the disease to cattle in the surrounding areas. Risk managemen t of infections diseases was expressed in a so-called 'low-risk profile'. T he risk of introduction or spread of infectious diseases was estimated to b e very low as long as the population was kept strictly enclosed.