Economic losses due to brucellosis and neosporosis abortions in Argentine beef herds.

In Argentina, diseases that cause abortion pose a considerable threat to beef herds due to their economic implications. Previous research has shown variable results regarding their impact, primarily due to the different time points at which they were evaluated, leading to outdated findings, and due to a not accurate methodology. This study aims to quantify the economic losses due to abortions caused by brucellosis and neosporosis in Argentine beef herds. To calculate these losses, the cost per abortion was multiplied by the total number of abortions. The cost per abortion was determined using the Price Differential Method, comparing average prices of pregnant and non-pregnant cows during the months when abortions occur. To account for temporal fluctuations, the calculation spanned a 13-year period. The number of abortions was estimated considering the susceptible population, reproductive parameters, and the percentage attributable to each disease. The results indicated that the average cost per abortion was US$266.23 for brucellosis (range: 167.11 to 448.70) and US$245.71 for neosporosis (range: 159.63 to 413.07). At the national level, the average economic loss was US$1.46 million for brucellosis (range: 0.92 to 2.46 million) and US$1.62 million for neosporosis (range: 1.06 to 2.73 million). These costs were lower than those in other studies due to differences in methodologies and assumptions. This study enhances the estimation of the economic impact of abortions by recognizing that the value of these losses depends on changing market conditions over time and provides essential information to develop more effective strategies for their control.