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Article History

Received: 21 May 2019

Accepted: 27 September 2019

First Online: 25 October 2019

Ethics approval and consent to participate

: The serum panel was collated only for the purpose of performing this study. In Finland, serum samples were submitted for diagnostic purposes to the Finnish Food Authority with a consent from the farmers participating in a research project “<i>Mycoplasma bovis</i> in dairy herds”. Samples for the purpose of health screening or disease treatment fall under the Finnish Animal Diseases Act (441/2013) and do not require further ethical approval, as they are intended to maintain the well-being of animals. In France, serum samples were acquired for diagnosis purpose with a consent from the farmers to reuse them for non-commercial, research activities. Sample collection for diagnosis purpose in France does not require approval by our local ethics committee (Anses/ENVA/UPEC). In the Netherlands, serum sampling of the calves was granted an exemption from requiring ethics approval by the institutional Animal Experiment Commission “Dier Experimenten Commissie (DEC) Lelystad (2,013,111.b)”, because sampling was performed for diagnostic purposes. Consent for participation was obtained verbally from the farmers. In Sweden, serum sampling of cattle is systematically performed each year for disease screening on behalf of the Swedish Board of Agriculture, and a consent to use a subset of these samples in the present study was given by the Board. Use of such serum samples do not demand ethical permission according to Swedish national law, as stated in the code of statute SJVSF 2019:9 (). This exemption from ethical permission was confirmed by Djurskyddsorganet (the Animal Welfare Body, SVA, Sweden). All Swedish cattle herds are affiliated to a voluntary or mandatory surveillance program, as regulated by SJVFS 1993:42 and SJVFS 2003:31 (), respectively. Consent by each farmer is given by registration to one of these surveillance programs. In the UK, serum samples were submitted to APHA for diagnostic purposes. Samples from veterinary interventions such blood sample collection for the purpose of health screening or disease treatment fall under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and do not require further ethical approval, as they are intended to maintain the well-being of animals.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.