Mycoplasma bovis introduction to and spread within cattle herds is difficult to predict, and no vaccines provide efficient prevention today despite the fact that this infection severely affects animal welfare and leads to economic losses in cattle farms worldwide.

The most common transmission routes are direct cattle-to-cattle contact, contaminated milk and milking equipment, and aerosols moving between animals over short distances (few meters), so any prevention method that can mitigate those routes will reduce the size and duration of outbreaks. Less common transmission routes include semen from infected bulls and perhaps long-distance airborne pathogens being spread between outbreaks and susceptible farms.

Prevention and control methods have to focus on management and biosecurity measures that maximise resilience of the farm system and the animals’ resistance against the disease in case the herd becomes exposed to M. bovis - or new strains of M. bovis. Luckily this also has great benefits on the general health and production in cattle farms. The general prevention measures can to some extent be supported by diagnostic testing prior to movement of cattle, even though it is not possible to point to an accurate testing procedure that can entirely rule of infection in animals or herds. Hence, trade and close contacts always pose a risk and measures to reduce the risk including the consequences upon introduction should be used.