This article is to enable every reader to understand the common diseases and parasites of cattle, their effects on cattle production, and the best possible ways of identifying, controlling, or treating them but before we go into our discussion about the diseases and parasites of cattle and their control measures, first let us describe what diseases are.
The disease may be defined as any abnormal structure or functional change in the tissues of the animal. The direct or indirect causes of disease are numerous and in cattle we condense them into traumatic, chemical causes, faulty nutrition, poisons of various kinds, internal and external parasites, bacteria, viruses, and congenital conditions.
It is important to also note that a parasite is a plant or animal that lives upon or within another living organism at whose expense it obtains some advantage.
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Causes of Diseases and Parasites of Cattle
1. Mechanical Causes: These are involved not only in external injuries but also in such conditions as stomatitis due to arms (a long sharp slime on a seed), mechanical pneumonia, traumatic gastritis (inflammation of things of the stomach), and injuries due to interference during giving birth (Parturition) by laymen.
2. Chemicals: This may produce injury by caustic action but the main abnormal conditions are due to absorption of chemical poisons following accidental access, or of toxic drugs following their faculty administration. Examples are sodium nitrate, arsenic, and many other poisonings due to chemicals. Plant poisoning is also an example.
3. Faulty Nutrition: This is also valued in the etiology of many diseases of animals the cattlehusbander should possess the latest knowledge on nutrition and nutritional deficiencies.
4. Bacteria, Viruses and Protozoans: These invade the body in various ways, mainly through the digestive, respiratory, and genitor-urinary tracts and the skin. The ability of the infective agent to cause disease depends upon the virulence of the organisms, the degree of exposure (number of organisms), and the resistance of the host.
Infective agents are transmitted from animal to animal by biting insects, by direct contact between susceptible animals and sick or carrier animals, or indirectly from surroundings contaminated by blood, sections, and executions of diseased animals.
Diseases caused by bacteria anthrax which is transmitted through water and food contaminated with blood and excretions or by wound infections. It has an incubation period of a few hours to 1-2 weeks and causes sudden death in cattle. It may be prevented through vaccination.
Another example of cattle bacterial disease is contagious borrne pleuropneumonia (CBPP) which is transmitted through close contact with infected animals and inhalation of disease organisms.
Its incubation period is 14 days to several months and symptoms are frequent painful cough, often gasping and thick mucus discharge from the mouth and nose, the animal dies within 1-3 days. Through animal vaccination or slaughter discard those with acute cases.
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5. Viral Diseases of cattle include foot and mouth (FMD) disease transmitted through direct contact or contact with material contaminated with discharge from lesions, or wind-borne. Symptoms are salivation, blisters on the tongue and feet, high four, and lameness.
Prevention is by segregation, isolation of premises, strict sanitation, and vaccination of valuable stock. Another cattle virus disease is rinderpest or cattle vulnerable plague transmitted through direct contact, or contact with material contaminated with discharge from lesion.
There is high fever, blood-stained diarrhea, severe erosive mouth lesions, and acute outbreaks affecting many animals prevention by vaccination of the calves 12months later.
6. Protozoan Diseases caused by protozoans include trypanosomiasis (Magana) which is transmitted by tsetse flies causing intermittent fever, restlessness, progressive emaciation, lowered productivity, and death.
Prevented by fly eradication, use of trypanosomiasis tolerant breeds, or use of chemoprophylaxis. Another example of cattle protozoan disease is piroplasmosis (babesiosis or red water) which is transmitted by infective ticks causing fever, reddish urine, and progressive weakness.
Prevention by controlling or eliminating ticks and immunization. Note that internal parasites of cattle include protozoa, helminthic, or worms. Other protozoan diseases include anaplasmosis and coccidiosis.
7. External Parasites cause disease in cattle and they are mainly ticks and biting files. In short, they cause what is called rickettsial diseases which include heartwater which is symptomized by high fever, ferrous signs, combustion, or maybe sudden death. Another external parasitic disease of cattle is anaplasmosis which is caused by infective ticks biting flies, contaminated blood on knives, etc.
The signs of the disease include high fever, jaundice distressed breathing, and unsteady gait varying from acute to mild and chronic. The disease affects cattle, especially newly imported susceptible stock; most severe in older animals. Prevention is by chemotherapy in the early stages; and vaccine for control.
In conclusion, the direct or indirect causes of disease are many, and in cattle, we condense them into traumatic, chemical causes, faulty nutrition, poisons of various kinds, internal and external parasites, bacteria, viruses, protozoans, and congenial conditions
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