Chapter 17 Diseases and Parasites of Beef Cattle

Chapter 17 Diseases and Parasites of Beef Cattle

Objectives • Explain the importance of maintaining healthy beef cattle • Identify and recommend prevention and treatment for beef cattle diseases and parasites common to the local area

Objectives (cont. ) • Recognize and suggest controls for common nutritional health disorders of beef cattle in the local area

Herd Health Plan • Key to success of a health plan is prevention of problems • Develop a good working relationship with a veterinarian • Observation can help with early detection • Better to prevent health problems than to try to cure them

Diseases • Anthrax – Cause: bacteria – Infection results from grazing infected pastures – Symptoms: sudden death or high fever, sudden staggering, trembling, collapse • Death follows shortly after – Treatment: vaccines can be used for control

Diseases (cont. ) • Anthrax (cont. )

Diseases (cont. ) • Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus – Cause: virus – Affects cells lining the respiratory system – Symptoms: respiratory system is weakened, becomes vulnerable to other viruses, bacteria – Treatment: a combination vaccine

Diseases (cont. ) • Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) – Cause: prion – Affects the central nervous system of cattle – Sometimes called mad cow disease – Symptoms: aggression, nervousness, abnormal posture, difficulty in rising and lying down, loss of body weight, etc. – Treatment: none; animals eventually die

Diseases (cont. ) • Bovine Virus Diarrhea (BVD) – Cause: virus – Appears in mild, acute, chronic forms – Symptoms: fever, coughing, nasal discharge, slow gains, rapid breathing, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, lameness, dehydration – Treatment: no cure; treat diarrhea, infections – Prevention: modified live virus vaccination

Diseases (cont. ) • Blackleg – Cause: bacteria – Infected soil: spores enter body through mouth or wounds – Symptoms: sudden death, lameness, swollen muscles, inability to stand – Treatment: massive doses of antibiotics – Prevention: vaccination

Diseases (cont. ) • Brucellosis – Cause: microorganism – Dangerous to humans, can cause Malta fever – Symptoms: abortion, retain afterbirth, sterility, reduced milk, enlarged testicles – Treatment: no cure – Prevention: good management practices; calves should be vaccinated

Diseases (cont. ) • Calf Enteritis (Scours) – Cause: virus – Affects young calves (under 2 months) – Symptoms: shock, cold in nose, ears, legs, diarrhea, weight loss, sudden death – Treatment: antibiotics, sulfa drugs – Prevention: proper sanitation, vaccination

Diseases (cont. ) • Campylobacteriosis – Reproductive disease also known as vibriosis – Intestinal and venereal form, venereal more serious – Symptoms: abortion, infertility, irregular heat – Treatment: possibly antibiotics – Prevention: vaccination

Diseases (cont. ) • Foot-and-Mouth Disease – Cause: virus – Affects cloven-hoofed animals, spreads easily – Symptoms: loss of appetite, fever, blisters in mouth and on feet, lameness, death – Treatment: no cure – Prevention: vaccination, destroying infected animals

Diseases (cont. ) • Foot-and-Mouth Disease (cont. )

Diseases (cont. ) • Foot Rot – Cause: bacteria, fungi, and other organisms – Symptoms: lameness, loss of appetite, fever, depression, death – Treatment: massive doses of antibiotics or sulfa drugs – Prevention: no vaccine, sanitation, good drainage, spreading lime

Diseases (cont. ) • Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) – Cause: virus – Can affect respiratory system, genitals, eyes, brain, and nervous system – Symptoms: fever, nasal discharge, inflammation of vagina, vulva swelling, blisters, lack of muscle control, convulsions, death – Prevention: vaccination

Diseases (cont. ) • Johne’s Disease (paratuberculosis) – Cause: bacteria – Causes a thickening of the intestine wall – Symptoms: rarely shows signs, mistaken for diarrhea, loss of weight and eventually death – Diagnosed with a Johnin test – Prevention/treatment: culling diseased calves to prevent further problems

Diseases (cont. ) • Johne’s Disease (cont. )

Diseases (cont. ) • Leptospirosis – Cause: bacteria – Some infected cattle show no symptoms – Symptoms: acute cases show sudden temperature rise, rapid breathing, appetite loss, bloody urine, jaundice, diarrhea, abortion – Prevention: proper sanitation, isolation of new animals, vaccination

Diseases (cont. ) • Listeriosis – Cause: germ – Common in animals fed low-quality silage – Affects the brain – Symptoms: fever, appetite loss, difficulty standing, droopiness, animal wandering, death – Prevention: proper sanitation, no vaccine

Diseases (cont. ) • Listeriosis (cont. )

Diseases (cont. ) • Lumpy Jaw (Actinomycosis) – Cause: organism – Seldom deadly, causes economic loss as affected body parts condemned at harvest – Affects jaw, surrounding bony part of head – Symptoms: tumors, lumps on jaw – Prevention: ensure no sharp objects in pasture or feedlot

Diseases (cont. ) • Malignant Edema – Symptoms, control, treatment similar to those for blackleg

Diseases (cont. ) • Pinkeye – Cause: insects – Affects eyeball, cornea becomes cloudy – Symptoms: corneal cloudiness, ulcers may develop, blindness may result – Treatment: isolation, antibiotics, sulfa drugs – Prevention: control flies and insects; vaccinations are now available

Diseases (cont. ) • Pinkeye (cont. )

Diseases (cont. ) • Prolapse in Cattle – Abnormal repositioning of a body part from its normal position – Types include vaginal and uterine – Vaginal: caused by pressure during pregnancy – Uterine: occurs after calving and must be treated immediately to avoid death

Diseases (cont. ) • Ringworm – Skin disease: can spread to animals, humans – Symptoms: scaly patches of skin that lack hair – Affected areas clear up, but infection may spread to other parts of the body – Treatment: iodine tincture or ammonium – Prevention: proper sanitation

Diseases (cont. ) • Shipping Fever – Cause: stress, viral and bacterial infections – Affects respiratory tract of animal – Symptoms: depression, droopy ears, nasal discharge, watery eyes, appetite loss, diarrhea, weight loss, difficulty breathing – Prevention/treatment: vaccination, antibiotics, good feedlot management, careful handling

Diseases (cont. ) • Trichomoniasis – Cause: protozoan – Venereal disease, infects the genital tract and transmitted during breeding – Symptoms: early abortion, low fertility, heat irregularity, infection of uterus – Treatment: no treatment for bulls – Prevention: no vaccination; use clean bulls

Diseases (cont. ) • Warts – Cause: virus – Spread by contact – Treatment: warts may be clipped off, or treated with different acids or oils – Prevention: disinfecting pens and rubbing posts; vaccination

Diseases (cont. ) • Wooden Tongue (Actinobacillosis) – Seldom fatal, causes economic loss when animal is harvested – Causes lesions on soft tissues around head, swelling of lymph glands of the neck – Spread by contaminated animals through feed. – Treatment: animal isolation, surgery

External Parasites • Include flies, lice, mites, and ticks • Chemical, biological, mechanical, and cultural control methods can be used to control external parasites • Proper sanitation also helps with control and prevention

External Parasites (cont. ) • Flies, Gnats, and Mosquitos – Bloodsuckers • • • Horn Fly Stable Fly Horsefly Deerfly Blackfly Mosquitoes

External Parasites (cont. ) • Flies, Gnats, and Mosquitos (cont. ) – Irritation flies • • Screwworm Fly Housefly Face Fly Heel Fly

External Parasites (cont. ) • Lice – One species of biting lice and four types of bloodsuckers that attack beef – Population low in summer, higher in fall, winter – Symptoms: constant rubbing, bloodsuckers weaken cattle – Control through insecticides – Treat in late fall or early winter

External Parasites (cont. ) • Mites – Live on skin or burrow into skin – Cause condition of scab, mange, or itch – Population lowest in the summer – Symptoms: small pimply areas on skin; restlessness; rubbing, scratching, licking of affected area – Treatment/prevention same as for lice

External Parasites (cont. ) • Ticks – Serious pests to cattle in parts of U. S. – Bloodsuckers that transmit serious disease – Can cause scabby skin condition, injury – Symptoms: rubbing, scratching affected area – Ear ticks controlled by dipping/treating ears individually, others similar to lice treatment

Internal Parasites • Most common are – Anaplasma – Coccidia – Flatworms – Roundworms

Internal Parasites (cont. ) • Anaplasma – Cause: protozoan parasite – Destroys red blood cells – Spread by various biting insects – Symptoms: anemia, weight loss, difficulty breathing, abortion, death – Prevention: reduce insect populations – Treatment: antibiotics

Internal Parasites (cont. ) • Coccidia – Protozoan that live in the intestinal lining – Cause irritation of intestinal wall and bleeding – Symptoms: bloody diarrhea, weakness, and going off feed – Treatment: sulfa drugs and antibiotics – Prevention: proper sanitation

Internal Parasites (cont. ) • Flatworms – Include tapeworms and liver flukes – Symptoms: diarrhea, weight loss, limping, weakness in hind quarters – Treatment: typically not successful, though new treatments being tested – Prevention: feeding cattle on paved lots, pasturing away from streams, ponds, swamps

Internal Parasites (cont. ) • Roundworms – Include eight different types of worms – Stomach worms are the most serious – Symptoms: anemia, weakness, constipation, diarrhea, sometimes bottle jaw – Treatment: several chemicals, boluses, drenches, or feed additives – Prevention: good sanitation

Nutritional Health Problems • • • Bloat Bovine Pulmonary Emphysema Brisket Disease Enterotoxemia (overeating disease) Fescue Toxicity Fluorosis

Nutritional Health Problems (cont. ) • • • Founder Grass Tetany Hardware Disease Nitrate Poisoning Photosensitization Poisonous Plants

Nutritional Health Problems (cont. ) • Urinary Calculi • Rumenititis • White Muscle