BEEF CATTLE DISEASES: ANTHRAX

Anthrax!  I would be devastated if my herd is diagnosed with this disease. 

Anthrax is an acute bacterial disease.  The disease is primarily caused by exposure to spores.  These spores can exist in the environment for decades.  It is believed that alkaline soils are more favorable to the survival of these spores. Only under the right conditions, the dormant spores can germinate and multiply. The disease effects grazing animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and horses.  People can also be affected by anthrax. 

The predominant sign in cattle with anthrax is a progression from a normal appearance to dead just a few hours.  This causes most animals to just be found dead.  This is because the incubation period of the disease is 3 to 7 days.

How does anthrax spread in animals?
Outbreaks of anthrax tent to be associated with particular climatic and weather events.  These events can include heavy rainfall, flooding and drought.  During heavy rainfall seasons, the close grazing of animals on fresh shoots of grass leads to an outbreaks due to ingestion of organisms picked from contaminated soils. Biting flies may also transmit the disease from one animal to the next.

How anthrax spreads from the environment and into cattle.

What are the symptoms of anthrax?
The symptoms vary from signs of weakness, fever, alternation between excitement and depression, difficulty breathing, uncoordinated movements, convulsions, bloody discharges from natural openings on body (mouth, ears, nose and anus).  It is necessary to note that after death, rapid decomposition of carcass occurs.

Bloody discharge from natural openings of an animal is one of the symptoms of anthrax.


What are the treatment/vaccination?
Anthrax can only be controlled through vaccination programs, rapid detection and reporting and quarantine.  Annual vaccination in all grazing animals reduces the disease.  It is encouraged, that vaccinations are done 2-4 weeks before the season when outbreaks are expected. 

It is also very much important to speak to your local VET regarding the vaccination periods and dosage.  When vaccinating against any disease, keep the following in mind.  Always be informed. Ask as may questions as possible.  

• Have the adult animals been previously vaccinated?
• Are the female cattle pregnant?
• Are they heifers?
• Do I vaccinate calves?
• What is the minimum age required for vaccination?
• What operation am I dealing with?  Natural grazing for beef farming, feedlot or diary?

XoXo

INTERNAL PARASITES IN CATTLE

Have you ever slaughtered a cow, and the digestive system and liver does not look so good.  Full of 'thread like' material (worms).  I have seen that plenty of times.  Well, my guess is internal parasites.  Most cattle have them. Obviously, for a farmer, this can have tremendous impacts on the growth and production of the herd, and thus on the dollar.  

Internal parasites are mainly worms living in the intestine of an animal.  They draw blood from the animal and compete withe the animal for nutrients in the intestine.  The animals that are skinny and do not seem to gain weight, especially while the rest of the herd is fat, may have internal parasites. The internal parasites can be controlled by proper management strategies, which includes deworming schedule, which should be applied to all animals in the herd. Contact your nearest VET office or Agra for more on medications to use on deworming for parasites.

A good test for internal parasites is using fresh cow dung.  Take the dung and place it in a bucket of water.  Smash matter with your hands.  Wait a few seconds.  If positive, worms should float to the top of the water. 

The main symptom of internal parasites is loss of body condition. Other symptoms are diarrhea, anemia, dehydration or even death. 

The various internal parasites include roundworms, tapeworms and flukes.

Roundworms

The adult worms live inside the intestine and lay eggs.  The eggs come out with faeces and hatch in moist worm conditions. These worms hatch from the laid eggs and end up in the pastures.  The cattle feed on the pastures, including worms. The worms then end up in the intestines were they grow into mature adult worms.  They process repeats itself. 

Figure showing life cycle of parasites in ruminants including cattle.

 Flukes

The flukes usually occur in the liver and digestive system of an infected animal. They lay their eggs which eventually pass to the rangeland via faeces.  The eggs than hatch in warm moist conditions. These immature flukes are invested by snails. Yes, Snails!  In the snails, they develop further.  The snails are living. They also have to release some faeces out of their systems. By doing so, they futher contaminate the pastures. The cattle take up immature flukes while grazing.  The flukes grow and mature into adult flukes in their bodies.  The cycle repeats itself.

Figure 2 depicting life cycle of fluke worms.

Tapeworms

Tapeworms are the lease serious type of internal parasite.  The host is again from forage. 

Video stressing the relationship between internal parasites and production.





Video on strategic deworming strategies.