Download Diseases of Beef Cattle

Diseases of Beef
Cattle
INTRO TO ANIMAL SCIENCE
Symptoms of a healthy bovine.

Temperature – 100.4 to 102.8 degrees

Pulse rate- 60-70 beats per minute

Respiration rate-10-30 breaths per minute

Chewing cud
Clostridium chauvoei -Blackleg

Cause: bacteria in soil absorbed through perforations in the
intestinal wall

Symptoms – cattle 6 mo to 2 years are most susceptible

Lameness

Loss of appetite

Rapid breathing

Depression

High fever
Blackleg ( symptoms cont’d).

Swelling

develops in hip, shoulder, chest, back or neck

Small, hot, painful at first

Muscle becomes spongy and gaseous

Animal usually dies in 12 to 48 hours
Blackleg – Treatment

There is no treatment for blackleg

Disease kills quickly and animal is usually found dead
Blackleg - Prevention

7 – way, blackleg plus redwater

Given at two months, weaning, then yearly

Vaccination of cow towards the end of pregnancy builds immunity
in new calf
Clostridium perfringens –
Enterotoxemia Type C and D

Cause

Increased grain consumption causes proliferation of bacteria in the
digestive tract

Causes lesions in the digestive tract

Bacteria produces toxins

Commonly called “overeating disease”
Enterotoxemia
symptoms/treatment


Symptoms

Bloody diarrhea

Sudden death
Treatment

No treatment; toxins do not react to antibiotics
Enterotoxemia - Prevention

7 – way, blackleg plus redwater

Given at two months, weaning, then yearly

Vaccination of cow towards the end of pregnancy builds immunity
in new calf
Clostridium septicum –
Malignant Edema

Causes: Similar to blackleg



Caused by bacteria in the soil
Enters through injection sites, castration site, lacerations on rams from fighting,
through lacerations in the vulva at parturition
Usually occurs in animals under two years old
Malignant Edema - symptoms

Death

Swelling – decomposition of tissue (similar to blackleg) on autopsy,
muscle is dark brown to black; no buildup of gasses
Malignant Edema - Treatment

Antibiotics may be helpful if edema is caught early.

Usually no treatment
Malignant Edema prevention

7 – way, blackleg plus redwater

Given at two months, weaning, then yearly

Vaccination of cow towards the end of pregnancy builds immunity
in new calf
Clostridium novyi; C. Sordelli –
Black Disease – Infectious Necrotic Hepatitis

Causes

Bacteria in the soil

Consumed and proliferates in the liver

In the presence of liver flukes (worms) causes legions
Black Disease –
symptoms/treatment


Symptoms

Decreased ability to move

Unsteady gait and collapse

Increased body temperature
Treatment

None

Bacteria creates toxins that do not respond to antibiotics
Black Disease- prevention

7 – way, blackleg plus redwater

Given at two months, weaning, then yearly

Vaccination of cow towards the end of pregnancy builds immunity
in new calf
Clostridium haemolyticum
Redwater

Causes

Bacteria found in alkaline soils(pH of 8 or higher)

Warm season and marshy pastures – common in western states

Cattle older than one year are at highest risk

Carried in water, soil, and feces
Redwater – Symptoms/treatment

Symptoms

death

Rapid breathing

High fever

Weakness

Anemia

Lack of energy

Dark, red, foamy urine-60% of red blodd cells are destroyed
(thus the name redwater)

Treatment

none
Redwater Prevention

7 – way, blackleg plus redwater

Given at two months, weaning, then yearly

Vaccination of cow towards the end of pregnancy builds immunity
in new calf
IBR –
Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis


Cause

Bovine Herpesvirus-1

Highly contagious

Stress can cause reactivation in animals that have “recovered”
Symptoms

Abortion

Respiratory tract infections (crusty nose)

Conjunctivitis

Genital infections

Brain infections (encephalitis)

Generalized infections in new born calves
IBR – Treatment/Prevention

Treatment

Virus cannot be treated

Secondary infections cantrolled

Prevention

Quarantine of new cattle

Obtain a health certificate for new purchases

vaccination
PI3 – Para-Influenza 3

Causes

Symptoms

24-36 hour incubation period

Pyrexia (elevated temperature)

Cough

serous nasal and lacrimal (glands around eye)
discharge

increased breath sounds
PI3 – Treatment/Prevention

Treatment

Virus itself cannot be treated

Bacterial (conjunctivitis, pneumonia, etc.) infections can

Fatalities are not common

Prevention

Vaccination usually in combination with IBR
BVD – Bovine Viral Diarrhea

Causes – BVD virus

Symptoms

Common in calves 6-24 months old
 fever

lethargy

loss of appetite

ocular /nasal discharge

abortion

oral lesions

Diarrhea

decreasing milk production
BVD

Treatment

Virus cannot be treated

Symptoms may be treated with antibiotics

Prevention

Vaccination-usually in combination with BRV

Cull animals that test positive
BRSV – Bovine Respiratory Synctial
Virus

Cause


Virus
Symptoms

watery to thick mucous discharge from the nose and eyes

increased temperatures

increased breathing rates

decreased appetites or go off feed

appear slightly depressed

Lactating cows may have a sudden drop in milk production

In pastured cattle that are not seen daily, sudden death may be the first sign
of BRSV infection.
BRSV – treatment/prevention


Treatment

No treatment for virus

Symptoms can be controlled
Prevention

Vaccination
BSE – Bovine spongiform
encephalopathy “Mad Cow”







Cause

Prion protein

Consumption of mammal based proteins containing the prion

FDA has banned use of bone meal and suspect animal proteins since 1997
in rumninant feeds; banned all high risk materials (brain and spinal cord) in
all animal feed since 2007
Symptoms
behavioral changes
coordination problems
weight loss
decreased milk production
The incubation period from time of infection until the onset of clinical
signs averages three to six years.
BSE – Treatment/prevention

Treatment – none

Vaccination – none

Four confirmed cases, in cattle, have occurred in the U.S. (‘03, ‘05,
‘06, ‘12)

The BSE epizootic in the United Kingdom peaked in January 1993 at
almost 1,000 new cases per week. Over the next 17 years, the
annual numbers of BSE cases has dropped sharply; 14,562 cases in
1995, 1,443 in 2000, 225 in 2005 and 11 cases in 2010. Cumulatively,
through the end of 2010, more than 184,500 cases of BSE had been
confirmed in the United Kingdom alone in more than 35,000 herds.
Brucellosis - Brucella abortus
“Bangs”


bacteria

spread from vaginal discharge of infected cow or from an aborted fetus

Can be transmitted via semen and milk
Symptoms

abortions

retained placenta

weak calves

infertility
Brucellosis – treatment/prevention

Treatment


No treatment
Prevention

vaccination administered by a veterinarian and subsequent tagging for proof

Idaho Code requires that all intact female cattle in the state used for breeding,
grazing or dairying purposes be officially vaccinated against brucellosis. ISDA
requires the vaccination of all imported intact female cattle and domestic bison
4 months (120 days) and older prior to entering the state. If cattle are of Idaho
origin they must be vaccinated prior to becoming 1 year of age. Cattle that are
older than 1 year and are of Idaho origin may qualify to be adult vaccinated for
brucellosis.

Idaho lost it’s “Brucellosis Class A Free” status in 2009 and is now “Class Free”;
animals can be required to be tested coming from “hot” areas.
Anthrax - Bacillus anthracis


Causes

Bacteria

Spore may survive for decades in soil
Symptoms

Death - progression from a normal appearance to dead in a matter of
hours

weakness, fever, excitement followed by depression, difficulty
breathing, uncoordinated movements and convulsions

Bloody discharges from the natural body openings

edema in different parts of the body are sometimes observed

After death, the animal's body rapidly decomposes.
Anthrax

Treatment


If caught before symptomatic, antibiotics may help
Prevention

vaccination programs

rapid detection and reporting, quarantine,

treatment of asymptomatic animals (post-exposure prophylaxis)

burning and burial of suspect and confirmed cases

vaccination of all grazing animals in the endemic area and by
implementation of control measures during epizootics.

Vaccination should be done 2–4 wk before the season when outbreaks
may be expected. Because this is a live vaccine, antibiotics should not
be administered within 1 wk of vaccination.
Foot in Mouth

Viral and highly contagious

Animals are destroyed from the whole herd

Last U.S. outbreak was 1929

Largest recent outbreak was England, 2007

The US will not import cattle from countries with a history of Foot in
Mouth.
zoonosis

A zoonosis is a disease that can be transmitted from animals to
humans

Examples:

Anthrax – wool sorters disease in humans (skin form)

Brucellosis – undulant fever in humans

Mad cow – Crutzfeld Jacobs in humans

Is this a true zoonosis?