Among the infections to which farm animals are susceptible, cattle pasteurellosis is particularly dangerous. It is a contagious zoonosis that affects not only cattle, but also horses, sheep, pigs and birds. In addition to livestock, the disease can infect and kill wild animals and birds, such as deer, buffalo, and saigas. Laboratory animals also suffer from pasteurellosis. Young animals are more susceptible to infection.
Features of the disease
Pasteurellosis is different in that it affects various organs of cows and other animals. When it enters the blood through damaged tissue, the infection quickly spreads throughout the body, affecting different parts. This leads to the fact that the disease does not have a clear clinical picture, since the cause of death of animals is numerous secondary diseases. For example, when the lungs are damaged, pneumonia develops, the eye develops conjunctivitis, the uterus develops endometritis, and so on.
A particular danger of pasteurellosis is that the animal has very little time, since microorganisms develop extremely quickly on any nutrient medium. This leads to the fact that the condition of the livestock deteriorates rapidly.
Due to the fact that it is not possible to immediately recognize the cause of the infection, the disease can go far and the animal can die. In addition, external signs can be misleading due to their similarity to anthrax, plague and other mass diseases. At the slightest suspicion of cattle pasteurellosis, it is necessary to call a veterinarian and conduct appropriate research and examinations.
Causes of pasteurellosis
The pathogen that causes the disease is considered opportunistic, unstable in the external environment, and destroyed by disinfection and heat exposure. Most often, the cause of infection is the bite of an animal - wild or domestic, for example, a dog or cat, or rodents. Entering the victim’s body along with saliva, the Pasteurella microorganism quickly penetrates the blood and spreads throughout the body with its current. There he finds a “weak link” - a weakened organ, which strikes.
The infection can also enter through the mucous membranes, for example, through the mouth when eating pasteurella-contaminated food or grass, as well as through the eyes or genitourinary organs.
Stages and symptoms of the disease
Pasteurellosis occurs in several forms, which differ in their own manifestations and symptoms. The incubation period lasts from a couple of hours to several days. The forms of the disease differ, but are an immediate threat to the life of the animal.
At the same time, only an experienced veterinarian can deal with animal problems, since antibiotics are used as medicine.
Acute
The body temperature is elevated, and the stage can take three forms:
- Intestinal. Cattle develop signs characteristic of digestive system damage: refusal to eat, bloating, constipation or diarrhea.
- Thoracic (pulmonary). This form is characterized by signs of a cold: cough, runny nose, profuse nasal discharge, wheezing in the chest, and so on.
- Edema. With it, parts of the body of a cow or bull swell, as fluid is retained in the tissues.
Each of the forms has its own manifestations, which must be taken into account when diagnosing and differentiating from other infections. First, the animal suffers from constipation, then from bloody diarrhea. Nosebleeds may also occur. Vaccination is necessary for salvation, otherwise the cow will die within 48 hours.
Subacute
Cattle and other animals develop cough and hyperthermia, a purulent runny nose, and the neck and head swell. If we are talking about a dairy cow, the milk stops being released. Without treatment, the sick animal will die within two weeks.
Super acute
The temperature rises sharply to 41 degrees, in severe cases accompanied by bloody diarrhea. The animal develops pulmonary edema and heart failure.No more than half a day separates him from death.
Chronic
This is the most dangerous and insidious stage, because the animal can be sick for up to 3 months without pronounced symptoms. It manifests itself as prolonged painful diarrhea, due to which the affected animal suffers from exhaustion and becomes very weak.
How to diagnose the problem
Diagnosis is difficult, since the clinical picture of the disease is similar to other dangerous infectious diseases. The assessment takes into account the age of the cattle, since young animals are least susceptible to infection.
To obtain a 100% correct answer, clinical and laboratory studies will be required. To do this, tissue samples, blood samples, and swabs from the mucous membranes are taken from the animal. When the pathogen is isolated from several sources, the presence of pasteurellosis is considered established.
Rules for treating problems in cattle
In order to avoid mass infections of the entire herd, sick animals are transferred to a separate room, and calves are separated from their mothers.
Infected livestock need warmth and dryness, so the premises must be heated, protected from drafts and dryness.
Only a veterinarian can treat a sick herd or an individual sick cow, since it is necessary to know for sure that the animal is suffering from bovine pasteurellosis. Tetracycline antibiotics are used for treatment (“Tetracycline”, “Biomycin”, “Terramycin”, “Levomycetin”, “Streptomycin” and so on). It is necessary to act quickly, because at some stages of the disease the animal has only a few hours left to save it.
During treatment and recovery, cattle should receive balanced nutrition in an easily digestible form.Animals must have free access to clean drinking water. It must be changed regularly and the containers disinfected. The same applies to the entire room. It also requires cleaning and treatment with disinfectant solutions.
Prevention measures
To avoid infection of the herd and the spread of infection, it is necessary to ensure that the following conditions are met:
- Keeping newly acquired animals for at least 30 days separately from the entire livestock.
- Maintaining cleanliness and regular disinfection in premises for livestock and personnel.
- Availability of replacement clothes and shoes for farm staff.
- Compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards and rules.
- Inspection of areas for grazing livestock, selection of places remote from other cattle pastures.
- Minimizing contact of the herd with other domestic, agricultural and wild animals and birds.
- Feeding animals with clean feed, as well as observing the rules for storing products, including silage, concentrates, mixed feed, in a special room in compliance with temperature conditions and expiration dates.
- Since the source of infection can be any animal, including rats, it is necessary to regularly carry out deratization of premises, as well as poison field mice on pastures used for grazing and in fields sown with grasses for hay.
Preventive measures can help limit infection of livestock, but only vaccinations can completely protect cattle from the disease. Vaccination is carried out every six months, as the product provides protection against infection for a period of 6 to 12 months.
If there has been an outbreak of bovine pasteurellosis on a farm or in a private household, you can purchase new animals during the year that have only been vaccinated and are guaranteed to be protected from infection, as well as safe for the rest of the livestock.
Quarantine
A prerequisite for the safe replenishment of the herd is strict adherence to quarantine. Only by limiting contacts of cattle can a latent form of the disease or its incubation period be identified.
For this purpose, at least a month of separate housing of new animals is used. During this time, new arrivals need constant monitoring, which will reveal the slightest signs of the disease. In this way, it will be possible to detect not only pasteurellosis, but also a number of other, no less dangerous diseases.
After the quarantine period has passed and the animals show no signs of infection, newcomers can be transferred to the general herd without fear for the well-being of the entire herd.
