Trichomoniasis is a dangerous disease caused by protozoan microorganisms that multiply quickly and are tenacious. With trichomoniasis in cattle, inflammatory reactions and tissue destruction occur in the body under the influence of waste products of parasites. The disease affects the genital organs of animals of both sexes, which negatively affects reproductive function. If left untreated, cows lose their pregnancy and bulls become infertile.
History of the development of trichomoniasis
The causative agent of the disease, the protozoan microorganism Trichomonas foetus, was identified in 1888 in the vagina of a cow. Trichomonas, which reproduce by simple cell division, infect cattle on all continents.
Intermediate living environment of primitive parasites:
- water sources;
- insect feces;
- blood-sucking insects;
- feces of warm-blooded animals;
- rotted bedding in the barn;
- urine;
- non-sterile veterinary devices;
- livestock equipment that is not disinfected.
The main habitat of Trichomonas is the genitals of livestock. The vaginal epithelium of a cow contains starch; in the urethral canal, prostate gland and testes of bulls there is a secretion rich in nutrients - these are food sources for pathogenic microorganisms. Trichomonas also feed on bovine sperm.
Causes and symptoms of the disease
Trichomonas are equipped with movable flagella, with the help of which they move through the vagina and urethral canal, attaching themselves to the mucous membranes. Bulls and cows are equally likely to be susceptible to trichomoniasis, and non-sexual infection can even affect calves. Single-celled parasites are active and tenacious. Outside the host’s body, they remain viable for up to a month, protected from negative external factors by a dense membrane, and in the genitals of cattle they live up to 2 years.
Infection of cattle is possible both during natural mating and through artificial insemination, but in the first case the risk is much higher.During artificial insemination, the instruments are disinfected, and the seed material is tested in the laboratory for the presence of infection. Therefore, infection with trichomoniasis is only possible if the rules of hygiene and disinfection are ignored.
When a cow is infected by a bull, Trichomonas begins to multiply intensively on the external genitalia, then penetrates inside. Reproduction is so fast that the inflammatory reaction occurs within the next day, and the first symptoms are observed several hours later.
In rare cases, the incubation period lasts up to 2-3 weeks. The rate of development of trichomoniasis is determined by the immunity, gender and age of the animal. The diagnosis is made by a veterinarian after a laboratory test, but the owner himself can understand that his cow has trichomoniasis by the following symptoms:
- restless behavior of the animal;
- frequent looking at the back of the body;
- feeling unwell;
- lack of appetite;
- swelling of the external genitalia;
- inflammation of the vaginal mucosa (after about 2 days);
- pinpoint rashes on the vaginal walls;
- small nodes on the mucous surface of the genital tract;
- mucous and flaky vaginal discharge (after about 2 weeks).
If left untreated, the cyclic functioning of the reproductive organs is disrupted. A cow develops purulent-catarrhal endometritis - acute inflammation of the lining of the uterus.
When the parasites enter the cow's vagina with infected bull semen, trichomoniasis develops parallel to the uterine development of the calf.
A miscarriage usually occurs in the 2-4th month of gestation, followed by inflammation of the uterus and ovaries. The cow becomes infertile.Sometimes the embryo is not aborted, but, having died, begins to rot in the mother’s womb, posing a mortal danger to the life of the cow.
Diagnostic measures
If at least one cow is found sick with trichomoniasis, the farmer must immediately introduce quarantine. It is prohibited to bring new animals to the farm or remove livestock from it. All animals on the farm are carefully examined, and the following is taken for analysis from each individual:
- Non-pregnant females have vaginal discharge. 2-3 days after infection, the maximum concentration of pathogenic microorganisms is detected in the vaginal mucus.
- Cows that have miscarried have a dead fetus. Abdominal and substernal tissues are selected for analysis.
- In bulls - sperm and mucous secretions of the urethral canal.
The collected biomaterial is placed in saline solution and examined under a microscope. It is advisable to conduct a laboratory test 2 times with an interval of 10 days. This will not only allow you to accurately identify sick animals, but also prevent complications due to concomitant pathologies. Cow tripper, caused by Trichomonas, is symptomatically little different from other infectious diseases: chlamydia, toxoplasmosis. Therefore, it is impossible to do without laboratory analysis.
Treatment of trichomoniasis in cattle
Infected cattle are kept separately from healthy animals. Stalls are regularly and thoroughly treated with disinfectants (sodium hydroxide, soda ash, lime). Treating cattle trichomoniasis requires a comprehensive approach. First of all, sick cows undergo procedures aimed at cleansing the genital tract of accumulated infection. For this purpose, medications are used that cause contraction of the walls of the uterus:
- "Oxytocin";
- "Prozerin";
- "Pituitrin."
The vagina is washed with a 10% ichthyol solution with the addition of glycerin, iodine-saline solution, Furacilin or another nitrofuran preparation. For douching, the solution is heated to 38-40 °C. To treat the vagina of one cow, 0.5 liters of medicinal liquid is required.
Every day for 5 days one subcutaneous injection of the drug Metronidazole is given. Per 100 kg of body weight of a cow, take 5 g of the substance. Dilute with saline solution or novocaine. If after a course of injections the test for trichomoniasis remains positive, then therapy is continued.
To kill pathogenic microflora, cattle of both sexes are given antibiotics. The drugs Trichopolum and Trichomonacid are suitable. Bulls are additionally treated with external antiseptics, the genitals are treated with a solution of the drug "Furazolidone", then an antiseptic ointment is applied.
If a cow has a strong immune system, then she tolerates trichomoniasis in a mild form, recovers without drug therapy, and sometimes does not get sick at all. But such cases are rare.
Preventive actions
There is no vaccine against trichomoniasis, so it is impossible to protect cattle from infection. But it is possible to diagnose an infectious disease in a timely manner, prevent its spread, and create conditions that reduce the likelihood of infection. Basic preventive measures:
- Any livestock brought onto the farm is quarantined for approximately a month. Each animal is tested for trichomoniasis. After receiving test results indicating that the cattle are not infected, the brought animals are placed with the rest of the herd.
- You should buy cattle only from prosperous, reputable farms where the sanitary situation is not satisfactory.
- If suspicious symptoms occur even in one individual, the entire livestock, from six-month-old calves to older individuals, is examined for infectious lesions. It is unacceptable to lift quarantine and resume normal livestock management until a negative test result comes back from the veterinary laboratory.
- The main way to prevent trichomoniasis in cattle is to periodically check bovine semen for the presence of parasites. Bulls who have had the disease and are involved in the fertilization of cows are tested for trichomoniasis over the next 2 months at 10-day intervals.
- Livestock equipment is periodically disinfected in any convenient way. Bedding in stalls is replaced in a timely manner.
- Instruments for artificial insemination of livestock are carefully sterilized before the procedure according to the instructions. The semen taken from the bull is checked for the absence of infection.
- Free-grazing cattle are not allowed to come into contact with animals brought to pasture from other farms.
Danger to humans
Trichomoniasis in cattle is not transmitted to humans. There is one disease, but it is caused in cows and people by different pathogens belonging to the genus Trichomonas:
- human parasite – Trichomonas vaginalis (Trichomonas vaginalis);
- cattle parasite – Trichomonas foetus (Trichomonas foetus).
Therefore, the farmer does not have to fear that he will become infected with trichomoniasis by contacting sick livestock. But we must not forget about hygiene rules, since unkempt animals can pick up another infection that is dangerous to humans.
A person will not get sick with trichomoniasis, even by consuming contaminated milk and meat. But after slaughter, the cattle carcass is examined by a veterinarian for the presence of purulent vaginal mass and endometritis. If these diagnoses are confirmed, then the inflamed and pus-filled organs must be removed and disposed of.
If a farmer notices purulent vaginal discharge from a cow, he should immediately call a veterinarian. If diagnostic measures confirm trichomoniasis, then treatment cannot be delayed, otherwise the disease will cause significant material damage to the farm.
