List of eight major diseases of cattle:- 1. Escherichia Coli 2. Mad Cow Disease 3. Campylobacter 4. Bovine Leukaemia Virus 5. Brucellosis 6. Tuberculosis 7. Johne’s Disease 8. Mastitis.
Disease # 1. Escherichia Coli:
Escherichia coli, although considered to be a part of the normal gut flora for many mammals (including humans), has many strains. Strain E. coli 0157:H7 is associated with human illness (and sometimes death) as a food borne illness.
It is reported that grass-fed cattle have much less strain of E. coli in their guts than their grain-fed counterparts. Also, the amount of E. coli they do have is much less likely to survive the first-line defense against infection, i.e., stomach acid.
This is because feeding grain to cattle makes their normally pH-neutral digestive tract abnormally acidic. Over time, the pathogenic E. coli becomes acid- resistant. If humans ingest this acid-resistant E. coli via grain-feed beef, a large number of them may survive past the stomach, causing dreaded infection.
Disease # 2. Mad Cow Disease:
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Meat and bone meal can be a risk factor for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), when healthy cattle consume tainted tissues from infected animals. People concerned about Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (CJD), which is also a spongiform encephalopathy, favour grass-fed cattle for this reason.
The problem becomes more complicated as other feedstuffs containing animal by-products are allowed to be fed to other non-ruminants (chicken, cats, dogs, horses, pigs, etc.).
Therefore, at a feed mill for instance, mixing feed for pigs, there is still the possibility of cross- contamination of feed going to cattle. Since only a tiny amount of the contaminating prion begins the cascading brain disease, any amount of mixed feed could cause many animals to become infected. This was the only traceable link among the cattle with BSE.
Disease # 3. Campylobacter:
Campylobacter, a bacterium, contaminated through food, causes illness resulting in nausea, vomiting, fever, abdominal pain, headache and muscle pain.
Disease # 4. Bovine Leukaemia Virus (BLV):
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Bovine Leukaemia virus is insect-borne and found in grazing herds. Studies in Sweden and then Soviet Union have linked BLV outbreaks and increases in human leukaemia. BLV and HTLV-1 share a common gene, HTLV-1, which is the first human retrovirus ever known to cause cancer.
Disease # 5. Brucellosis:
The bacterium Brucella abortus is the principal cause of brucellosis in cattle. The bacteria are shed from an infected cattle at or around the time of calving or abortion. The most common clinical signs of cattle infected with B. abortus are high incidences of abortions, arthritic joints which is retained afterbirth. There are two main causes for spontaneous abortion in animals.
The first is due to erythritol, which can promote infections in the fetus and placenta. The second is due to the lack of anti-Brucella activity in the amniotic fluid. Males can also harbour the bacteria in their reproductive tracts, namely seminal vesicles, ampullae, testicles and epididymides.
Disease # 6. Tuberculosis:
Mycobacterium bovis causes TB in cattle. It has been found that infection of herd by tuberculosis is more likely in areas where infected vector species come in contact with domestic livestock at farm/bush borders. Controlling the vectors through eradication and monitoring the level of disease in livestock herds through regular surveillance, are seen as a “two-pronged” approach to ridding of the disease.
Disease # 7. Johne’s Disease:
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It is a chronic, incurable bacterial infection that primarily affects the lower portion of small intestine of ruminants, although the pathology and symptoms vary among species. Infection most commonly occurs when young animals ingest the bacteria Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (Map).
After infection, the bacteria grow slowly inside the animal’s intestinal cells. Over the time, the animal’s immune cells multiply in response to the bacteria’s presence, eventually leading to thickening of the intestine and impaired ability to absorb nutrients.
Johne’s disease in a herd is associated with some or all of the following costs:
i. Premature culling resulting in increased replacement costs, increased cull rate, and loss of valuable animals and genetics.
ii. Milk production may get decreased by 5 to 25 per cent from the last lactation.
iii. Decreased salvage value at slaughter owing to poor condition at culling.
iv. Lost commercial market.
v. Ineffective treatments, which require drug withholding times for further treatment.
vi. Cost of testing and added management to prevent spread of disease.
Disease # 8. Mastitis:
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In dairy cattle it is the persistent and potentially fatal, inflammatory reaction of the udder tissue. It is the most costly infection of the dairy industry. Milk from cows suffering from mastitis has an increased somatic cell count. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common etiological organism responsible, but S. epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Strep to cocci are occasionally isolated as well.
Lactation mastitis usually affects only one breast and the symptoms can develop quickly.
The signs and symptoms usually appear suddenly and they include:
i. Breast tenderness or warmth to the touch.
ii. General malaise or feeling ill.
iii. Swelling of the breast.
iv. Pain or a burning sensation continuously or while breast-feeding.
v. Skin redness, often in a wedge-shaped pattern.
vi. Fever of 101°F (38.3°C) or greater.
vii. The affected breast can then start to appear lumpy and red.
Preventive Measures against Diseases:
1. Regular checking and alertness for signs of illness such as reduced feed intake, fever, abnormal discharge or unusual behaviour will prevent diseases. In any unusual condition consultation with the nearest veterinary aid centre for help, is necessary. This will protect the animals against common diseases.
2. In case of outbreak of contagious disease, immediate separation of the sick animals from the healthy animals is necessary to control the disease. Periodic tests for Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Johne’s disease, Mastitis, etc. will give good result.
3. De-worming the animals regularly is a healthy practice. Examination of faeces of adult animals to detect eggs of internal parasites and subsequent treatment of the animals with suitable drugs is of prime importance.
4. Wash the animals from time to time to promote sanitation.