Emerging infectious diseases threaten Wisconsin cattle

[Sir Loin]

Emerging infectious diseases threaten Wisconsin cattle
2:07 PM, Oct. 14, 2011

Recently, within our veterinary practice, two different cattle on two separate farms were diagnosed with anaplasmosis.
This disease is caused by a very small parasite that attaches to the cattle's red blood cells. The animal's immune system ruptures the red cell as it attacks the parasite, causing severe anemia and resulting in weakness and, frequently, death.
The disease is rarely seen in Wisconsin and usually is only of concern when animals are brought from southern states. However, both of these animals were Wisconsin natives.

Source: http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/2011 ... sin-cattle

 

[kjonesel]

I believe that this is the same disease that caused some farmers in the Bedford / Bloomfield Indiana area to loose some of their older cows this past August. The farmer I spoke with had lost 5 head and was going through the rest of his herd and injecting them with Liquidmycin to help with their immune system, but I thought they told me they suspected that it was transmitted by mosquitoes.

 

[Sir Loin]

kjonesel
I do not post the whole article so as not to violate copyright laws.
That is why I give the source, so you can read it in it's entirety.



Emerging infectious diseases threaten Wisconsin cattle
2:07 PM, Oct. 14, 2011

snip

In college, I was taught that the culprit for transmission between animals was ticks, dirty needles or surgical equipment that wasn't sterilized. But it turns out that biting insects, including mosquitoes, stable flies and horse flies also transmit the disease.

Source: http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/2011 ... sin-cattle

I don't think Liquidmycin (LA-200 or 300) would do much for this.

 

[kjonesel]

That's what I thought at the time. I wish I could just remember better. But I do know he was injecting them with 60 cc in three injection sites, just to think about doing that sounded like a lot of work to me.

 

[dun]

I don't think Liquidmycin (LA-200 or 300) would do much for this.

That's alwasy been the treatment.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index ... aplasmosis

 

[Sir Loin]

Re:

That's alwasy been the treatment.

Not really!
Penicillin was used before Liquidmycin and that is probably the rout I would take.
SL

 

[Mid South Guy]

It usally is fatal if not caught early. Had a bull get it once. We saved him with massive doses of LA-200. 50cc daily for 10 days. (per vet's instruction.) The problem was the LA-200 killed all microbial activity in his stomach even with a probiotic. Had to get a 5 gal bucket of stomach contents from a freshly slaughtered cow and put down him. You do not want to do that right after lunch. In our area, this is spread by horse flies biting a carrier animal then bitting a another. Once an animal is infected and cured, they become a carrier. There is a vaccine for this, but it's not used that much because vaccinated animals can then become carriers. The best prevention is feeding a good free choice mineral with a high level of CTC. Major companies make what they call anaplasmosis mineral. Suprised this found in Wisc. The parasite cannot survice very much cold. It probably came from southern cattle shipped there this summer and then spread to the natives.

 

[Lucky_P]

It's not just in Wisconsin.
I see anaplasmosis in cattle here in KY/TN almost every year, and have been seeing 2-3 dead anaplasmosis cows coming through the diagnostic lab every day for at least the last 3 weeks.
Treatment for clinicall-ill animals is injection of a long-acting oxytetracycline product at the appropriate dosage. Penicillin would have no effect on Anaplasma - and a single injection of penicillin is only effective for about 12 hours, so even if it did work, it wouldn't last long enough.
Oxytet treatment may save sick ones, but will not 'clear' the infection. Just suppresses growth of the parasite long enough to allow the animal's immune and blood-production systems to 'catch up'.
Best control, in herds known to be infected, is feeding CTC(chlortetracycline), in feed or mineral, at a level of 0.5 mg/lb(of cow)/day through the tick/fly season. Feeding CTC at a level of 2mg/lb/day for 60 days will clear the infection - but cleared animals are susceptible to reinfection and potential death, just as if they'd never been exposed before.

I'm not sure that there's a vaccine still available - and if so, its use has to be approved on a herd-by-herd basis, by the state veterinarian.

 

[Sir Loin]

If minerals did half of what some people claim they would be worth their weight in gold.
SL

 

[dun]

If minerals did half of what some people claim they would be worth their weight in gold.
SL

CTC not being a mineral so that isn;t the claim. Mixed with the minerals is the easiest way to get proper consumption of the CTC

 

[TexasBred]

If minerals did half of what some people claim they would be worth their weight in gold.
SL

CTC not being a mineral so that isn;t the claim. Mixed with the minerals is the easiest way to get proper consumption of the CTC

AND utilizing a mineral with a concentration of CTC high enough to treat the problem. Harvest Brand use to make Anaplasmosis Blocks for cattle.

 

[Lucky_P]

There's a marvelous webinar on anaplasmosis at www.alpharmacattle.com. Well worth the hour it takes to watch it.

 

[Sir Loin]

I'll just bet that those who run range cattle are

At all this talk about additives, tubs of this and that and minerals with this or that!!

I find it interesting how some cows need no intervention from man whatsoever to reproduce and others need man to carry them around on a pillow and feed them meals prepared by a dietitian.

SL

 

[TexasBred]

I'll just bet that those who run range cattle are

At all this talk about additives, tubs of this and that and minerals with this or that!!

I find it interesting how some cows need no intervention from man whatsoever to reproduce and others need man to carry them around on a pillow and feed them meals prepared by a dietitian.

SL

Some of us prefer to be proactive and spend a little money on prevention rather than treatment...Bet you don't vaccinate or worm either. The perfect next door neighbor. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!! Now tell me again how many calves you blinded due to your ignorance about feeding CGF. I good "dietitian" would have been "priceless". :banana:

 

[jerry27150]

you could cross abreed of cattle with a little brahman influence into your herd as they rarely get it.

 

[Lucky_P]

Yes, jerry, if I lived in the Gulf Coastal U.S. and similar climates, I'd want some Brahman influence in my cattle.
North of the AL/TN line, there's virtually NO benefit in Brahman influence that would come anywhere close to making up for the 'hit' you'd take at the sale barn for those calves showing 'ear' and 'leather' or the extra feed those short-haired ol' gals would have to have in order to make it through the winter - Including whatever degree of resistance to tick infestation and anaplasmosis might be present - and scientific studies are all over the board, with some indicating no significant difference between B.indicus and B.taurus, with regard to 'resistance' to infection/disease.

Growing up in south Alabama in the 60s-80s, I used to think that all cattle ought to be at least 1/4, and preferrably 1/2 Brahman. That is, until I had to work on 'em day in and day out. No more Brahman influence for me, thank you, especially not while I'm living up here in the frigid northland of Kentucky.

 

[Mid South Guy]

Yes, jerry, if I lived in the Gulf Coastal U.S. and similar climates, I'd want some Brahman influence in my cattle.
North of the AL/TN line, there's virtually NO benefit in Brahman influence that would come anywhere close to making up for the 'hit' you'd take at the sale barn for those calves showing 'ear' and 'leather' or the extra feed those short-haired ol' gals would have to have in order to make it through the winter - Including whatever degree of resistance to tick infestation and anaplasmosis might be present - and scientific studies are all over the board, with some indicating no significant difference between B.indicus and B.taurus, with regard to 'resistance' to infection/disease.

Growing up in south Alabama in the 60s-80s, I used to think that all cattle ought to be at least 1/4, and preferrably 1/2 Brahman. That is, until I had to work on 'em day in and day out. No more Brahman influence for me, thank you, especially not while I'm living up here in the frigid northland of Kentucky.

I agree. I perfer moma cows with about 1/4 gert or brangus bred to angus & herford bulls. Calves show virturaly no brahman influence, yet the cows still have some of the benefits. Actual Brahman influence is 3/32 in cows and 3/64 in calves,