Animal diseases-पशुओ की बीमारिया

Control & Management of Major Parasitic Diseases of Livestock in India

November 19, 2022

505

Control & Management of Major Parasitic Diseases of Livestock in India

Parasites of dairy animals cause economic losses to the tune of hundreds of crores every year.The Indian dairy sector has experienced significant growth in recent years, with a growth rate (CAGR) of 6.47%, but our country’s population is predicted to expand at a rate of 1.29% per year with a population of 1.40 billion people. A rapidly growing population’s ever-increasing food demands have been met by the introduction of crossbreeds Consequent to the government’s sound interventions such as crossbreeding to upgrade the animal breeds, cognizable increase in production traits along with undesirable genetic changes led to higher disease incidence. As a result, on one hand, the dairy sector has put the country on the global map for being the world’s largest milk-producing nation, accounting for 22% of global production. On the other side, disease-related losses, as well as their prevention and treatment expenses are a stumbling block to livestock’s efficient growth. Among all the diseases of livestock, the parasitic infestations are responsible for huge economic losses to farmers.

Type of parasites and their transmission:

The parasites are the organism that lives and feeds on or in another species, identified as the host, from which they get nutrition. Endoparasites (those that reside inside the host’s body) and ectoparasites (those that live on the host’s exterior surface) are the most common types of parasites. Haemoparasites are the parasites which live in the blood of the host. External parasites of dairy animals in India include insects such as stable flies, horn flies, face flies, mosquitoes, horse flies, cattle grubs, and ticks as well as lice and mites are the major

A parasitic disease is an caused or transmitted by a. Many parasites do not cause diseases. Parasitic diseases can affect practically all living, including and. Some parasites like and can cause disease directly, but other organisms can cause disease by the that they produce.

Although organisms such as function as parasites, the usage of the term “parasitic disease” is usually more restricted. The three main types of organisms causing these conditions are (causing), Protozoa and helminths are usually endoparasites (usually living inside the body of the host), while ectoparasites usually live on the surface of the host.

Adverse effects of parasites

Endoparasites: Subclinical infections of endoparasites are responsible for high morbidity and mortality in young animals and enormous production losses in adults. Gastrointestinal parasitic infestations are responsible for significant economic losses to farmers by causing reduced or no fertility, lowering work capacity, declining food efficiency and reduced weight gain, lowering milk production, increasing the cost of treatment and mortality in heavily parasitic infected animals. In the dairy industry, pharmaceutical products for nematode parasite management are predicted to cost USD 2.5 billion.

Ectoparasites: External parasites particularly ticks, cause direct loss through blood loss, tick worry, damage to the hide, toxins production, loss of body weight and milk yield. Moreover, indirect losses caused through the transmission of disease-causing agents, act as a vector for protozoa, predisposing animals to secondary disease conditions like screw-worm myiasis and dermatophytosis. The most common and serious combined effects caused by TTBDs in the Indian dairy system are depreciation of hide up to 20 to 30%, reduction in milk yield (14 %) and an aggregate loss of 3000 million units of hide per year. According to the FAO (2004), 80% of the world’s animals are exposed to tick infestation, with an appraised cost of $7.3 per head per year.

Transmission of parasites

Transmission of the parasites occurred through the ingestion of their eggs or infective larval stage with the contaminated pasture, water, soil, human hands, tissues of infected vertebrate intermediate hosts, skin penetration, transplacental as well as arthropod and gastropod intermediate hosts.

Management of Parasites

To maintain the proper humidity and air circulation, the animal shed must be well ventilated and lightened
Always keep the optimum number of animals in the animal shed
It is not advisable to feed the animal on the ground. Grain, hay, and mineral feeding should be done in feeders that aren’t easily contaminated by faeces
Water should be clean and free of faeces, and the watering tough should be in well-drained areas with gravel or even concrete floors
The presence of good drainage in the animal shed reduces the parasites’ chances of surviving
Quarantine the newly introduced animals for 4–6 weeks and, if necessary, administer anti-parasitic medications
Always maintain the manure in a heap to ensure that parasite eggs, larvae, cysts, and other stages are killed by the heat generated during composting
The bedding material, which acts as a major source of parasitic diseases such as winter coccidiosis, should be allowed to decay with the manure for improved parasite management
The parasites are also eliminated by applying nitrogen fertilizers like urea (1:25) on the surface of manure
The cattle can graze on fresh or clean pasture (pastures that haven’t been grazed in 6–12 months)
To acquire parasite-free grazing land, regular removal of old or grazed pasture should always be practised
Allow the optimum number of animals to graze in a given area of pasture
Allow livestock to graze in a field up to 10 cm off the ground (because most of the parasite resides up to 5 cm length of grasses)
Practices pasture rotation and alteration (first allow grazing by cattle and buffalo then sheep and goat)
Practices grazing by age group (graze different age group animals in different fields)
Adoption of the breeds that are resistant to the parasitic infestation
Use anti-parasitic drugs for deworming and dipping in a strategic way

Internal parasites of ruminants

Parasites

A parasite lives in or on another animal and feeds on it. All animals and humans can become infected with parasites. Ruminants can be infected with several types of worms.

Types of parasites

Roundworms are small, often white in color, and look like threads. Different roundworms are found in all parts of the gut and the lungs.
Tapeworms are long, and flat and look like white ribbons. They consist of many segments and live in the intestine.
Flukes are flat and leaf-like, they live in the liver. Schistosomes are small and worm-like, both infect animals kept on wet, marshy ground as their eggs develop in water.
The roundworms, flukes and schistosomes lay eggs which pass out of the animal in the dung onto the pasture.
Tapeworms produce eggs in the segments which break off and pass out in the dung. Animals become infected when they graze the pasture.

The effect of parasites on the animal

Parasites feed on the food in the gut and on the blood of the host.
The animal becomes weak and loses weight or does not gain weight. It can develop diarrhea, which in sheep makes the wool wet and attracts flies.
Eventually the host becomes so weak that it dies. Young animals are especially affected by parasites.

Animals becoming infected with parasites

Control of parasites

We can control parasites by:

Killing the worms within the body
Reducing the chances of the animal becoming infected on pastures

The worms can be killed inside the host by giving it a drug. The drugs are given by drenching, tablets or injection. Ask your veterinarian when and how often you should treat your animals.

In order to cut down the chance of animals becoming infected:

If possible, move stock to new pasture every one to two weeks.
Young animals should be separated from old animals and allowed to graze fresh pasture first.
If cattle, sheep and goats are kept in the same area, let the cattle graze the pasture before the sheep, as some worms which would infect the sheep will not infect the cattle.
If animals are kept in an enclosure, removing the dung and disposing of it will prevent the animals picking up more worms or others becoming infected.
Do not allow animals to graze on marshy ground or on pasture where the grass is very short.
When animals have been treated, turn them out onto fresh pasture.

Deworming of calves

Many buffalo calves die due to round worm infestation. Calves should be dewormed starting from 15 days of age at 15 days’ interval with piperazine. Dose should be according to body weight.

Ethnoveterinary treatment

Leaves of nirgundi (Vitex negundo), khorpad (Aloe vera), Neem seeds, kirayat (Andrographis paniculata), akamadar (Calotrophis) are to be taken at 1 kg each.
All are to be ground well by sprinkling little water and filtered and 4 liters of herbal mixture can be obtained. This has to be stored for 3 days.
Then 30 ml of the extract is taken and administered for one adult sheep or goat.
For younger sheep or goat less than 3 months old 10 ml has to be administered orally. For adult cattle 100 ml has to be administered.
The dewormer arrest loose motion and result in solid dung and it is free from obnoxious odor. It increases grazing efficiency of animals and they look healthy.

External Parasites of Ruminants

Ruminants can be infected by several parasites of the skin (external parasites) which feed on the animal’s skin and blood. The parasites cause disease, loss of weight, and can lead to death of the animal. The parasites can also carry other infections and spread diseases from one animal to another. Some of these diseases can kill.

The Parasites

All animals and man can be hosts to parasites which live on the skin.
These parasites look like insects. Mites are very small and cannot be seen without a microscope.
Lice (singular is louse) are big enough for you to see. Man can be infected with the head louse. Cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats can be infected with different lice which attack the body, legs or tail region. Lice live and lay their eggs on the skin amongst the hair or wool.
Ticks are bigger than lice and can be as big as a fingernail. Young ticks have 6 legs while adults have 8 legs. All ticks feed on the blood of the host and then drop off onto the pasture. They lay their eggs on the ground. Some ticks live on one host while others may live on two or three different animals throughout their lives.

Mites

Problems caused by external parasites

Mites cause mange. They infect the head, legs, body or tail region causing the skin to become crusted and cause loss of hair and wool. The infected area itches and the animal scratches. The host does not feed well. The infections cause loss of valuable wool in sheep and damage hides of cattle and goats.
Sometimes young animals become infected with a skin disease called ringworm. Ringworm causes circular, whitish patches on the skin which do not itch.
Animals can have both mange and ringworm and large areas of skin may be affected.
Lice also cause irritation of the skin and the animal scratches, rub and bite the infected areas. The host loses, or does not gain weight, and looks in poor condition.
Both lice and mites can pass from one animal to another.
Biting and scratching are the first signs of infection. If you examine the animal you will be able to tell if the skin problem is caused by lice or mites, if lice are on the animal you will find them in its coat, if you do not see any the animal probably has mange caused by mites.
Ticks are very important parasites. They bite the host and suck its blood and when full drop off onto the pasture where they can live for many months without feeding again. Animals can be poisoned or paralysed by the bites of some ticks. Ticks also spread diseases, tick-borne diseases, which can cause death of the host. Ticks cause the loss of meat, wool, milk and leather.

Lice

Treatment and Control

Mites and lice are controlled by washing the infected area, spraying or dipping the animal with a suitable treatment.
All of the flock or herd must be treated to ensure control. Some animals can be infected but show little or no sign of infection and the parasites will spread from them to other animals if they are not treated too.
If an animal has only a few ticks these can be carefully pulled off making sure the mouth parts of the tick are removed.
Rubbing ticks with a cloth soaked in kerosene (paraffin) will make them drop off the host.
Large numbers of ticks are treated using sprays and dips. It will be necessary to treat all of the herd or flock.
Moving animals to different pastures and resting the contaminated pasture for a length of time can help to control the ticks.
Cutting the bushes and ploughing the affected area can help to control ticks.

Large numbers of ticks can be found around water holes and animal shelters.

Ringworm

Ethnoveterinary Treatment

Mix common salt and few camphor in castor oil or neem oil and apply over the affected area.
Whole plant extract of ghaner (Lantana camara) should be diluted with the urine of cattle and apply externally.
Boil 250 gm of tobacco in 2 litres of water and add 5 litres of water and sprayed over the body of 10-20 animals.
If mange or ticks are a problem in your community’s livestock you should talk to your local veterinarian about it. He will advise you on the best treatment and control to use in your area. He may ask you to collect some ticks or take scrapings of skin from animals with mange so the parasite can be identified. This will help him to decide which treatment you should use.

Parasitic Diseases of Cattle and Buffalo

Anaplasmosis

About the Diseases

Nature of disease

· It is an important rickettsial infectious disease of ruminants.

· Exotic and crossbred cattle are highly susceptible.

Causes

· The disease is caused by Anaplasma marginale.

· The anaplasmas are intra-erythrocytic bodies.

· They can be destroyed by heating at 60˙C for 60 minutes.

Mode of Transmission

· The infection spreads through ticks.

· Besides tick, Tabanas spp., Stomoxys spp. And mosquitoes have been found to transmit the disease.

· Carrier animals like cattle and other wild ruminants play vital roles in the transmission of the disease.

· Mechanical transmission through dehorning, castration, vaccination, ear marking has been suggested.

· Transplacental transmission has been observed.

Symptoms

Clinical symptoms

· High rise of temperature,

· Loss of condition,

· Nasal discharge, lacrymation,

· Inappetance,

· Coughing, dry rales, moist rales,

· Rumen atony, dehydration, rough body coat, dyspnoea and muscle tremors.

· Enlargement of superficial lymphnodes,

· Grinding of teeth,

· Pale and icteric mucous membrane.

Management Methods

Control measures
· This condition should be handled with qualified veterinary doctor. · Strict control of insect population should be made by acaricidal spray or dips. · Carrier animals should be isolated and disposed. · Serological test of the herd should be made and the positive one should be brought under treatment. · Prophylactic immunization against Anaplasmosis is done by preimunition, attenuated vaccine of ovine origin and inactivated vaccine of ovine and bovine origins.

Theileriosis

About the Diseases

Nature of disease
· Theileriosis is an important disease in exotic and cross bred dairy cattle

Causes

· The species of Theileria those affect cattle are T.annulata, T.parva and T.mutans.

· T.annulata is the most extensively distributed parasite and causes tropical Theileriosis.

Mode of Transmission

· The disease is mostly observed during summer and rainy seasons.

· This preponderance is attributed to higher activity of vector during this season (May to October). This is also influenced by stress due to hot and humid weathers.

· The disease is transmitted by the bite of the ticks of the genus Hyalomma.

· Erythrocytic forms of the parasite are ingested by the larval and nymphal stages of the tick along with blood, while feeding on an infected animal.

· The subsequent stages of the tick (nymph and/or adults) transmit the disease during their feeding on susceptible hosts (Transtadial transmission).

· The disease can also be transmitted mechanically by inoculation of infective blood and tissue suspension made from spleen, lymph node and liver of infected animals.

Symptoms

Clinical symptoms

· High rise of temperature (40.5˙C to 41.5˙C).

· Enlargement of regional superficial lymph nodes.

· Anorexia, restlessness and rough coat.

· Tense eye balls along with watery lacrymation.

· Laboured respiration, serous, nasal discharge and coughing.

· Depression and petechial haemorrhages on conjunctiva.

· Declination of fever and development of anaemia with high coloured urine in later stage.

· Urticarial type skin lesions.

· Weakness, prostration and death.

Skin lesions