1. Diseases and Parasites of Beef Cattle
Chapter 17
Diseases and Parasites of
Beef Cattle

2. Objectives Explain the importance of maintaining healthy beef cattle
Identify and recommend prevention and treatment for beef cattle diseases and parasites common to the local area

3. Objectives (cont.)
Recognize and suggest controls for common nutritional health disorders of beef cattle in the local area

4. Herd Health Plan
Key to success of a health plan is prevention of problems
Develop a good working relationship with a veterinarian
Observation can help with early detection
Better to prevent health problems than to try to cure them

5. Diseases Anthrax Cause: bacteria
Infection results from grazing infected pastures
Symptoms: sudden death or high fever, sudden staggering, trembling, collapse
Death follows shortly after
Treatment: vaccines can be used for control

6. Diseases (cont.)
Anthrax (cont.)

7. Diseases (cont.) Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus Cause: virus
Affects cells lining the respiratory system
Symptoms: respiratory system is weakened, becomes vulnerable to other viruses, bacteria
Treatment: a combination vaccine

8. Diseases (cont.) Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Cause: prion
Affects the central nervous system of cattle
Sometimes called mad cow disease
Symptoms: aggression, nervousness, abnormal posture, difficulty in rising and lying down, loss of body weight, etc.
Treatment: none; animals eventually die

9. Diseases (cont.) Bovine Virus Diarrhea (BVD) Cause: virus
Appears in mild, acute, chronic forms
Symptoms: fever, coughing, nasal discharge, slow gains, rapid breathing, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, lameness, dehydration
Treatment: no cure; treat diarrhea, infections
Prevention: modified live virus vaccination

10. Diseases (cont.) Blackleg Cause: bacteria
Infected soil: spores enter body through mouth or wounds
Symptoms: sudden death, lameness, swollen muscles, inability to stand
Treatment: massive doses of antibiotics
Prevention: vaccination

11. Diseases (cont.) Brucellosis Cause: microorganism
Dangerous to humans, can cause Malta fever
Symptoms: abortion, retain afterbirth, sterility, reduced milk, enlarged testicles
Treatment: no cure
Prevention: good management practices; calves should be vaccinated

12. Diseases (cont.) Calf Enteritis (Scours) Cause: virus
Affects young calves (under 2 months)
Symptoms: shock, cold in nose, ears, legs, diarrhea, weight loss, sudden death
Treatment: antibiotics, sulfa drugs
Prevention: proper sanitation, vaccination

13. Diseases (cont.) Campylobacteriosis
Reproductive disease also known as vibriosis
Intestinal and venereal form, venereal more serious
Symptoms: abortion, infertility, irregular heat
Treatment: possibly antibiotics
Prevention: vaccination

14. Diseases (cont.) Foot-and-Mouth Disease Cause: virus
Affects cloven-hoofed animals, spreads easily
Symptoms: loss of appetite, fever, blisters in mouth and on feet, lameness, death
Treatment: no cure
Prevention: vaccination, destroying infected animals

15. Diseases (cont.)
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (cont.)

16. Diseases (cont.) Foot Rot Cause: bacteria, fungi, and other organisms
Symptoms: lameness, loss of appetite, fever, depression, death
Treatment: massive doses of antibiotics or sulfa drugs
Prevention: no vaccine, sanitation, good drainage, spreading lime

17. Diseases (cont.) Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) Cause: virus
Can affect respiratory system, genitals, eyes, brain, and nervous system
Symptoms: fever, nasal discharge, inflammation of vagina, vulva swelling, blisters, lack of muscle control, convulsions, death
Prevention: vaccination

18. Diseases (cont.) Johne’s Disease (paratuberculosis) Cause: bacteria
Causes a thickening of the intestine wall
Symptoms: rarely shows signs, mistaken for diarrhea, loss of weight and eventually death
Diagnosed with a Johnin test
Prevention/treatment: culling diseased calves to prevent further problems

19. Diseases (cont.)
Johne’s Disease (cont.)

20. Diseases (cont.) Leptospirosis Cause: bacteria
Some infected cattle show no symptoms
Symptoms: acute cases show sudden temperature rise, rapid breathing, appetite loss, bloody urine, jaundice, diarrhea, abortion
Prevention: proper sanitation, isolation of new animals, vaccination

21. Diseases (cont.) Listeriosis Cause: germ
Common in animals fed low-quality silage
Affects the brain
Symptoms: fever, appetite loss, difficulty standing, droopiness, animal wandering, death
Prevention: proper sanitation, no vaccine

22. Diseases (cont.)
Listeriosis (cont.)

23. Diseases (cont.) Lumpy Jaw (Actinomycosis) Cause: organism
Seldom deadly, causes economic loss as affected body parts condemned at harvest
Affects jaw, surrounding bony part of head
Symptoms: tumors, lumps on jaw
Prevention: ensure no sharp objects in pasture or feedlot

24. Diseases (cont.) Malignant Edema
Symptoms, control, treatment similar to those for blackleg

25. Diseases (cont.) Pinkeye Cause: insects
Affects eyeball, cornea becomes cloudy
Symptoms: corneal cloudiness, ulcers may develop, blindness may result
Treatment: isolation, antibiotics, sulfa drugs
Prevention: control flies and insects; vaccinations are now available

26. Diseases (cont.)
Pinkeye (cont.)

27. Diseases (cont.) Prolapse in Cattle
Abnormal repositioning of a body part from its normal position
Types include vaginal and uterine
Vaginal: caused by pressure during pregnancy
Uterine: occurs after calving and must be treated immediately to avoid death

28. Diseases (cont.) Ringworm Skin disease: can spread to animals, humans
Symptoms: scaly patches of skin that lack hair
Affected areas clear up, but infection may spread to other parts of the body
Treatment: iodine tincture or ammonium
Prevention: proper sanitation

29. Diseases (cont.) Shipping Fever
Cause: stress, viral and bacterial infections
Affects respiratory tract of animal
Symptoms: depression, droopy ears, nasal discharge, watery eyes, appetite loss, diarrhea, weight loss, difficulty breathing
Prevention/treatment: vaccination, antibiotics, good feedlot management, careful handling

30. Diseases (cont.) Trichomoniasis Cause: protozoan
Venereal disease, infects the genital tract and transmitted during breeding
Symptoms: early abortion, low fertility, heat irregularity, infection of uterus
Treatment: no treatment for bulls
Prevention: no vaccination; use clean bulls

31. Diseases (cont.) Warts Cause: virus Spread by contact
Treatment: warts may be clipped off, or treated with different acids or oils
Prevention: disinfecting pens and rubbing posts; vaccination

32. Diseases (cont.) Wooden Tongue (Actinobacillosis)
Seldom fatal, causes economic loss when animal is harvested
Causes lesions on soft tissues around head, swelling of lymph glands of the neck
Spread by contaminated animals through feed.
Treatment: animal isolation, surgery

33. External Parasites Include flies, lice, mites, and ticks
Chemical, biological, mechanical, and cultural control methods can be used to control external parasites
Proper sanitation also helps with control and prevention

34. External Parasites (cont.)
Flies, Gnats, and Mosquitos
Bloodsuckers
Horn Fly
Stable Fly
Horsefly
Deerfly
Blackfly
Mosquitoes

35. External Parasites (cont.)
Flies, Gnats, and Mosquitos (cont.)
Irritation flies
Screwworm Fly
Housefly
Face Fly
Heel Fly

36. External Parasites (cont.)
Lice
One species of biting lice and four types of bloodsuckers that attack beef
Population low in summer, higher in fall, winter
Symptoms: constant rubbing, bloodsuckers weaken cattle
Control through insecticides
Treat in late fall or early winter

37. External Parasites (cont.)
Mites
Live on skin or burrow into skin
Cause condition of scab, mange, or itch
Population lowest in the summer
Symptoms: small pimply areas on skin; restlessness; rubbing, scratching, licking of affected area
Treatment/prevention same as for lice

38. External Parasites (cont.)
Ticks
Serious pests to cattle in parts of U.S.
Bloodsuckers that transmit serious disease
Can cause scabby skin condition, injury
Symptoms: rubbing, scratching affected area
Ear ticks controlled by dipping/treating ears individually, others similar to lice treatment

39. Internal Parasites Most common are Anaplasma Coccidia Flatworms
Roundworms

40. Internal Parasites (cont.)
Anaplasma
Cause: protozoan parasite
Destroys red blood cells
Spread by various biting insects
Symptoms: anemia, weight loss, difficulty breathing, abortion, death
Prevention: reduce insect populations
Treatment: antibiotics

41. Internal Parasites (cont.)
Coccidia
Protozoan that live in the intestinal lining
Cause irritation of intestinal wall and bleeding
Symptoms: bloody diarrhea, weakness, and going off feed
Treatment: sulfa drugs and antibiotics
Prevention: proper sanitation

42. Internal Parasites (cont.)
Flatworms
Include tapeworms and liver flukes
Symptoms: diarrhea, weight loss, limping, weakness in hind quarters
Treatment: typically not successful, though new treatments being tested
Prevention: feeding cattle on paved lots, pasturing away from streams, ponds, swamps

43. Internal Parasites (cont.)
Roundworms
Include eight different types of worms
Stomach worms are the most serious
Symptoms: anemia, weakness, constipation, diarrhea, sometimes bottle jaw
Treatment: several chemicals, boluses, drenches, or feed additives
Prevention: good sanitation

44. Nutritional Health Problems
Bloat
Bovine Pulmonary Emphysema
Brisket Disease
Enterotoxemia (overeating disease)
Fescue Toxicity
Fluorosis

45. Nutritional Health Problems (cont.)
Founder
Grass Tetany
Hardware Disease
Nitrate Poisoning
Photosensitization
Poisonous Plants

46. Nutritional Health Problems (cont.)
Urinary Calculi
Rumenititis
White Muscle