Livestock Disease Trends Report – June

Reported by vets belonging to the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa, part of the South African Veterinary Association
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Winter is setting in and in many areas the nutritional value of grazing is poor. Animals are losing condition and immune levels are dropping.

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Supplementary nutrition should be given in time to prevent livestock from losing too much condition as this will lead to disease, lower conception rates and abortions.

The venereal transmitted disease trichomonosis is causing serious reproduction losses and the zoonotic disease, bovine brucellosis, needs all our attention in stopping its spread.

Contact your vet to help you update your vaccination and management programmes for production animals.

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The following reports were received from practices in Mpumalanga (MP), Gauteng (G), Limpopo (L), North West (NW), Free State (FS), KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Eastern Cape (EC), Western Cape (WC) and Northern Cape (NC):

Internal parasites

MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
Roundworms x x x x x x x x
Wireworm x x x
Brown stomach-worm x
Tapeworms x x x x x x
Liver fluke x x x x x x
Conical fluke x x x x x
Cysticercosis (measles)
 x x x x
Schistosomiasis (bilharzia) x
Coccidiosis x x x x x x

Although it’s believed that parasite infestation is not a problem in the winter months, always be aware of clinical signs such as anaemia, bottle jaw, weight loss and diarrhoea (all symptoms of parasitism). Faecal egg counts can be done to assess whether there are problems.

Water sources are the habitat of snails, the intermediate hosts of liver and conical fluke worms and bilharzia. Beware of infestation when animals are moved into areas where snails are present. Regularly update control programmes with the help of your vet.

External parasites

MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
Blue ticks x x x x x x x x x
Resistant blue ticks X X
Heartwater ticks x x x x x
Brown ear-ticks x x x x x x
Bont-legged ticks x x  x x x x
Red-legged ticks  x  x  x  x  x
Paralysis ticks  x  x
Biting lice  x  x  x  x
Sucking lice  x  x  x
Sheep scab  x  x  x  x
Mange mites  x  x  x
Nuisance flies  x
Midges  x  x
Blowflies  x
Screw-worm  x  x  x
 Nasal bot  x

In some areas tick infestations are still exceptionally high. Remember that immature stages of the multi-host ticks are present on animals in the winter. Check the inner ear and spot treat if necessary.

Tick-borne diseases

  MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
African red water x x x x x x x x
Asiatic red water x x x x x x
Anaplasmosis x x x x x x x x
Heartwater x x x x x
Lumpy skin disease x x x x x x

Vaccines are available to protect animals against these diseases.

Insect-transmitted diseases

MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
Lumpy skin disease x x x x x x
Three-day stiff sickness x
Blue tongue x
Rift Valley Fever
Wesselsbron

As the insect population declines in winter, incidence of these diseases also declines, except for lumpy skin disease which is also transmitted by ticks. Vaccines are available to immunise animals against these diseases. As vaccine against blue tongue becomes available, vaccinate sheep that have not been vaccinated before.

Venereal diseases

MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
Trichomonosis X X X X X
Vibriosis X X
Pizzle disease X X X

These diseases cause huge economic losses to farmers. Discuss tests and biosecurity measures with your vet.

Bacterial diseases

MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
Blackquarter  x  x  x  x  x  x  x
Botulism  x
Pulpy kidney  x  x  x  x x  x
Lamb dysentry  x
Swelled head  x  x  x
Red gut (cattle)  x  x
Blood gut (sheep)  x  x  x  x
Tetanus  x  x
Salmonellosis  x  x  x  x
Bovine brucellosis  x  x  x  x  x
Ovine brucellosis  x
Johne’s  x  x  x  x
Pseudomonas  x
Septicaemia  x  x  x
E. coli  x  x  x  x  x  x
Enzootic abortion  x  x
Lumpy wool  x
Intrauterine gangrene  x

According to law all heifers have to be vaccinated with Strain 19 brucellosis vaccine between four and eight months of age. Has this been done?

Viral diseases

MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
BMC (SNOTSIEKTE) X X X X X
Rabies X
BVD X X X
IBR X X
PI3 X X X X
Enzootic bovine leucosis (EBL) X X X X
Jaagsiekte X X X X
orf X X X
Warts X X X X X X X
Sheep leucosis x

The incidence of snotsiekte is increasing due to game farming. As there is no vaccine against this disease at present, this disease has to be managed. Discuss measures with your veterinarian.

The same can be said for EBL – this debilitating disease costs dairy farmers huge amounts of money.

Poisonings

MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
Cardiac glycoside  X
Cestrum (ink berry)  X  X
 Cynanchum (bobbejaantou)  X
 Facial eczema  X
 Lantana  X  X
 Nitrate  X
 Prussic acid  X  X  X
 Senecio  X
 Tulip  X  X  X
 Vermeersiekte  X
 Mycotoxicosis  X
 Diplodiosis  X
 Kraalbos  X
 Crotolaria  X
 Water contamination  X  X  X  X
 Urea  X  X
 Snake bite  X
 Blue green algae  X
 Copper  X  X
 Selenium  X

Multifactorial diseases & other conditions

MP G L NW FS KZN EC WC NC
Abortions X X X X X X X X
Stillbirths X X X
Abscesses X X X X X X
Bladder stones X X
Blindness X X
Bloat X
Blood gut X
Blue udder X X X X
Diarrhoea X X X X X X
Eye cancer X X X X
Eye infections X X X X X X X
Lameness/foot problems X X X X X X X
Lung infection X X X X X X X X
Mastitis X X X X
Navel ill X X
Red gut X
Trauma X
Downer X X X

 

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