Beef cattle production and management
Practical Action
Clinical Signs
Scaling patches of hair loss with gray-white crust formation, but some become thickly crusted
with pus. In calves, non-itchy lesions around the eyes are characteristic, though generalized skin
disease may develop. Cows and heifers develop lesions on the chest and limbs most often, whilst
bulls develop on the dewlap and intermaxillary skin.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is based on characteristic lesion where a circular area of hair loss is surrounded by a
raised area of inflammation on the skin. It is also diagnosed by direct microscopic examination
of hair and scabs and fungal culture.
Treatment
The disease is self-limiting, spontaneous recovery can occur, but several topical treatments are
available. Topical agents in use include washes or sprays of 4% lime sulfur, 0.5% sodium
hypochlorite (1: 10 household bleach), 0.5% chlorhexidine, 1 % povidone-iodine, natamycin,
and enilconazole. Individual lesions can be treated using antifungal creams like clotrimazole or
miconazole. It is best to clip hairs around the lesions before applying the antifungal creams.
Prevention and control
Sick animals should be isolated and treated. Contaminated places and instruments must be
disinfected before use on healthy animals. Also, hairs and scabs from infected animals should
be burned.
Bovine Coccidiosis (Manyoka Aneropa)
Coccidiois is a protozoal infection of young cattle between the ages of 1 month to 1 year.
Outbreaks are more common in the wet season especially where cattle are crowded.
Clinical Signs
With subclinical or chronic disease cattle appear thin, the back region is stained with faeces
and feed efficiency is reduced.
With clinical disease cattle develop watery diarrhoea that may contain blood. Severe
infections are associated with bloody diarrhoea or watery diarrhoea that contains streaks of
blood, shreds intestinal lining or mucous.
Fever, loss of appetite, dehydration, depression and weight loss are also associated with the
disease.
Death can also occur.
Diagnosis
It is based on clinical signs, history and identification of the parasite on faecal smears.
Treatment
The drugs of choice are:
amprolium at a dose of 10 rug/kg/day for 5 days
sulfonamides for example sulfaquinoxaline at a dose of 3 rug/kg/day for 3-5 days
Prevention and Control
Isolate sick animals from healthy ones and treat them as soon as possible
Avoid over-crowding and keep animals on clean dry bedding
Avoid contamination of water and feed troughs by placing them high to keep faeces from
getting into them.
Adult cattle should be kept from young cattle.
46