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Cattle are susceptible not only to infectious diseases in case of adverse conditions. Weakened neglected animals are often attacked by parasites. Syfunculatosis in cattle is a disease caused by certain types of ectoparasites, that is, insects that live on the skin of livestock.
What is siphunculosis
We can say that this is the same as pediculosis in humans. In other words, this is an infestation of cattle with lice. All parasites of this type belong to the suborder Anoplura, formerly called Siphunculata. Hence the preserved name of the disease. More than one type of lice parasitizes cattle. In order not to specify each time the species of insects, any lice is called siphunculatosis.
In total, at least 50 species of lice live in Europe. On cattle you can find 4 types of lice and 1 lice. Since in the English-speaking tradition the lice are called chewing / red little lice, infection with this parasite is often also called syphunculosis.
Власоед (Bovicolabovis)
It differs from lice in the head, which is wider than the chest, and in the food base. Like other animals parasitizing on cattle, it belongs to the order Phthiraptera. But belongs to the suborder Mallophaga, while blood-sucking lice are members of the suborder Anoplura. Size 1-2 mm. The color of the head is dark red, the body is pale yellow. From the head and size, the English name of the lice “little red louse” comes from.
Habitat on host: head, neck, back, croup. This insect feeds on wool, skin, fat and sweat secretions. Doesn’t drink blood. The life cycle with incomplete transformation lasts an average of 42 days.
This is what lice look like in a macro photo
Haematopinus eurysternus
She is also a “sheep louse”, and in the English-speaking tradition “short-headed cattle louse”. Length 1,5 mm. The color is brown, with a shiny chitinous cover. Bloodsucking. The main habitats for cattle: head and neck.
Blue long-headed louse (Linognathus vituli)
Body length 2 mm. The color of the abdomen is dark blue. The first pair of legs is shorter than the other two. Lays eggs on the host. The color of the eggs is dark and they may not be visible on the coat.
The period from laying to the release of the nymph is 2 weeks. Life cycle 2-3 weeks. The life span of adults is about a month.
Usual habitats:
- head;
- neck;
- shoulders;
- croup.
If siphunculosis is severely neglected and the population has grown, this type of ectoparasites can be found everywhere on the body of cattle.
Little blue louse (Solenopotes capillatus)
A sedentary organism 1-2 mm long. This is the smallest blood-sucking louse that causes siphunculosis in cattle. The color is bluish. Habitats: muzzle, forehead, eyes, neck. The development cycle “from egg to egg” is 27-29 days.
Tail louse (Haematopinus quadripertusus)
The largest of the parasites that cause syfunculiasis in cattle. The size of an adult is 4-5 mm. It is distinguished by a dark chest plate and legs of the same size. Common habitats: head and tail. Life expectancy is about a month. From the moment of laying the egg to the hatching of the nymph, 9-25 days. The average life cycle is about 2-3 weeks. It feeds on blood.
Adult female Haematopinus quadripertusus (A: dorsal and B: ventral), black bar corresponds to 1 mm
Adult male Haematopinus quadripertusus (A: dorsal and B: ventral), black bar corresponding to 1 mm
Ways of infection with syfunculatoses
Lice are sedentary insects and can live only 7-10 days without a host. Infection usually occurs:
- upon contact of animals in a herd of cattle;
- upon contact of the calf with the uterus;
- as a result of contact of a healthy individual with infected wool.
The latter is typical during the molting of cattle, when animals itch on various objects in order to get rid of winter wool.
One of the ways of infection with bovine siphunculosis
Signs of infection of cattle with siphunculosis
Since in the English-language literature any non-flying and non-jumping small parasite on cattle is automatically classified as a lice, any of them is the cause of syphunculiasis. The signs are also similar due to the fact that all these insects cause scabies in cattle. The diagnosis is not difficult: lice are visible to the naked eye. In advanced cases, thickened, inelastic skin can be seen. Due to bites, dermatitis occurs. The coat becomes brittle, dull and disheveled.
Tail lice around a cow’s eye
The danger of siphunculosis
Lice bites are not dangerous in and of themselves. But the parasites inject saliva into the wounds, which irritates the skin and causes itching. As a result of scratching, pathogenic microflora enters the body through damaged skin. Lice can also be carriers of leptospirosis and brucellosis, the pathogens of which they excrete with excrement. But leptospira get into the blood all through the same combing, because in the process of combing the cattle rub the feces of the lice into the skin.
Due to the annoying itching caused by lice, cattle significantly reduce productivity. Not only milk yields are falling, but also gains.
Cattle with synfuculatosis
Treatment of syfunculiasis in cattle
Methods for the treatment of syfunculiasis depend on the number of livestock. What is suitable for a private owner is often not suitable for a farmer with a large herd of cattle.
Treatment of syphunculosis in large livestock
Preparations for industrial cattle farms are divided into 3 types:
- for surface treatment;
- non-systemic drugs applied to the skin and acting only on ectoparasites;
- injections and inhalations of systemic action, which destroy not only ecto-, but also endoparasites.
Some non-systemic drugs require a single dose, others need to be used twice with an interval of 2 weeks. 1 time apply those means that act for a long time, since the lice eggs are well protected from external influences. If the insecticide affects the parasite only through the intestinal tract, then re-treatment will be needed to kill the nymphs that hatched after 9-14 days.
Tail lice at macro zoom: yellow arrow – nymphs, white arrow – adults
Safety measures
In the treatment of syfunkulatosis in cattle, it is not necessary to use injections of systemic drugs from November 1 to February 1. Cattle can also be infected with gadfly larvae. Systemic drugs also work on them. But, having died in the gastrointestinal tract or in the spinal canal, decomposing larvae can cause blood poisoning in cattle. The last time of the year, the prevention of siphunculosis can be carried out during the autumn weaning.
Treatment of syfunkulatosis in a private courtyard
With careful attention to animals, the appearance of lice is a rare phenomenon. If the cow is still infected with syphunculosis, it will be possible to get by with the usual anti-flea remedies for pets. They are sold at any pet store. For the treatment of cattle, you need to choose powder or spray. You can also buy a concentrate in ampoules and dilute it with water.
The cow is taken out of the stall and tied in a far corner, where the cattle usually do not walk. Lice cannot fly or jump, so surviving individuals are unlikely to crawl back to the barn. The animal is treated with an anti-flea drug and left to stand on a leash for 1-2 hours.
While dying and fleeing lice are falling from cattle, the owner needs to completely clean the stall from bedding and treat the entire room with insecticides. It is better to use drugs with a long duration of action based on pyrethroids.
After 2 weeks, the treatment of the animal and the premises must be repeated.
Prevention of syfunculiasis in cattle
Cattle become ill with siphunculatosis in case of poor housing conditions and weakened immunity. Therefore, the main preventive measures are the banal maintenance of cleanliness in the barn and regular disinfestation of the premises. The latter in warm weather is carried out every 2 weeks.
Lice are easily combed out of animal hair with combs and brushes. In other words, the cow must be brushed daily without leaving crusts of dried manure on her sides and legs. Such crusts are an excellent protection for ectoparasites, allowing them to reproduce safely.
The first lice treatment of the year is carried out before cattle are pastured to pasture. Do this with systemic drugs that protect against all parasitic organisms. Repeated treatments are carried out according to the instructions, depending on the duration of the active substance. The last time the treatment and prevention of syfunculiasis is done in the fall, during the weaning of calves from the queens.
Conclusion
Sifunkulatosis in cattle is a direct consequence of unsanitary conditions in the barn. Cleaned, well-groomed cows usually do not have lice, since when trying to move to a new host, the parasites will be combed out along with dead skin particles and hair.