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Vibriosis in cattle is a type of infectious disease that affects the genitals, as a result of which the animal may have an abortion or this will lead to infertility. If an infected cow gives birth to offspring, the fetus will not be viable. In its natural habitat, the disease can affect any cattle, regardless of breed.
The causative agent of campylobacteriosis in cattle
The causative agent of vibriosis in cattle is a microorganism belonging to the genus Campylobacter fetus. This microorganism is polymorphic, its appearance resembles a comma, some compare it to a flying seagull. Quite rarely, a pathogen occurs in the form of a small spiral, which has 2-5 curls.
The bacterium has the following dimensions:
- length – 0,5 microns;
- width – 0,2-0,8 microns.
The microbes of the infectious disease campylobacteriosis are mobile; in the process of reproduction, the formation of capsules and spores does not occur. The causative agent of vibriosis is gram-negative, it can be gram-positive in the dissociation of old cultures. It is also worth noting that when exposed to aniline dyes, staining occurs.
To do this, you can use:
- magenta Cilia;
- gentian violet;
- alcohol solution of blue;
- silvering method according to Morozov.
During microscopy, the pathogen can be detected in a hanging drop. As a rule, flagella can be seen in the short form of the pathogen, the length of which varies between 5-10 and 15-30 microns. Such flagella can be found at one or two ends of the body.
Fetus is an obligate parasite species that induces abortions and causes infertility in the animal. The pathogen is transmitted sexually. As a rule, it is found in the vaginal mucus of an infected cow or in the seminal fluid of bulls.
Sources and routes of infection
As practice shows, in most cases, the infectious agent is transmitted to a healthy individual through sexual contact – during artificial or natural mating. In this way, up to 80% of cattle are infected. Also, immature calves and dairy calves are exposed to infection upon contact with an animal that is already sick with vibriosis.
In addition, it is worth taking into account the fact that there are other ways of transmitting vibriosis infection to healthy animals among cattle:
- through obstetric instruments that have not been disinfected – rubber gloves are the most common option;
- clothing for service personnel on a farm;
- through the pad.
Vibriosis actively develops in those places where cattle live crowded, and when zoohygienic requirements were not met during mating or artificial insemination.
Symptoms and course of the disease
Vibriosis in cattle manifests itself clinically as a complex of symptoms, among which there are concomitant pathologies:
- vaginitis;
- endometritis;
- salpingitis;
- oophoritis.
These phenomena contribute to the disruption of reproductive functions, as a result of which the lethargy in cattle increases.
As a rule, abortion occurs regardless of the stage of pregnancy, but in most cases (and this is more than 85%) at 4-7 months. There are cases when abortion occurs at 2 months, but, as a rule, the attendants rarely notice this. Only in the case when the 2nd estrus begins after insemination, the first signs of vibriosis disease can be noticed. If there was no abortion, then weakened calves are born, which are exposed to the disease in the first few days and die within a week.
There are no signs of vibriosis in bulls. The only thing is that the mucous membrane, prepuce and penis turn red, there is a copious secretion of mucus. After some time, the symptoms disappear, and the bull becomes a lifelong carrier of the disease.
In aborted fetuses, edema can be seen in separate areas, hemorrhages in the chest area. The content of the abomasum in the fetus is liquefied, cloudy, with a brown tint. Quite often the fruits are mummified.
Diagnosis of vibriosis in cattle
It is possible to diagnose campylobacteriosis in cattle on the basis of clinical and epizootological data and isolation of the pathogen. If the heifer has overgrowth, barrenness, the birth of a non-viable calf – this is only a suspicion of vibriosis. To clarify the diagnosis or refute it, laboratory tests are required, namely bacteriological.
To conduct a bacteriological study, it is necessary to send the aborted fetus or part of it to the laboratory: head, stomach, liver, lung, placenta. It is necessary to provide material for research no later than 24 hours after the abortion. The cow is given a collection of mucus from the cervix in the first few days after the abortion.
Only after all the necessary material for the study is obtained, it is possible to establish an accurate diagnosis of the disease.
Treatment of vibriosis KRS
If vibriosis has been detected or suspected, cattle are treated according to the instructions. After an abortion has occurred, infected animals must be injected into the uterine cavity with vegetable oil or fish oil in a volume of 30 to 50 ml, to which 1 g of penicillin is preliminarily added.
Such a mixture of oil and penicillin must be administered to cows up to 4 times, making an interval of 2-3 days between procedures. Together with this type of treatment, it is recommended to simultaneously inject penicillin intramuscularly about 3 times during the day, using the following dosage – 4000 units per 1 kg of cow weight.
In addition, it is necessary to carry out treatment according to clinical signs. Bulls are injected with antibiotics in the preputial sac. To do this, take 3 g of penicillin, 1 g of streptomycin, dissolve in 10 ml of pure water and mix with 40 ml of vegetable oil.
This mixture is injected through the catheter into the upper part of the prepuce, after which the injection site is massaged from top to bottom. Treatment continues for 4 days. At the same time, 4000 units of penicillin are administered for each kg of the bull’s live weight.
Forecast
As a rule, the disease in cattle can proceed in an acute or chronic form, while symptoms may not always appear. If you carefully examine the animals, then in infected individuals, reddening of the mucous membrane of the genital organs can be detected.
Some individuals after 5-15 days may experience:
- fever;
- constant anxiety;
- copious secretion of mucus from the genitals.
In addition, the animal begins to move in a hunched form, the tail is constantly raised, pus of a cloudy shade appears on the genitals.
Prevention of campylobacteriosis KRS
Preventive measures to combat vibriosis in cattle must be carried out in accordance with sanitary and veterinary rules. In order to prevent the occurrence of an infectious disease on a farm in cattle, it is worth adhering to the following recommendations:
- cattle should not move freely around the farm without the accompaniment and permission of a veterinarian;
- veterinary and sanitary rules for feeding and keeping animals must be strictly observed;
- to replenish the herd, it is worth using only those individuals that are not susceptible to vibriosis;
- in the event that bulls were brought to the farm for breeding purposes, then the animals must be quarantined for 1 month:
- breeding bulls-producers must be examined for the detection of diseases every 6 months – 3 times with an interval of 10 days.
In addition, vaccines are often used to prevent disease in cattle.
Conclusion
Vibriosis of cattle negatively affects the future offspring, causing abortions and infertility in cows. The causative agent of the disease, located in the external environment, may die after 20 days if the temperature regime is + 20 ° C and above. At lower temperatures, the pathogen is able to live up to 1 month. If the temperature reaches +55°C, microbes die in 10 minutes, when dried – in 2 hours. In frozen seminal fluid of cattle, the vibriosis pathogen can survive up to 9 months.
