Content
Paramphistomatosis of cattle is a disease caused by trematodes of the suborder paramphistomat, which parasitize in the digestive tract of cows: abomasum, rumen, mesh, as well as in the small intestine. Infection with paramphistomatosis occurs in an alimentary way when grazing animals in the area of flooded meadows, in floodplains of rivers with water and grass. The acute course of the disease begins several weeks after the parasite enters the cattle organism.
Pathology causes significant damage to cattle breeding along with other parasitic diseases of cows. The disease is widespread in Australia, Europe, Asia and Africa. Cases of cattle paramphistomatosis are constantly recorded in Ukraine and Belarus. On the territory of Russia, it appears in different seasons in some areas of the Central region, in the Black Earth Region, in the Far East and in the south of the country.
What is paramphistomatosis
Cattle paramphistomatosis is a helminthic disease. It is characterized by an acute and chronic course with a lag in the development of animals, and in young individuals there is a high probability of death.
The causative agent of the disease in cattle is a trematode. It is small in size - up to 20 mm. It has a spindle-shaped body of a pink hue. The cross section is rounded. It is fixed with an abdominal suction cup at the posterior end of the body, while there is no oral suction cup. From the reproductive organs there is a testis, uterus, vitelline, ovary. Intermediate hosts for them are various types of molluscs.
Eggs of helminths are rather large, round, gray in color. Released into the environment with animal feces. At a comfortable temperature for them (19-28 ° C), a meracidium (larva) emerges from the eggs in a couple of weeks. It enters the body of the shell-rock mollusk, forming maternal redia in its liver. After 10-12 days, daughter redia are formed from them, in which cercariae develop. They remain in the body of the intermediate host for up to 3 months. Then they go outside, attach to the grass and become infectious for cattle. After being swallowed by animals, adolexaria are released from the cysts and are introduced into the mucous membranes, attaching to the villi.
Cattle can become infected with paramphistomiasis in pasture during watering. Paramphistomata are localized in the intestinal mucosa of the individual and move into the rumen. There is a period of puberty that lasts about 4 months.
Symptoms of paramphistomatosis in cattle
The most pronounced clinical symptoms in the acute course of paramphistomatosis. Cattle have:
- oppression, general weakness;
- lack of appetite;
- indomitable thirst;
- the development of anorexia;
- diarrhea mixed with blood and mucus, which does not stop for more than a month;
- dull tousled coat and sunken sides are noted;
- increased body temperature;
- rapid depletion of the body;
- tail, hair in the anal area are stained with feces.
The chronic course of paramphistomatosis in cattle is often the result of an acute illness or the gradual spread of parasites by young individuals for a long period of time by a small number of trematodes. At the same time, cattle suffers from prolonged incessant diarrhea, anemia, swelling of the dewlap and intermaxillary space, and a decrease in fatness. Dairy cows lose productivity dramatically.
Sexually mature individuals of paramphistomata often act locally on the organism of infected cattle.While young trematodes, parasitizing in the intestines and abomasum, cause their significant changes. Therefore, the disease in young cattle is difficult and often ends in the death of animals. Paramphistomatosis is aggravated by secondary infection as a result of mechanical and trophic action.
Diagnostics of the paramphistomatosis
The diagnosis of paramphistomatosis of a sick cattle individual is made, taking into account epizootological data, clinical manifestations of the disease and laboratory tests.
The acute form of paramphistomatosis is diagnosed by feces helminthoscopy. To do this, 200 g of feces are taken from cattle for analysis and examined by sequential flushing. The effectiveness of this method is about 80%. Helminthicoproscopic studies are carried out to identify the chronic form of the disease. Cattle paramphistomatosis, especially an acute manifestation of the disease, should be differentiated from a number of other similar pathologies.
The dead animals are dissected. The stomach, duodenum, abomasum, scar are carefully examined. The veterinarian notes the general depletion of the cattle that died from paramphistomosis, gelatinous infiltration in the intermaxillary space, edema and hemorrhagic inflammation of the duodenum and stomach. The gallbladder is significantly enlarged and contains mucus and flukes. Young parasites are often found in the abomasum, bile ducts, peritoneum, and renal pelvis. Traces of blood are visible in the small intestine of cattle. Lymph nodes with paramphistomatosis are edematous and somewhat enlarged.
Treatment of paramphistomatosis in cattle
Veterinarians consider the drug Bithionol or its analogue biltricide to be the most effective remedy against ruminant paramphistomiasis. It is prescribed for cattle in a dosage depending on the body weight of the sick animal after a starvation diet for 12 hours. It should be applied twice with an interval of 10 days. Based on the condition of the individual, symptomatic treatment is carried out.
Prevention of paramphistomatosis in cattle
Farms suffer enormous economic damage when cattle develop paramphistomiasis. The main preventive measures should be aimed at preventing the disease, since it is quite difficult to fight it and it is sometimes impossible to achieve complete recovery.
Cattle breeders should not let young cattle go for a walk, it is better to make a separate paddock for them, create an artificial dry pasture far from various water bodies. It is necessary to carry out deworming in a timely manner before the start of the stall period with laboratory control by veterinarians. Flooded pastures should be examined for the presence of an intermediate host, shellfish. If it is found, the herbs from these places should not be fed to animals. First, the pastures are drained, plowed, checked again, then used for their intended purpose. It is possible to water cattle during grazing only with imported water. Manure should be disinfected biothermally.
Conclusion
Bovine paramphistomatosis is an extremely difficult disease to get rid of. It often leads to the death of animals and infection of the entire herd. Paramphistomatosis causes serious damage to farms. Sometimes up to 50% of the cattle livestock perishes from it, the productivity of dairy cows decreases. At the same time, preventive measures are quite simple, one of which is deworming the herd.
