Sheep trichophytosis: causes and symptoms of ringworm, treatment and prevention

Sheep breeding is a profitable business, meat, milk, wool are obtained from animals. In order for the products to be of high quality, it is necessary to take care of the he alth of animals. The appearance on the head, back, neck, chest and other areas of clearly defined inflamed foci with short, as if shorn, wool indicates trichophytosis of sheep, an infectious disease that requires treatment.

Causes of disease

Trichophytosis is a skin infectious disease of a fungal nature. Wounds, scratches, abrasions on the skin of animals allow the fungus to infiltrate the flesh and hair follicles, begin to germinate, forming scaly scar-like foci with sharply defined borders.The affected areas become inflamed and itchy. The animal begins to comb the affected areas on the fence, partitions in the paddock. As a result, the fungus spreads further, and pathogenic bacteria penetrate into the open combed wound. Secondary infection occurs.

In everyday life, the disease is called ringworm. The disease affects exposed areas of the skin, places covered with hair or wool, nails, claws and beaks of animals. Trichophytosis can affect most species of animals, birds, from which the disease is transmitted to humans.

Causes ringworm akin to Trichophyton molds. Some of its "modifications" affect cattle, others - horses, others - carnivores. Sheep rarely get sick with trichophytosis, the cause of infection is the appearance of a sick individual in the herd, overcrowding of livestock, infection of feed, bedding, manure, hands and clothes of attendants. The carriers of trichophytosis are rodents, so they should be periodically poisoned in the sheepfold.

Symptoms of ringworm

The disease develops within 7-30 days. In lambs, the symptoms of trichophytosis are more pronounced than in adult sheep. They suffer more from the disease. The main lesions in sheep are located on the forehead, at the base of the ears, near the nose, on the back of the head. Less commonly, they occur on the back, chest, or neck.

Distinguish:

superficial form of the disease;
erased or atypical form;
deep or follicular shape.

With a superficial variety of the disease, small dense bumps appear on the skin, which soon soften, forming a small itchy, slightly protruding spot above the surface. Then it becomes covered with grayish crusts, when they fall off, foci of baldness remain.

Erased, or atypical, form is called a type of disease, when other symptoms, except for loss of hair in the affected area, are not observed. It is typical for the summer period, when under the influence of sunlight, when animals move to pastures, the activity of the fungus decreases.

The cause of the follicular form of the lesion is the lack of treatment, high humidity and cold in the room. Characteristic for winter and autumn. With this course of the disease, individual foci merge into large areas, exudate is released, it glues the hair, which looks dull, matted. Skin looks ulcerated, bleeding.

Diagnostic Methods

The disease is detected by typical signs during veterinary examinations, hair and exudate samples are additionally sent for analysis. The fungus placed in a nutrient medium is actively growing, this is how the type of pathogen is determined.

Important: Ringworm treatment is a lengthy process and should be done by a veterinarian. Ringworm can be confused with scab, microsporia. Animals that have been ill acquire strong immunity to the disease.

How to properly treat a disease in sheep

Animals with symptoms of trichophytosis are isolated from the rest of the livestock in a separate room, because the spores of the fungus are carried through the air. The main method of treatment is livestock vaccination. It is carried out 2 times with an interval of 10 days. With extensive skin lesions in animals, a 3-time vaccination is necessary. The vaccine for sheep is called Trichovis. It must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Additionally, the affected areas are treated with antimycotic drugs.Use "Clotrimazole", "Mikoseptin". You can use Chlorhexidine, a solution of carbolic or salicylic acid. The treatment is carried out 2 times a day, the personnel must be in protective clothing (gloves, gowns), the hair is protected with a scarf or cap.

Prevention measures

For the prevention of disease, livestock are vaccinated from 3 months. Keep animals in dry warm rooms. New arrivals to the farm are carefully examined.

Provides animals with a balanced diet and regular veterinary check-ups. Rats and mice are systematically poisoned. Dogs and cats are not allowed in the premises. The sheepfold is systematically processed, the bedding is changed. If trichophytosis is detected in sheep, the room is treated with a formaldehyde solution. According to the decision of the veterinary service, quarantine is introduced in the area of the spread of the disease.

Timely vaccination, compliance with the diet and maintenance of animals, the presence of veterinary control can avoid infection with fungal infections and keep animals he althy.