Piroplasmosis in goats: causes and symptoms, treatment and prevention

Tick-borne diseases are diagnosed in goats during the warm season and in certain regions. The cause of diseases is not the ticks themselves, but the microorganisms that live in their body and, when bitten, enter the body of ruminants. Consider the causes and symptoms of piroplasmosis in goats, the diagnosis of the disease and its therapy, what needs to be done to prevent the onset of the disease in pets.

Causes of disease

The causative agents of piroplasmosis are the protozoa Piroplasma ovis. The disease is seasonal, appearing during the breeding season of ticks (May-August). Registered in the southern regions.Goats suffer from piroplasmosis often in combination with babesiosis, which is caused by a similar type of parasite - Babesia ovis. The protozoa are carried by the ticks Rhipicephalus bursa. The disease is typical for goats, sheep, cows, horses. Animals of all breeds are ill, from the age of one year. Young animals rarely get sick.

Protozoa parasitize in the erythrocytes of animals, where they get after a tick bite. In ticks, they are in saliva.

From sick animals to he althy piroplasmosis is not transmitted either by contact, or through food, or by airborne droplets. Ticks are always the cause.

Disease symptoms

Piroplasmosis is acute and subacute, rarely chronic. After infection of animals in the pasture, the incubation period of piroplasmosis lasts 1-2 weeks. The first signs of a disease that has already begun to develop are an increase in temperature to 42.4 ° C, depression, and a decrease in motor activity. Animals move little, lie more in shady places, react poorly to what is happening.Their breathing and pulse become more frequent, muscle tremors are observed. Reduced milk yield in lactating individuals. The mucous membranes are red at first, but after a couple of days they become pale yellow.

The work of the scar first slows down, stops for 4-5 days. The feces are dry, but covered with mucus, sometimes blood is visible on it. Urine is initially yellow and cloudy, then may turn red. In previously ill individuals, when re-infected, the disease can pass into the chronic stage. During exacerbations, their temperature rises, edema, cachexia, and depression are noted.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based on blood tests. In samples, piroplasms are found only after the appearance of signs of the disease in sick individuals - temperature.

When making a diagnosis, take into account the season and the region where ticks can live. Piroplasmosis is differentiated from leptospirosis, anthrax, anaplasmosis due to similar symptoms.

Pathological changes in piroplasmosis in dead animals - exhaustion, pallor and jaundice of mucous membranes. Enlarged spleen and kidneys with petechial hemorrhages under the capsule. The heart is pale, also enlarged, hemorrhages in the epicardium or myocardium. The liver is also enlarged, icteric, the color of clay, the tissues are easily torn. The intestinal walls are thickened and also covered with hemorrhages. Blood outpourings are found on the serous membranes of organs.

Treatment of piroplasmosis in goats

After identifying sick goats, all goats need to have their temperature taken. Those who have it elevated are injected intramuscularly with a 7% solution of Azidine or Berenil. Dosage - 0.0035 g/kg. "Azidin" can be replaced with a 1% solution of "Hemosporidine". The drug is administered subcutaneously in a volume of 0.5 mg/kg.

The temperature is measured again the next day. Animals whose readings are above 40 ° C are injected again. Individuals with normal temperature are observed for 3-4 days, if there are no changes during this time, they are released to the rest of the goats.

Sick for the period of treatment are separated from the he althy and placed in a separate goat's house. The room should be cool. Diet - grass and root crops, fresh water. In addition, vitamin B12 is injected or introduced into food, since piroplasmosis results in a deficiency of this substance.

Additional drugs to support the systems and organs of sick animals - caffeine to stimulate cardiac activity (orally or subcutaneously), to stimulate work and cleanse the intestines - laxatives and enemas. The dosage of all medicines and the treatment regimen should be selected by a veterinarian, you cannot treat yourself.

Unwanted consequences

Untreated piroplasmosis is a deadly disease. Its duration is 5-10 days. The death of goats can be 60-80%. But even with therapeutic support, recovery is slow. Self-healing does not occur. Alternative methods of treatment are ineffective. Recovered animals acquire non-sterile immunity, which lasts for a year. There is no long-term immunity, that is, theoretically, goats can become infected with piroplasmosis every season.

Prevention measures

If goats graze on pastures where cases of piroplasmosis have been noted, the animals are bathed in acaricidal baths or treated with sprays. If there are a lot of ticks on the site, such treatments are carried out every week and a half.

When keeping goats on pastures in the summer, you should try to overtake them there in the spring, before ticks appear in the adult stage. When buying new animals, they are quarantined, examined and given "Azidin".Preventive measures in the form of treatments of goats with acaricides are the main method of combating the disease. It is better to periodically bathe or manually process the skin of animals than to treat them for a long time.

Pyroplasmosis goats get sick from late spring to autumn, in those places where the presence of ticks is noted. These are small parasites, which are difficult to notice on the animal's body. They not only feed on the blood of ruminants, but can also bring them more evil - infect them with a deadly disease. If it is not possible to graze goats on pastures that are free from parasites, you need to inspect them more often and treat them with acaricidal preparations for prevention.

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