Cattle trichomoniasis: causes and symptoms, treatment and prevention

Trichomoniasis is a dangerous disease caused by protozoan microorganisms that multiply rapidly and are tenacious. With trichomoniasis in cattle, inflammatory reactions and tissue destruction occur in the body under the influence of the waste products of parasites. The disease affects the genital organs of animals of both sexes, which negatively affects reproductive function. If left untreated, cows become pregnant and bulls become infertile.

History of the development of trichomoniasis

The causative agent of the disease - the simplest microorganism Trichomonas foetus - was identified in 1888 in the vagina of a cow. Trichomonas, which multiply by simple cell division, infect cattle on all continents.

Intermediate living environment of primitive parasites:

• water sources;
• insect faeces;
• bloodsucking insects;
• faeces of warm-blooded animals;
• rotten bedding in the barn;
• urine;
• non-sterile veterinary supplies;
• livestock equipment that is not disinfected.

The main habitat of Trichomonas is the genitals of cattle. The vaginal epithelium of a cow contains starch, in the urethral canal, prostate gland and testicles of bulls there is a nutrient-rich secret - these are food sources for pathogenic microorganisms. Trichomonas also feed on bovine sperm.

Causes and symptoms of the disease

Trichomonas are equipped with movable flagella, with which they move through the vagina and urethral canal, fixing themselves on the mucous membranes.Bulls and cows are equally likely to be susceptible to trichomoniasis, asexual infection can even affect calves. Unicellular parasites are active and tenacious. Outside the body of the carrier, they remain viable for up to a month, protected from negative external factors by a dense membrane, and in the genital organs of cattle they live up to 2 years.

Membrane-protected cells are called cysts. In an optimal humid environment at temperatures above +20 ° C, the protective cover disappears, the cyst again becomes a cell capable of active reproduction.

Infection of cattle is possible with both natural mating and artificial insemination, but in the first case, the risk is much higher. In artificial insemination, the instruments are disinfected, and the seed material is laboratory tested for infection. Therefore, infection with trichomoniasis is possible only if the rules of hygiene and disinfection are ignored.

When a cow is infected by a bull, Trichomonas begin to multiply intensively on the external genitalia, then penetrate inside. Reproduction is so fast that an inflammatory reaction occurs the very next day, and the first symptoms are observed after a few hours.

In rare cases, the incubation period lasts up to 2-3 weeks. The rate of development of trichomoniasis is determined by immunity, gender and age of the animal. The diagnosis is made by a veterinarian after a laboratory test, but the owner himself can understand that his cow is sick with trichomoniasis, by the following symptoms:

• restless animal behavior;
• often looking back at the back of the body;
• feeling bad;
• lack of appetite;
• swollen vulva;
• inflammation of the mucous membranes of the vagina (after about 2 days);
• spot rashes on the vaginal walls;
• small nodules on the mucosal surface of the genital tract;
• mucous and flaky vaginal discharge (after about 2 weeks).

If left untreated, the cyclic functioning of the reproductive organs is disturbed. A cow develops purulent catarrhal endometritis - an acute inflammation of the mucous membranes of the uterus.

When parasites enter a cow's vagina with infected bull semen, trichomoniasis develops parallel to the calf's fetal development.

Miscarriage usually occurs in the 2nd-4th month of gestation, followed by inflammation of the uterus and ovaries. The cow becomes barren. Sometimes the embryo is not aborted, but, having died, begins to rot in the mother's womb, carrying a mortal danger to the cow's life.

Diagnostic measures

If at least one cow with trichomoniasis is found, the farmer must immediately introduce quarantine. It is forbidden to bring new animals to the farm, to take livestock out of it. All animals on the farm are carefully examined, each individual is taken for analysis:

1. Non-pregnant females have vaginal discharge. 2-3 days after infection, the maximum concentration of pathogenic microorganisms is detected in the vaginal mucus.
2. Miscarried cows have a dead fetus. Abdominal and retrosternal tissues are selected for analysis.
3. In bulls - sperm and mucous secretions of the urethral canal.

The collected biomaterial is placed in saline, examined under a microscope. It is advisable to conduct a laboratory study 2 times with an interval of 10 days. This will not only accurately identify diseased animals, but also prevent complications due to comorbidities. Cow triper caused by Trichomonas, symptomatically differs little from other infectious diseases: chlamydia, toxoplasmosis. Therefore, laboratory analysis is indispensable.

Treatment of bovine trichomoniasis

Infected cattle are kept separate from he althy ones. Stalls are regularly and thoroughly treated with disinfectants (sodium hydroxide, soda ash, lime). It is necessary to treat cattle trichomoniasis in a complex way. First of all, sick cows undergo procedures aimed at cleansing the genital tract from the accumulated infection. To do this, use medications that cause contraction of the walls of the uterus:

• "Oxytocin";
• "Prozerin";
• Pituitrin.

The vagina is washed with a 10% ichthyol solution with the addition of glycerin, iodine-s alt solution, "Furacilin" or another nitrofuran preparation. For douching, the solution is heated to 38-40 ° C. To treat the vagina of one cow, 0.5 liters of therapeutic fluid is required.

Every day for 5 days, one subcutaneous injection of the drug "Metronidazole" is given. For 100 kg of body weight, cows take 5 g of the substance. Dilute with saline or novocaine. If after a course of injections the analysis for trichomoniasis remains positive, then the therapy is continued.

Cattle of both sexes are given antibiotics to kill pathogens. Suitable preparations "Trichopolum", "Trichomonacid". Bulls are additionally treated with external antiseptics, the genitals are treated with a solution of the drug "Furazolidone", then an antiseptic ointment is applied.

If a cow has strong immunity, then it suffers from mild trichomoniasis, recovers without drug therapy, and sometimes does not get sick at all. But such cases are rare.

Prevention measures

There is no vaccine against trichomoniasis, so it is impossible to protect cattle from infection.But it is possible to timely diagnose an infectious disease, prevent its spread, and create conditions that reduce the likelihood of an infection. Key preventive measures:

1. Any livestock brought into the farm is placed in quarantine, which should last about a month. Each animal is tested for trichomoniasis. After receiving the results of the analysis, indicating that the cattle are not infected, the brought animals are added to the rest of the herd.
2. Buying cattle should only be in prosperous, reputable farms, where the sanitary situation is not satisfactory.
3. If suspicious symptoms occur even in one individual, the entire livestock, from six-month-old calves to older individuals, is examined for an infectious lesion. It is unacceptable to remove the quarantine, to resume the normal keeping of livestock until a negative test result comes from the veterinary laboratory.
4. The main way to prevent trichomoniasis in cattle is to periodically check bull semen for the presence of parasites. Bulls that have survived the disease, involved in the insemination of cows, are tested for trichomoniasis over the next 2 months at 10-day intervals.
5. Cattle breeding equipment is periodically disinfected in any convenient way. Replace bedding in stalls in a timely manner.
6. Tools for artificial insemination of livestock are thoroughly sterilized before the procedure according to the instructions. The semen taken from the bull is checked for the absence of infection.
7. Free-range cattle are not allowed to come into contact with animals brought to pasture from other farms.

Danger to humans

Cattle Trichomoniasis is not transmitted to humans. The disease is one, but different pathogens belonging to the genus Trichomonas cause it in cows and people:

• human parasite - Trichomonas vaginalis (Trichomonas vaginalis);
• Cattle parasite - Trichomonas foetus (Trichomonas foetus).

Therefore, the farmer may not be afraid that he will become infected with trichomoniasis by contacting sick cattle. But you should not forget about hygiene rules, as neglected animals can pick up another infection that is dangerous to humans.

A person will not get trichomoniasis even if they consume contaminated milk and meat. But after slaughtering the carcass of cattle, a veterinarian examines for the presence of a purulent vaginal mass and endometritis. If these diagnoses are confirmed, then the inflamed and pus-filled organs are subject to removal and disposal.

Noticing purulent vaginal discharge from a cow, a farmer should immediately call a veterinarian. If diagnostic measures confirm trichomoniasis, then treatment should not be delayed, otherwise the disease will cause significant material damage to the household.

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