Sheep coenurosis: treatment and prevention, signs and varieties of the disease

Farmers often have to treat animals for parasitic diseases. It is advisable to familiarize yourself with the coenurosis of sheep, the features of its treatment, first of all, since the pathogen can be in the water, on pastures, on the wool of sheep. It should be borne in mind that mainly lambs under the age of two years or individuals with poor he alth suffer from the disease.

What is coenurosis

Sheep disease caused by helminths (tapeworms cestodes) runs for a long period in a chronic form. Characteristic signs of infection: impaired motor coordination, damage to parts of the brain (sometimes infection of the spinal cord occurs).Tumor-like formations can be present in the cavities of the chest, abdomen, in muscle fibers, directly under the skin.

Infection of sheep with a worm occurs when eating grass covered with eggs of parasites. The sources of the disease can also be water, soil, wool (in the case when ewes lick lambs). Sheep can contract the disease in any region.

Pathogen

The larva belongs to the Taenidae family. Cestodes look like thin-walled bubbles (cenuruses) of different sizes (from a pea to a chicken egg). Worms of different stages of development are fixed on the inside of the shell. Eggs, entering the body of sheep, penetrate into the vessels and are carried through the organs by a stream of blood. Coenuruses form in the brain (brain, spinal cord) 70-90 days after infection.

Eggs in the external environment die quickly in summer at high temperatures. If humid weather with low temperatures sets in (spring-winter-autumn months), then the causative agent of the disease remains viable for 2.5-3 months.

Disease types

In the treatment of coenurosis in animals, three forms of the disease must be considered. Illness features:

• in the central form, the brain is predominantly affected. There are cases when parasites are localized in the spinal cord;
• with serial coenurosis, the location of coenurosis is muscle fibers, subcutaneous layer. The form of the disease occurs in rabbits, hares;
• Scriabin's coenurosis is observed mainly in sheep (the larvae parasitize in the muscle tissues of animals). Tumor-like formations are localized on the neck, head, torso.

In the East (regions of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan) there are cases of sheep disease with coenurosis Geiger. Places of formation of cenures in the animal's body - subcutaneous spaces, kidneys, lungs, liver, muscle connective tissue, mucous membranes of the eyes.

Pathogenesis

Destructive action parasites produce in 1.5-2 days. First of all, the soft shell is affected in the brain, blood vessels expand. Winding passages up to 7-8 cm long appear 2-3 weeks after infection. The metabolic products of the larvae cause particular harm to the animal's body (in the form of intoxication).

With central coenurosis, after 1.5-3 months, deformation of the brain of sheep is observed due to the development of parasites - the brain tissues are compressed, the cranial bones become thinner.

All these lesions lead to disorders in the activity of important centers of the animal's body. Sheep are observed disorientation in space, loss of consciousness, respiratory failure, tonic convulsions.If the parasite "settles" in the spinal cord, then the sheep will show disorders of the functions of the pelvic organs.

Symptoms of the disease

Shyness, tonic convulsions, petechial hemorrhages - such signs are observed in sick lambs. Weakened individuals die. In stronger animals, the disease passes into a latent form. But already after 3-6 months, characteristic symptoms of coenurosis appear in the behavior of the young. Lambs may suddenly run or rest against any object with their heads down.

The behavior and postures of animals change depending on the location of the coenurus:

• lamb throws back its head and backs away if the bubble is located in the occipital area;
• wobbly gait, falling on hind legs are characteristic of the localization of the parasite in the spinal cord;
• impaired coordination of movements, paresis of the legs is noted with damage to the frontal lobe.

The behavior of animals begins to change 2.5-3 weeks after infection. The prognosis for veterinarians is usually poor if the lambs are already showing abnormal behavior.

Diagnostic rules

Palpation of the animal's cranium (thinned bones in the area of cenurus growth) makes it possible to make a preliminary diagnosis. Also, when examining the nasal cavity, a characteristic discharge of mucus and pus is observed. The appearance of hemorrhages in the whites of the eyes is noted. An accurate diagnosis is confirmed by clinical studies (a popular method is the allergic method).

How to treat sheep coenurosis

The disease is treated mainly by surgery - by trepanation of the cranium, fluid is sucked out of the bladder, the shell is carefully removed. In this way, individuals of valuable breeds are saved.

An alternative to surgery is the destruction of parasites with Praziquantel, Niclosamide, Albendazole.After the use of chemotherapy, glucocorticoid agents are necessarily used to suppress inflammatory processes. If the treatment of coenurosis is started at the initial stage (at the stage of larval migration), then injections of Febendazole, Praziquantel are used. Medicines are administered to animals in the right areas of the head.

Important! Self-treatment of coenurosis at any stage is not allowed.

Possible consequences

The disease is dangerous to humans, although cases of infection are quite rare. When a person is infected with a parasite, the same symptoms are observed as in sick sheep. Therefore, after any communication with pets, you should thoroughly wash your hands, since the larvae remain viable at low temperatures. There is no unequivocal opinion on the safety of eating heat-treated meat from infected animals. However, you definitely shouldn't feed raw meat from sick sheep to dogs.

Prevention measures

Keeping animals and pens clean is the main preventive measure to prevent infection. You also need to follow other rules:

• protect pastures from stray animals;
• regularly clean sheepfolds, carry out antiseptic treatment;
• lambs are supplemented with vitamins and minerals;
• on farms with numerous flocks of sheep, dogs are regularly dewormed. It is also recommended to keep dogs separate from sheep;
• to prevent the development of the disease, at the first sign of infection, seek help from a veterinarian.

When carrying out preventive measures, it must be remembered that young animals mainly fall ill with coenurosis.Therefore, carefully monitor the diet of lambs. The best food is a mixture of oatmeal, cake, compound feed. In case of a lack of vitamin D, minerals, young animals begin to eat the earth. It is necessary to add bone meal, chalk to the food and ensure regular walks on sunny days.

Cenurosis is a dangerous disease of sheep that causes significant damage to the meat and dairy business. Serious costs require the treatment of animals, the disposal of fallen sheep. Preventive measures, compliance with the rules for keeping and feeding animals are the main measures to prevent infection of the flock.

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