Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Tetanus
Acute, highly infectious Contagious? Affects
Humans Horses Sheep Swine cattle

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Infectious organisms gain entrance to the body through traumatized tissue
Deep wounds that seal quickly are often most problematic Docking, castration, shearing cuts, dehorning, etc.

Cause

Bacterial infection

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Clinical Signs

Localized infection (doesnt go systemic)

Gives off a very powerful toxin (100x more powerful than some poisons) Passes along the nerves to the spinal cord

A few days to several weeks after initial infection Stiffness moderate to pronounced

lock-jaw Ears, tail, eyes retracted

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Rapid symptom development often = death Recovery usually >50%

Prevention
Thorough cleansing of wounds Antiseptic procedures

Docking, castrating, surgeries, etc.

Immunity can be raised w/ a toxiod or antitoxin

Toxoid Injection of neutralized tetanus toxin to stimulate the bodys immune response

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Antitoxin Concentrated serum w/ tetanus toxin antibodies taken from another animal administered as an injection Some vaccines also available

Treatment
Larges doses of tetanus antitoxin, sedatives, and care Reopen site of infection, clean, drain Antibiotic therapy

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Pseudorabies
Acute viral infection of pigs & cattle, sometimes sheep Non-contagious in cattle, highly contagious in swine Spread by bites from infected hogs Cause
Herpes virus Swine are long-term carriers

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Disease waits for stress periods to show itself State blood testing is required for swine transport

Can travel between herds ~2 mi

Clinical Signs
Cattle will have usually been associated w/ swine at some juncture Intense itching at the site of infection Newborn pigs can go from normal to coma in 6-24 hrs.

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Older swine
Show some CNS symtpoms Incoordination, paralysis, muscle spasms, etc. Mild fever, depression, finicky appetite Abortions in pregnant sows, dead or mummified pigs if they dont abort Infected breeding females often hard to settle

Prevention

Vaccinaton

No Treatment available

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Equine Encephalomyelitis
Infectious disease spread by insects Characterized by nervous disorders and high mortality Usually individual cases, unless conditions become favorable for high populations of mosquitoes

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Cause
Viral 3 types

Western, Eastern, Venezuelan Western & Venezuelan most common in our area

Birds help develop the disease

Clinical Signs
Affects CNS Nervousness, depression, impaired vision, etc.

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Lay on side and gallop Mild cases often recover, acute cases often die

50% mortality for Western 90-100% for Venezuelan

Prevention
Vaccination Mosquito control methods Discourage bird roosting around the barn

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Treatment
Not very effective because of the rapid nature of the disease Mostly supportive therapy

Scrapie
Common in sheep and goats Contagious

Transmissable agent can withstand boiling & exposure to chemical agents

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

Can occur more frequently in certain breeds or families
Question of heritability Some Suffolk breeders DNA test

Clinical Signs
18-24 mo incubation period Progressive wt loss, hind end weakness First signs:

Nervousness, restlessness, excitability, itching, patches of wool rubbed off

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No loss of appetite, normal temp

Prevention
No vaccine Quarantine and slaughter for control

No treatment

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

BSE
Slow degenerative disease of the CNS Unknown cause Infects brain and spinal tissue Related to an infectious human disease Not transmitted in milk Can be passed in meat?

Unit 11: Nervous System Diseases

No know treatment, or control Prevention
Testing Quarantine