East Coast Fever: Here’s how to keep the disease at bay
What you need to know:
- However, one should note that continued use of acaricides may lead to resistance of ticks and unacceptable residues in milk and meat. It is important to note the use of acaricides is expensive and poses a threat to the environment.
- If not treated, the affected animals collapses and dies in three or four weeks. The farmer should also look out for sharp drop in milk in dairy cows to detect if the animal is sick.
How to prevent the disease
East Coast Fever is one of the deadliest livestock diseases.
It is particularly virulent among exotic cattle breeds which suffer high rates of mortality. The disease has a devastating impact on the smallholder farmers because it can kill within three to four weeks of parasite infection.
The symptoms include swelling of the body lymph nodes.
In cattle, the disease is transmitted primarily by the brown ear tick (Rhipicephalus Appendiculatus), which attaches itself to the animal.
Signs to look out for
The first clinical sign of the fever in cattle appears seven to 15 days after attachment of infected ticks. This is seen as a swelling of the parotid (salivary gland), for the ear is the preferred feeding site of the vector.
This is followed by generalised swollen lymph nodes and fever, which continues throughout the course of infection with temperatures rising to 42 degrees Celcius. The rise in temperature is normally rapid.
The animal then lacks appetite, experiences difficulties in breathing, has soft cough due to accumulation of fluid in the lungs, blood stained diarrhoea, muscle wasting, nasal discharge and discolouration of the eyes and gums.
If not treated, the affected animals collapses and dies in three or four weeks. The farmer should also look out for sharp drop in milk in dairy cows to detect if the animal is sick.
How to prevent the disease
CONTROL
i) Regular dipping of cattle should be done. The cows can also be sprayed regularly with acaricides. This should be done on a weekly basis. But this rate has to be increased when tick infestation is high.
However, one should note that continued use of acaricides may lead to resistance of ticks and unacceptable residues in milk and meat. It is important to note the use of acaricides is expensive and poses a threat to the environment.
ii) Cattle immunisation: This offers life-long immunity to the animal. But it has not been adopted for widespread use because of logistical difficulties associated with production and distribution of a live vaccine and lack of commercial uptake.
iii) Integrated control: This is a more effective approach, particularly for dairy farmers.
The measures include effective fencing, pasture management, rotational grazing to reduce the level of tick challenge, selection of tick-resistant cattle, and new methods of immunisation.
With strategic acaricide application, this approach offers a more satisfactory method of East Coast Fever control. Several drugs are available in the market but their use is limited due to high cost.
It is also important to start treating animals during the early stages of the disease.
There are currently three drugs used for the treatment of East Coast Fever. These are Parvaquone (Clexon), buparvaquone (Butalex), and halofuginone lactate (Terit).
Prof Muleke is the Dean of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Egerton University
