Infections and Parasites in Farm animals

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Infections and Parasites in Farm animals

• TODAY WE ARE GOING TO
• Revise infections and parasites (including the 4
  examples you need to know).
• Do an exam question on the subject.
• What is a parasite?
• An organism that lives on or in another organism
  and leaves its host at a disadvantage.

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Cattle infections and parasites
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The BIG four!!

• Damping off disease in seedlings
• Mastitis in cattle
• Lice
• Intestinal roundworm in pigs

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1. Damping off disease in seedlings

• Cause Fungus
• Symptoms Seedlings rot above ground level and
  fall over.
• Prevention Avoid damp conditions by
  ventilating.
• Treatment Anti-fungal agent

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3. Lice

• Cause External parasite
• Symptoms Blood sucking causes scratching and
  decreased growth rate.
• Prevention Rubbing posts with oil soaked sacks.
  (Oil blocks lice breathing tubes)
• Treatment Derris dust kills adults only and so
  must be applied several times.

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2. Mastitis in cattle

• Cause - Bacteria
• Symptoms Clotted milk and inflammation/swelling
  of udders
• Prevention Dip teats in iodine.
• Treatment Anti-biotics squeezed through teat
  orifice.

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4. Intestinal roundworm in pigs

• Cause - Internal parasite burrowing between small
  intestine and lungs.
• Symptoms Coughing and loss of weight.
• Prevention Strict hygiene and isolation of
  infected animals
• Treatment Worm powder causes worm to be
  stunned, let go of intestinal wall and leave body
  with faeces.

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3 types of micro-organismWhat are they?

• 1) Bacteria
• e.g. E.coli
• Characteristics Reproduce rapidly, produce
  toxins and are killed by antibiotics.

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2) Fungus

• E.g. Ringworm
• Characteristics Reproduce by making spores, act
  as decomposers and produce useful products such
  as bread and wine.

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3) Viruses

• E.g. Flu virus
• Characteristics
• Reproduce inside cells, tend
• to be complex shapes
• and are much smaller
• than fungus or bacteria.

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Exam question

• a. Name a parasitic infection that farm animals
  might suffer from. (1)
• b. Is this relationship beneficial for the
  parasite or the farm animal? (1)
• c. Why is this a problem for the farmer?(1)
• What type of symptom(s) might a parasitized
  animal suffer from? (1)
• Parasites can be treated by chemical control
  methods whilst other pests may be treated using
  biological control. What do we mean by biological
  and chemical control? (2)

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2. Bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics

• MRSA Methicillin resistant staphylococcus
  aureas
• An example of a advantageous MUTATION which
  gives the bacteria RESISTANCE to antibiotics.
• THE PROBLEM - So non-resistant bacteria are
  killed off by antibiotic use and resistant ones
  are left to breed and so there are more on them!!

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Antibiotic use in farmed livestock

• Introduction
• Antibiotics are vital medicines used for the
  treatment of bacterial infections in both humans
  and animals. The emergence of antibiotic
  resistance as a serious problem in human medicine
  has prompted concerns about the public health
  implications of antibiotic use in agriculture.
• Antibiotics have been used for over 40 years in
  farm animals for 3 main purposes
• Therapy, to treat an identified illness
• Prophylaxis, to prevent illness in advance
• Performance enhancement, to increase feed
  conversion, growth rate or yield.