Signs and varieties of coenurosis in sheep, methods of treatment and prevention
Farmers often have to treat animals for invasive diseases. It is advisable to familiarize yourself with the coenurosis of sheep, the peculiarities of its treatment, first of all, since the pathogen can be found in water, in pastures, on the wool of sheep. It should be borne in mind that mainly lambs up to two years old or individuals with weakened health suffer from the disease.
What is coenurosis
Disease of sheep, caused by helminths (tapeworms cestodes), proceeds for a long period in a chronic form. Typical 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, abdominal, muscle fibers, directly under the skin.
Infection of sheep with a whirligig occurs when eating grass covered with parasite eggs. Sources of disease can also be water, soil, wool (in the case when ewes lick lambs). Sheep can contract the disease in any region.
Causative agent
The larva belongs to the Taenidae family. Cestodes look like thin-walled bubbles (coenoids) of various sizes (from a pea to a chicken egg). Worms of different stages of development are fixed on the inner side of the shell. Eggs, getting into the body of the sheep, penetrate the vessels and are carried along the organs by the blood stream. Cenurus are formed in the brain (brain, spinal cord) 70-90 days after infection.
Eggs in the external environment quickly die in summer at high temperatures. If humid weather with low temperatures is established (spring-winter-autumn months), then the causative agent of the disease remains viable for 2.5-3 months.
Varieties of the disease
When treating cenurosis in animals, three forms of the disease must be considered. Features of the disease:
- with the central form, the brain is mainly affected. There are cases when parasites are localized in the spinal cord;
- with serial cenurosis, the location of the cenuros is muscle fibers, the subcutaneous layer. The form of the disease is found in rabbits, hares;
- Scriabin's coenurosis is observed mainly in sheep (larvae parasitize in the muscle tissues of animals). Tumor-like formations are localized on the neck, head, trunk.
In the East (regions of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan), there are cases of sheep disease with Geiger coenurosis. Places of formation of censors in the body of an animal are subcutaneous spaces, kidneys, lungs, liver, muscular connective tissue, mucous membranes of the eyes.
Pathogenesis
The destructive effect of the parasites is produced after 1.5-2 days.First of all, the soft membrane is affected in the brain, blood vessels dilate. Winding passages up to 7-8 cm long appear 2-3 weeks after infection. Particular harm to the animal's body (in the form of intoxication) is caused by the metabolic products of the larvae.
With central cenurosis, after 1.5-3 months, deformation of the sheep's brain is observed due to the development of parasites - the brain tissue is compressed, the cranial bones become thinner.
All these lesions lead to disturbances in the activity of important centers of the animal's body. In sheep, disorientation in space, loss of consciousness, respiratory disorders, tonic convulsions are observed. If the parasite "settled" in the spinal cord, then the sheep will show disorders of the functions of the pelvic organs.
Symptoms of the disease
Shyness, tonic convulsions, punctate hemorrhages - such signs are observed in sick lambs. Weakened individuals die. In stronger animals, the disease becomes latent. But after 3-6 months, characteristic symptoms of coenurosis appear in the behavior of young animals. Lambs can suddenly run or run into any object, dropping their heads low.
The behavior and postures of animals change depending on the location of the price of the tree:
- the lamb throws back its head and backs away if the bladder is located in the occipital zone;
- a wobbly gait, death on the hind legs is characteristic when the parasite is localized in the spinal cord;
- impaired coordination of movements, paresis of the legs is noted with damage to the frontal lobe.
Animal behavior begins to change 2.5-3 weeks after infection. The prognosis of veterinarians is usually poor if lambs are already showing abnormal behavior.
Diagnostic rules
Palpation of the animal's cranium (thinned bones in the area of growth of the coenomus) allows for a preliminary diagnosis. Also, when examining the nasal cavity, there is a characteristic discharge of mucus, pus. The appearance of hemorrhages in the whites of the eyes is noted. The exact diagnosis is confirmed by clinical studies (a popular technique is the allergic method).
How to treat coenurosis in sheep
The disease is treated mainly by surgery - by means of trepanation of the cranium, fluid is aspirated from the bladder, the membrane is carefully removed. In this way, individuals of valuable breeds are saved.
An alternative to the operation is the destruction of parasites with the drugs Praziquantel, Niclosamide, Albendazole. After using chemotherapy, glucocorticoid drugs 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 are used with the drugs "Febendazole", "Praziquantel". Medicines are administered to the animals in the desired areas of the head.
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 contact with pets, hands should be thoroughly washed, since the larvae remain viable at low temperatures. There is no unequivocal opinion on the safety of eating thermally processed meat from infected animals. However, you should definitely not feed your dogs the raw meat of sick sheep.
Prevention measures
Keeping animals and pens clean is the main preventive measure to prevent contamination. You also need to follow other rules:
- protect pastures from stray animals;
- regularly clean the sheepfolds, carry out antiseptic treatment;
- the diet of lambs is 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, they seek help from a veterinarian.
Carrying out preventive measures, it must be remembered that young animals mainly fall ill with coenurosis. Therefore, the diet of the lambs is carefully monitored. The best food is a mixture of oatmeal, oil cake, compound feed. In case of a lack of vitamin D and minerals, young animals begin to eat the ground. It is necessary to add bone meal, chalk to the feed and ensure regular walks on sunny days.
Coenurosis is a dangerous disease in sheep, causing significant damage to the meat and dairy business. Treatment of animals, disposal of dead sheep requires serious expenses. Preventive measures, compliance with the rules of keeping and feeding animals are the main measures to prevent infection of the flock.
