Bovine cysticercosis: causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

KRS - one of the most hardy and unpretentious varieties of productive animals. Cows and bulls get sick quite rarely. However, sometimes he alth problems in these animals do occur. At the same time, some diseases of cattle, unfortunately, can be asymptomatic. For example, sometimes cows become infected with cysticercosis. This disease belongs to the group of helminths.

What is a parasite

Cysicercosis of cattle is caused by the larvae of the bovine tapeworm. Moreover, the animals themselves are only intermediate carriers of this parasite. Adult tapeworm develops already in the human body.

The larva of this parasite is called a cysteric and is a vial filled with a translucent gray liquid. A head with four suction cups, called a scolex, is attached to the bubble in such a Finn. The size of the larva of the bull tapeworm is quite large - up to 15 mm in length and up to 10 mm in width.

How animals get infected

Cattle gets sick with cysticercosis due to parasite eggs entering its body. In humans, bovine tapeworm is localized in the small intestine. This lengththe worm can reach impressive - up to 10 m or more. The last mature segments of the tapeworm are 12-14 mm wide. From their main trunk, branches extend in both directions, the length of which is about 2 mm. Each of these processes contains about 172 thousand eggs. On the side next to the segments is the genital opening.

In each egg of the bovine tapeworm there is an oncosphere - a larval embryo with 3 pairs of hooks. As the parasite matures in the human body, the segments of the worm come off and are excreted with feces out. In the environment, these formations can move independently for quite long distances, shrinking like a worm.

If an infected person fails to comply with hygiene standards, for example, defecate not in the latrine, but in the field or in the yard, tapeworm segments in large numbers spread around the neighborhood, spreading eggs everywhere. In addition, public pit latrines located on the street are often the source of this infection. Of course, worms can also be present in wastewater from centralized sewer systems.

Infection of cows usually occurs on pastures when they swallow segments and eggs along with grass. Also, cattle often become infected with cysticercosis at a watering place. In pastures, animals usually become infected when sewage is used to irrigate nearby fields.

Development of a parasite in an animal's body

Viability in the external environment tapeworm eggs can last up to several months. In the intestines of infected animals, they hatchoncospheres. After leaving the egg, the embryos immediately penetrate through the mucous membrane into small vessels, and then are carried by the bloodstream to the organs and tissues of a cow or bull. The development of oncospheres in the cisterium occurs in the transverse cavitary muscles. Most often, worms in cattle are affected:

• skeletal muscles;
• tongue muscles;
• chewing muscles.

Also, the parasite can choose to live in the heart, liver or brain of an intermediate host. According to various sources, the worms can retain viability in the body of cattle in the future from several months to 4 years.

How does human infection occur

Cisterics of bovine tapeworm usually get into the human body when eating uncooked, undercooked or under-dried meat. By 3.5-4 months, the cisterns in the tissues of cattle reach their maximum size. From this moment on, infection becomes possible.

In the human body, under the influence of bile, the cysts turn the head out of the bladder and attach themselves to the intestinal mucosa through suction cups. In the future, the parasite begins to grow and develop rapidly. Puberty bovine tapeworm in the human body reaches approximately 2.5-3 months. Subsequently, one such parasite alone releases about 51 million eggs into the environment.

Main symptoms in cattle

It is possible to determine that a cow or a bull is infected with tapeworm larvae only at the earliest stage of the disease. Symptoms of cysticercosis in cattle during this period are:

• temperature increasebody up to 40 °С;
• poor appetite;
• weakness;
• rapid heartbeat and breathing;
• pain in the dorsal, chewing and other muscle groups;
• increased inguinal and scapular lymph nodes.

When such symptoms are detected, a veterinarian visit is mandatory on the farm. Sometimes it happens that a few days after infection, the temperature of the animal rises sharply. The next day, however, it drops to 34 ° C. In this case, after about a day, the bull or cow dies.

In most cases, however, around 8-10 days after infection, cattle begin to bounce back. By day 14, all external symptoms in animals completely disappear. By this time, the bulls and cows look absolutely he althy.

Veterinary and sanitary expertise

It is visually impossible to detect infection of animals with cysticercosis in the later stages. It is very difficult to diagnose this infection in the laboratory. During the life of cattle, various immunological methods are usually used to detect the presence of parasites: intradermal allergic tests, RPA and RNGA. Most often, the veterinary and sanitary examination is carried out using the latest technology.

With high accuracy it is possible to determine the presence of cysts in the tissues only after the slaughter of livestock. In this case, equipment such as UV lamps is usually used for research. Under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, the cisterns beginglow cherry or red and become highly visible.

When conducting carcass research, experts usually check the chewing muscles, heart and tongue. To a greater extent, the anterior part of the body is affected by cysts in cattle. For examination during the examination, transverse and longitudinal cuts are made in the meat.

If, upon inspection using UV lamps, it is revealed that there are more than 3 worms per 40 cm2 of muscle mass in the carcass, meat and offal are discarded. They should be disposed of in the usual way.

With a smaller number of parasites, meat can be disinfected by heat treatment and then eaten. Any operations related to the cooking of the product, in this case, are supposed to be carried out under the supervision of a veterinarian. Departure of a specialist to the place of work in this case is a prerequisite.

How the parasite behaves in the body of cattle

Painful effect on cows and bulls actually tapeworm germs, thus, have mainly only during the period of active migration. Traveling through the body of an animal, oncospheres primarily violate the integrity of tissues. And this, in turn, often leads to the inoculation of microflora.

Cisterics can cause some harm to the body of livestock in the future. Their waste products often cause toxicosis in cattle. Sometimes sick animals also develop allergic reactions to the discharge of worms.

Grown up cysterics begin, among other things, alsocompress the surrounding muscle tissue. This, in turn, leads to the development of myositis. In places of a large accumulation of larvae in the tissues of animals, severe inflammation often begins.

Cattle that have been ill with cysticercosis subsequently develop immunity to this parasite. Scientists also conducted experiments on artificial immunization of animals to this disease. As a result, experts have found that this method can be quite effective in the prevention of cysticercosis. It is quite possible that soon such a method of preventing the development of this disease will begin to be introduced in farms specializing in the cultivation of cattle.

Is it possible to cure the disease

Diagnosing the presence of tapeworm embryos in the tissues during the life of cows and bulls, therefore, can be quite difficult. Effective methods of treatment of cysticercosis of cattle, unfortunately, have not yet been developed. Usually only "Droncit" is used to combat this parasite.

Measures for the prevention of cysticercosis in cattle

Since it is practically useless to treat cattle from this parasite, it is important for farms to take various measures in a timely manner to prevent its spread. Measures to prevent tapeworm include:

• in disadvantaged areas, a ban on domestic slaughter of cattle and the sale of meat without the permission of veterinarians;
• marking slaughter bulls and heifers;
• careful veterinary control over the condition of farms and slaughterhousesvenues.

Also, to prevent infection with tapeworms of animals and people on farms, medical examinations of employees are supposed to be carried out. At the same time, such procedures should be performed at least once a year, and even better - once a quarter.

Risk groups

It is believed that most often cysticercosis of cattle becomes infected in spring and autumn. At the same time, animals aged 1.5-2 years are most susceptible to this disease. Older cows and bulls are rarely infected with tapeworm germs.

In which regions does the disease occur

Cysticercosis is widespread, unfortunately, in all countries of the world. In addition to cattle, intermediate carriers of tapeworm larvae can be:

• pigs;
• buffaloes;
• gazelles;
• wildebeest;
• reindeer.

Most often, cows suffer from cysticercosis in the countries of Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. In Russia, this infection is common in Dagestan, Yakutia, the Altai Territory and in the regions of the Non-Black Earth Region.

Varieties

Among other things, scientists have identified several strains of worms that cause cysticercosis in cattle and pigs. The forms of this helminth can differ according to the degree of survival, the duration of existence in the host organism, and the place of localization. For example, in Ethiopia, in the body of cattle, cysts accumulate mainly in the liver. In Russia, this phenomenon is quite rare.