Introduction 

Livestock diseases are classified according to causative agents as follows: 

• Protozoan diseases -caused by protozoans. 

• Bacterial diseases - caused by bacteria: 

• VIral diseases - cause by virus. 

• Nutritional diseases - brought about by nutritional disorders. 

Protozoan Diseases 

• East coast Fever (ECF). 

• Anaplasmosis (gall sickness) 

• Coccidiosis 

• Trypanosomiasis (Nagana) 

East coast Fever 

• Animals attacked: Cattle 

• Cause: Protozoan. (Theileria parva) 

• It is a tick-borne disease transmitted by red-¬legged tick and brown ear tick. 

Symptoms 

• Rise in body temperature. 

• Swelling of lymph glands below the ear. 

• Difficulties in breathing. 

• Dullness. 

Control and Prevention 

• Control of vectors through dipping and fencing. 

• Treatment by use of clexon in the early stages. 

Anaplasmosis (gall sickness) 

Animals attacked: 

• Cattle between 2 months and 2 years. 

• Poultry. 

• Lambs and kids. 

• Rabbits. 

Cause: Protozoan (Anaplasma marginale) 

• Transmitted by the blue tick 

• contaminated surgical instruments and hypodermic needles. 

Symptoms 

• Fever/rise in body temperature. 

• Constipation or hard dung. 

• Paleness in the gums, eyes and lips. 

• Drop in milk production. 

Control 

• Tick control. 

• Intramuscular injection of antibiotics and iron giving injections. 

• Coccidiosis 

Coccidiosis of Poultry 

• Cause: Protozoan (Eimeria spp.) 

Symptoms 

• Sudden death of chicks. 

• Whitish, yellow and blood stained diarrhoea. 

• Ruffled feathers. 

• Chicks become paralysed before dying. 

• Chicks become anaemic and dull. 

Control 

• Disinfection of chick house. 

• Prevention of contamination of food and water with droppings. 

• Use of prophylatic drugs for example, Coccidiostats. 

Trypanosomiasis (Nagana) 

• Animals attacked: cattle, sheep and goats. 

• Cause: Protozoan of the trypanosome species, 

• Vector-tsetse flies. 

Symptoms 

• Fever. 

• Dullness. 

• Anorexia/loss of appetite. 

• Loss of body condition/emaciation. 

• Swollen lymph nodes. 

• Lachrimation which leads to blindness. 

• Diarrhoea 

• Rough coat and sometimes without hair and may be cracked. 

• Swelling in parts of the belly. 

• Drop in milk production in lactating cows. 

• Loss of hair at tail end. 

• Anaemia. 

• Abortion may occur in pregnant females. 

Control 

• Treating animals with trypanocidal drugs. 

• Effective  vector (Tsetse flies)control 

• Confinement of wild animals in game parks. 

Bacterial Diseases 

• Fowl typhoid 

• Foot rot. 

• Contagious abortion. 

• Scours. 

• Blackquarter. 

• Mastitis. 

• Anthrax. 

• Pneumonia. 

Fowl Typhoid 

• Animals attacked: All domestic birds which include chicken, turkey and ducks. 

• Causes: Bacteria (Salmonella gallinarum} 

Symptoms 

• Depression/appearing very sick. 

• Respiratory distress. 

• Dullness. 

• Drooping wings. 

• Sleepy eyes. 

• Anaemia resulting in pale and shrunken 

• combs and wattles. 

• Greenish yellow diarrhoea. 

Control 

• Killing all affected birds and proper disposal of the carcasses. 

• Maintaining hygiene in the poultry house. 

• Ensuring that the house is dry and well ventilated. 

• Obtaining chicks from reliable sources. 

• Treatment using sulphur drugs which are mixed in drinking water or mash. 

• For example: application of Furazolidone (Furazol) at the rate of 0.04% in mash for 10 continuous days treats the disease effectively. 

Foot Rot 

• It is also referred to as foul-in-the foot. 

• Animals attacked: cattle, sheep and goats. 

• However, it is most serious in sheep. 

• Cause: Bacteria (Fusiformis necrophorus and Fusiformis nodosus). 

Symptoms 

• Animal's foot becomes swollen. 

• Lameness is observed. 

• Pus and rotten smell come out of the hoof. 

• Sheep are found kneeling while grazing when the front feet are affected. 

• Animals spend most of their time lying down when the hind feet are affected. 

• Emaciation due to lack of feeding. 

Control 

• Hygiene in the living places. 

• Regular foot examination and hoof trimming. 

• Use of a foot bath of copper sulphate solution at 5-10% solution or formalin at 2-5% solution. 

• Treating wounds on the feet with antiseptics. 

• Affected animals should be given antibiotic injections. 

• Isolation of sick animals from healthy ones. 

• Avoid dampness and muddy conditions. 

Contagious Abortion (Brucellosis/ Bang's Disease) 

• Animals attacked: cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. 

- It also affects man. 

• Cause: Bacteria 

- Brucella abortus in cattle, 

- Brucella suis in pigs 

- Brucella malitensis in goats and sheep. 

Symptoms 

• Spontaneous abortion or premature birth. 

• Retained placenta if abortion occurs during the later stages of pregnancy. 

• Infertility in cows while bulls have low libido and inflamed testis also known as orchitis. 

• A yellowish brown, slimy, odourless discharge from the vulva may occur after the abortion. 

Control 

• Use of artificial insemination. 

• Slaughtering affected animals followed by proper disposal of their carcasses. 

• The attendant to the animals should avoid contact with the aborted foetus. 

• A blood test should be carried out for all breeding animals to detect the infected ones. 

• Hygiene in the animals' houses. 

Scours (white Scours) 

• Animals atacked: calves, piglets, lambs and kids. 

• Cause: A bacterium which attacks young animals in the first week of life. 

Symptoms 

• White or yellowish diarrhoea. 

• Pungent smelling faeces. 

• Fever. 

• Anorexia/loss of appetite. 

• Listlessness. 

• Sunken eyes. 

• Undigested milk and mucus with blood spots observed in the faeces. 

• Faecal matter sticks to the hind quarters. 

• Sudden death if no treatment is given. 

Control 

• Maintaining hygiene in the young animal housing units. 

• Avoiding dampness on the floor of the house. 

• Fingers of the attendant training calves to drink milk from a bucket must be disinfected. 

• Calving should be carried out in a clean area. 

• Have separate attendants for the infected calves to prevent disease spread. 

• Replacing milk with warm water mixture. 

• Treating affected animals with antibiotics. 

Black Quarter 

• It is also known as black leg. 

• Animals attacked: All ruminants aged between 8 - 18 months. 

• Cause: Bacteria (Clostridium chauvei and Chauvei septicum) 

Symptoms 

• Lameness. 

• Fever. 

• Fast and heavy breathing. 

• Cracking on the swollen parts if touched. 

• Swelling of the affected parts usually the hindquarters, shoulders and chest or back. 

• Dullness. 

• Anorexia. 

• Grunting and grinding of teeth. 

• Animal stops chewing cud. 

Control 

• Treating with recommended antibiotics. 

• Vaccinating using black quarter vaccine known as blanthax. 

• Burying the carcass deep or burning it completely. 

Mastitis 

• Is an inflammation of the udder. 

• Animals attacked: Goats, cows, pigs and human beings. 

• Cause: Bacteria (Streptococcus spp. or Staphylococcus spp.) 

Pre-disposing Factors: 

• Incomplete milking. 

• Injuries on the udder and teats. 

• Weak sphincter muscles of the teats allowing free flow of milk. 

Symptoms 

• Milk is watery, blood stained or clotted. 

• Swollen udder 

Control 

• Proper milking techniques. 

• Treatment by use of antibiotics. 

• Culling of animals which are often attacked. 

Anthrax 

• Attacks all domestic animals. 

• Cause: Bacteria (Bacillus anthracis) 

Symptoms 

• Sudden death. 

• High fever. 

• Grinding of the teeth. 

Pneumonia 

• It is an inflammation of the lungs. 

• Animals attacked: Calves, kids, lambs, piglets and poultry. 

Cause:

• Bacteria (Mycoplasma mycoides) 

• dust 

• worms in the lungs. 

Symptoms 

• Dullness. 

• Anorexia/loss of appetite. 

• Staring coat. 

• Emaciation. 

• Breathing rapidly. 

• Abnormal lung sounds when breathing. 

• Coughing if the chest is pressed. 

• Fluctuating body temperature. 

• Nasal discharge. 

Control 

• Keeping young animals in warm pens. 

• Proper sanitation. 

• Isolation of the affected animals. 

• Treating using antibiotics. 

Viral Diseases 

• Rinderpest. 

• Foot and mouth disease (FMD). 

• New Castle 

• Fowl pox 

• Gumboro 

• African swine fever 

Rinderpest 

• Animal attacked: Cattle and wild game. 

• Cause: virus. 

Symptoms 

• Harsh staring coat. 

• Rise in temperature. 

• Eye discharge (Lachrimation) 

• Diarrhoea and dysentery. 

• Ulcers in the mouth. 

Foot and Mouth Disease 

• Animals attacked: Cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. 

• Cause: Virus . 

Symptoms 

• Sharp rise in temperature. 

• Blisters in the mouth, hooves, udder and teats. 

• Loss of appetite. 

Control 

• Vaccination. 

• Quarantine 

• nursing wounds with disinfectant. 

New Castle 

• Animals attacked: Poultry. 

• Cause: Virus. 

Symptoms 

• Difficulties in breathing. 

• Beaks remain wide open and necks are strained. 

• Birds become dull. 

• The birds stand with eyes closed all the time. 

• Anorexia/loss of appetite. 

• Nasal discharges which force the birds to shake their heads to clear it. 

• Birds walk with a staggering motion. 

• Paralysis of wings and legs may occur. 

• Birds have their beaks and wings down. 

• Birds produce watery greenish diarrhoea. 

• Birds lay soft shelled eggs. 

Control 

• Killing all birds and burning them followed by cleaning and disinfecting the houses before bringing in new stock. 

• Vaccination should be done during the first 6 weeks and then 2-3 months later. 

• Quarantine. 

FowlPox 

• Animals affected: Poultry. 

• Cause: A virus known as avian fox. 

Symptoms 

       Two types of fowl pox with different symptoms. 

• Cutaneous type 

• Diptheritic type 

The cutaneous type affects the skin and has the following signs: 

• Injuries on the combs and wattles, legs, vent and under the wings. 

• Loss appetite. 

The diptheritic type affects internal membranes and has the following symptoms: 

• Injuries in the inside of the throat and mouth membranes resulting in difficult breathing and swallowing. 

• Eyes and nose produces a watery liquid. 

• Loss of appetite. 

• Dullness. 

• Emaciation. 

Control 

• Killing all affected birds followed by proper disposal of their carcasses. 

• Vaccinating remaining healthy birds. 

Gumboro 

• It is also referred to as poultry AIDS. 

• Animals attacked: Poultry. 

• Cause: A virus known as Birma virus. 

Symptoms 

• The glands above the vent (bursa) become swollen. 

• Drop in egg production. 

• Birds develop respiratory distress. 

• Loss of appetite. 

• Low water intake by birds. 

• Loss of immunity making the birds more susceptible to opportunistic diseases. 

Control 

• Vaccination. 

• Administering vitamins and especially B12. 

African Swine Fever 

• Animals attacked: All domesticated pigs. 

• Cause: A virus known as Irido virus. 

Symptoms 

• Fever. 

• Loss of appetite. 

• Depression/dullness. 

• Emaciation. 

• Coughing. 

• Nasal discharge. 

• Diarrhoea in serious conditions. 

Control 

• Vaccination. 

• Quarantine. 

• Killing all affected animals and proper disposal of their carcasses. 

• Double fencing to keep wild animals away. 

Nutritional Diseases/Disorders 

Milk Fever 

• It is a non-infectious disease brought about by calcium deficiency in animals which have recently given birth. 

• Animals attacked: Cows, goats and pigs that have recently given birth. 

Causes: 

• Due to low calcium levels in the blood.

• Which leads to an increase in the magnesium and sugar level in the blood.

• Mostly occurs in high producing cows in the first few months of lactation.

• This is because these animals loose more calcium through milk secretion than they are getting from the diet.

Symptoms 

• Dullness. 

• Muscular twitching causing the animal to tremble. 

• Staggering as the animals move. 

• Animal falls down ands becomes unconscious. 

• The animal lies down on its side and the whole body stiffens. 

• Body functions such as urination, defecation and milk secretion stops. 

• Stomach contents are drawn into the mouth which later cause lung fever when breathing in. 

• Loss of appetite. 

Treatment 

• Intravenous injection of soluble calcium salt in form of calcium boro-gluconate ,60gms dissolved in 500cc of water. 

• Keeping the animal in a comfortable position on its sternum. 

• Giving fresh water. 

Note: The animals suffering from milk fever should not be given medicine orally for   the following reasons: 

• It will not be able to swallow medicine. 

• The medicine may get into the lungs thereby promoting lung fever. 

Control 

• Partial milking for the first 10 days. 

• High yielding cows should be given rations containing phosphorus and calcium. 

• Giving high doses of Vitamin D. 

Bloat 

• Animals attacked: Cattle and sheep. 

• Cause: Accumulation of gases as a result of fermentation in the rumen. 

Symptoms 

• The left side is blown up. 

• Sudden death. 

Control 

• Relieve by use of trocar and cannula. 

• Chasing the animal around if noticed early. 

• Drenching by use of stop bloat. 

• Feeding ruminants with dry roughages during the wet season before grazing on lush pastures.