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.