ANAPLASMOSIS

Anaplasmosis

Anaplasmosis is a rickettsial disease caused by Anaplasma marginale.It is probably second in importance to ECF.

Ways Of Transmission

It is transmitted by;

- The blue tick,Boophilus decoloratus,

- And possibly also by biting flies.

- It can also be transmitted by hypodermic needles,surgical instruments etc,used on more than one animal without being sterilised,and

- In blood transfusions.

Anaplasma is a parasite of the red blood cells,appearing as small,dark staining dots,mostly near the margin of the cell.

Symptoms Of Anaplasmosis

Below are the principal symptoms of Anaplasmosis;

-High temperature

- Anaemia

- Jaundice

- Sometimes constipation

- In the advanced stages mucous membranes are pale and may be icteric (yellow) due to jaundice,because the liver is unabled to get rid of all the heamoglobin from the infected red blood cells,which are broken down there.

TREATMENT

The treatment for Anaplasmosis is with Tetracyclines

or Imidocarb (

Imizol ) .

About Calves with Anaplasmosis

Usually,calves are more resistant to anaplasmosis than are older cattle.Mortality rates in older cattle can be very high but young calves usually developes only a relatively mild disease from which they recover and become immune carriers of the infection.

It is,therefore,important to expose calves to ticks so that they become infected with anaplasmosis while they are still young,when they will develope immunity to the infection.

In many parts of the country the infection is very common and almost all cattle more than afew weeks old are carriers.

This indicates that sufficient ticks have fed on them at some time for them to become infected,but they have survived the infection,often without showing any symptoms of the disease,i.e a situation of enzootic stability exists for anaplasmosis.

It is therefore recommended that tick control policy must be effected and tharoughly done at the correct time.This can be done by dipping and spraying,and a proper use of the acaricide to prevent the outbreak of the anaplasmosis.Absence of  Blue ticks in the area will indicates that tick control policy in place is more effective.

More on Anaplasmosi s ,diagnosis and teatm ents ,

Anaplasmosis frequently occurs at the same time as ECF , H

eartwater and Babesia ( Babes iosis .)This can be for two reasons.Either tick control has failed so that both blue ticks ,bont ticks,and brown ear tick have bern abled to feed on them,and that the aforementioned  diseases habe been been transmitted as a result.

However the incubation period of anaplasmosis is usually far longer for ECF(4 to 10 weeks,compared with around 2 weeks)so this may not be the usual reason.

The more likely reason is that ECF has develope first and,as such as caused depression of the animal immune responses.This has then allowed an Anaplasma infection which was aready present in the carrier state in the animal to flare up as a clinical anaplasmosis.It may take one or so for this to happen.

An Animal suffering from both the above disease at  one go is clearly likely to be very sick,because in addition to the symptoms of ECF, it is likely also to be anaemic ( a s in the case of the pict

ure in this post of an animal in our ranch s till under treatment ) .For that reapect however,prompt treatment  should,therefore,be given for those diseases.

Overally, research indicates that  even very low anaplasma parasitaemia(sometimes only 2%) can cause severe symptoms in association with ECF.whereas in uncomplicated anaplasmosis parasitaemia may be between 10% and 70%.

It is therefore essential that whenever you suspects ECF you should take a lymph node smear and also a blood smear to check for the presence of anaplasmosis.It is important  that the blood smear is taken be4 you treat the animal with either Clexon or Butalex because these drugs cause Theilera piroplasms to become round and dark staining.Looking very like Anaplasma.Examination of a blood smear taken after treatment will therfore make it very difficult to distinguish between Anaplasma and drug-damaged Theileria piroplasma.

O

nce an animal becomes sick from anaplasmoais it can die very quickly,because anaemia is often very severe by this time.It is therefore,very important a diagnosis of Anaplasmosis is made on first examination so that treatment can be given immediately.

If an animal suffering from both anaplasmosis is treated only for ECF,ie the diagnosis for anaplasmosis was missed,then there is a risk that,when it fails to show signs of clinical recovery,it will be treated again only for ECF.and is then likely to die principally of anaplasmosis.Not only will the animal have died unnecesarily but a second expensive dose of clexon or Butalex will have been wasted.

Summary

Anaplasmosis is therefore a very important disease on its own but it is even more of a risk when associated with ECF.prompt should be sought as soon the farmer observes first clinical symptoms.Lymph smear should be taken first to confirm presence anaplasma parasites ,then blood smear tests  be done so that appropriate drug be used- To avoid a repeat of another drug for disease like ECF

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