Important information! Case of rabies in cattle

A case of mad cow disease has been registered in the Krasnoufimsky district.

Symptoms, course of the disease

From the moment of infection, characteristic signs of rabies in animals can appear after 3 - 6 days to 5 - 8 weeks, which depends on the general physiological state, amount of virus in the body of infected individuals, virulence of the pathogen, condition immune system. In some cases, with rabies in animals, the first manifestations may occur a year after infection. At the same time, infected infected individuals are hidden virus carriers, posing a real danger to healthy individuals.

Rabies in domestic animals can occur in violent, silent, paralytic, abortive, atypical forms, each of which has its own characteristic symptoms.

In pathogenesis viral disease There are three main stages:

• I - extraneural, without visible replication of the virus at the site of inoculation (lasts up to two weeks);
• II - intraneural, in which centripetal spread of infection is noted.
• III - dissemination of the virus throughout the body of infected animals. Accompanied by the appearance clinical symptoms illness and, as a rule, ends in their death.

As a rule, at the initial stage of infection development in sick animals, the general temperature bodies. The state is apathetic, depressed. Some minor manifestations of damage to the central nervous system (muscle tremors, convulsions, spasms) are possible. As the infection progresses, symptoms become more severe.

Violent form of rabies

The violent form of rabies is characterized by three stages of development:

• prodromal;
• excitement;
• paralysis.

The duration of the prodromal period ranges from 12 - 15 hours to three 3 days. Minor changes in behavior are noted in animals. Infected pets become apathetic, lethargic, depressed, and try to hide in a dark, secluded place. Attacks of apathy can alternate with periods of excitement. In some cases, dogs become very affectionate, try to lick the owner’s hands and face, and require increased attention. As the disease progresses, anxiety and excitability gradually increase. Animals often lie down and jump up. There is increased reflex excitability to any external stimuli (loud sounds, light, noise). Shortness of breath appears. The pupils are dilated and react inadequately to light.

Paralytic (silent) form of rabies

With this form of viral disease, excitement is weakly expressed or may be completely absent. The animals do not show aggression, they look depressed and apathetic. Characteristic sign silent form of rabies - profuse salivation, dilated pupils, sagging lower jaw, paralysis of the pharynx and tongue. Swallowing is difficult.

Animals refuse food and water, quickly lose weight, look very exhausted, and try to hide in a dark, secluded place. Mucous membranes are pale. Paralysis of the muscles of the limbs, jaw, and torso occurs. The duration of the disease is 2 - 4 days.

Atypical form of rabies

With this form of infection, the excitation stage is completely absent. At the onset of the disease, a slight increase in temperature is possible. Appetite is reduced. Animals refuse food and water, which leads to rapid loss weight.

Disturbances in the functioning of organs are noted digestive system. There are symptoms of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Feces have a liquid consistency and contain a large amount of mucus, foam, bloody threads, and clots.

In rare cases, agricultural animals are diagnosed with an abortive course of the disease. Some animals manage to recover. Moreover, very often this form recurs, and after improvement, the condition of infected animals worsens again.

Rabies in farm animals

Rabies in cows occurs in quiet and violent forms. The duration of the incubation period can range from two 2 months to one 1 year.

With rabies in cows, if the disease occurs in a violent form, increased excitability is noted. The animal shows aggression towards people, dogs, cats, and other pets. The cow rushes against the walls, strikes with its horns, and nervously beats its tail.

The temperature is elevated. Salivation and sweating are noted. Appetite is reduced. The lower jaw is drooping. The pupils are dilated and do not respond to light. The limbs are tense and extended.

With a silent form of infection, cattle have no chewing cud and no appetite. The animals are depressed, lethargic, quickly losing weight, and moaning hoarsely. The cow stops secreting milk. Signs of paralysis of the larynx, tongue, pharynx, front and hind limbs appear. The lower jaw is drooping. Abundant salivation and spontaneous defecation are noted.

Death occurs 3–5 days after the onset of clinical symptoms.

Goat rabies

In goats and sheep, the same symptoms are noted in the violent, silent form of rabies as in cattle, namely: aggression towards people, animals, especially cats, dogs, severe exhaustion, sexual excitability, paresis, paralysis. Goats and sheep are marking time, butting heads, refusing water and feed. The disease develops quickly. On the third to fifth day from the moment the first characteristic symptoms animals die.

Rabies in horses

Rabies in horses is manifested by increased excitability and inadequate reactions to external stimuli. Animals can also show aggression towards people and their relatives. During periods of excitement, horses throw themselves at walls, chew feeders, and begin to eat inedible objects. Excitement turns into complete apathy.
Celebrate muscle spasms, cramps of the cheeks, lips, sternum. The limbs are tense and extended. Coordination of movements is impaired, paralysis of the pharynx, tongue, and lower jaw develops. The neighing becomes hoarse. Abundant salivation is noticeable. The animals look severely emaciated and die on the 3rd - 6th day. In some cases death possible on the first day of disease development.

Swine rabies

In pigs, rabies occurs in acute and violent forms. Pigs are very excited, eat inedible objects, are afraid of water, refuse feed, behave aggressively and inappropriately. Sows can eat their piglets, a feeling of fear appears, severe anxiety, panic.

On days 2-3, paresis and paralysis of the limbs, lower jaw, and larynx develop. Animals become lethargic, apathetic, do not respond to external stimuli, and constantly lie in one place. The duration of the viral disease is 6-7 days, after which the sick animals die.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis is made after a comprehensive examination, taking into account general symptoms, the epizootological situation regarding rabies in the region, the results of pathological autopsies. If necessary, differential diagnosis is carried out.

There is currently no treatment for rabies, so the disease is fatal in 100% of cases.

If rabies occurs, quarantine is imposed. Animals, dogs, and cats that have bitten people (except those clearly suffering from rabies) are isolated for 10-12 days and placed in special boxes for veterinary observation. Animals with rabies are killed. The corpses are burned. The remaining individuals are subjected to forced immunization. Suspicious wild animals are subject to destruction.

Prevention of rabies

The most effective in an effective way To prevent infection of domestic and agricultural animals can be called timely preventive immunization. In veterinary medicine, mono- and polyvalent anti-rabies tissue, culture, and live vaccines of domestic and foreign production are used for these purposes.

Only timely vaccination will help prevent rabies infection.

A vaccine for animals against rabies can be:

• Brain - made from the brain tissue of animals infected with rabies;
• Embryonic. Contains poultry embryos.
• Cultural. It is made from the rabies virus reproduced in primary trypsinized or transplanted BHK-21/13 cells.
  The monovalent dry inactivated rabies vaccine “Rabican” is very often used against rabies in cats and dogs. For preventive and therapeutic immunization of cattle, horses, and pigs, the liquid cultured rabies vaccine “Rabikov” is used. For agricultural animals, universal polyvaccines (complex) veterinary preparations have also been developed for preventive immunizations.

In veterinary practice, the following are also used against rabies: Rabigen Mono, Nobivak Rabies, Defensor-3, Rabizin, Multikan-8. When revaccination is carried out, if there are no side symptoms or hypersensitivity to the components, the same vaccine is used.

Only clinically healthy animals are subject to vaccination. Pregnant, lactating females, emaciated, sick viral infections, severely weakened individuals are not vaccinated.

Instructions are included with veterinary preparations for immunization, so if you plan to vaccinate yourself pet, carefully read the instructions for the medication. For the first 2-3 days after vaccination, carefully monitor the behavior and health of the animals.
In addition to preventive vaccination, farmers must monitor the cleanliness and hygiene of the premises where animals are kept. Disinfection and deratization must be carried out regularly. Avoid contact with wild and stray animals.

If you suspect your pet has rabies, or if it has been bitten by stray or wild animals, you must immediately take the cat or dog to a veterinary clinic for examination and diagnostic tests.

It is also worth noting that animals not vaccinated against rabies are not allowed to participate in exhibitions, competitions, or hunting. Traveling abroad or to other regions is also prohibited without the veterinary passport, certificate of necessary stamps, and marks of immunization.

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Today, such type of activity as keeping and breeding cattle in agriculture and at home is the most profitable and profitable. This preference is given to cattle due to the fact that as a result, milk, meat, skin and wool can be obtained.

When breeding and raising cows, owners and farmers should keep in mind that during the entire period of their existence the animals are exposed to various diseases, both infectious (contagious) and non-infectious. In some more serious and advanced cases, diseases can cause economic damage and lead to significant material costs.

It is important to know that rabid cows can be transmitted by healthy animals eating meat contaminated with prions. There have even been recorded cases where this disease also affected domestic animals, in particular the domestic cat.

Among infectious diseases In cattle, the most important place is given to a disease such as rabies. Mad cow disease (also called brain spongiosis) is a fatal disease that affects the central nervous system. This disease occurs not only in cows, but also in other animals. The causes of rabies in cows are prions. Prions are proteins that tend to develop themselves and are resistant to environment. They are not affected by heat, nor digestive juice, but is destroyed by the action of phenol and ether. First, prions enter the spleen, and then normal prions, under the influence of pathogenic prions, enter and settle in the nerve cells of the central nervous system, affecting it. The incubation period ranges from two to eight years, so animals of almost all ages are susceptible to the disease. Signs of rabies in cows are as follows. Unfortunately, visible and obvious signs with this disease are practically absent. Even if the animal is already infected, its temperature does not rise and its appetite remains. Only after two the nervous system begins to be affected. In e in that case The cow exhibits the following symptoms. The animal develops a feeling of fear, anxiety, fright. Cows behave aggressively, observed nervous condition, trembling of individual parts of the body or, in rare cases, the whole body. In addition, sometimes sensitivity to light, noise, and touch may be impaired. Therefore, in particular cases, cows do not see or feel barriers and obstacles; roughly speaking, they stumble upon them.

It is interesting to know that it is possible for humans to become infected from animals. This can happen when a person eats infected meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment. In addition, infection can also occur through an open wound in human skin.

Thus, it was determined how rabies manifests itself in cows. The symptoms are so pronounced that it is impossible not to notice the animal’s condition. Diagnosis is made based on clinical data and research. However, strange as it may seem, today there is practically no treatment and does not give positive results.

Thus, the article examined the main signs and symptoms of a disease such as mad cow disease. In conclusion, it should be added that regardless of the condition of the animal, preventive measures should be carried out periodically.

Rabiesis a disease of a viral nature that occurs after the bite of an infected animal, characterized by severe damage to the nervous system and usually ends in fatal. Rabies virus (Neuroryctes rabid) belongs to the group of myxoviruses of the Lyssavirus genus of the Rhabdoviridae family. Found in saliva, as well as in tears and urine.

The virus is unstable in the external environment - it dies when heated to 56.C in 15 minutes, when boiled in 2 minutes. Sensitive to ultraviolet and direct sunlight, ethanol and many disinfectants. However, it is resistant to low temperatures, phenol, and antibiotics.

After entering the body, the rabies virus spreads along the nerve endings, affecting almost the entire nervous system. Swelling, hemorrhage, degenerative and necrotic changes are observed nerve cells brain and spinal cord.

The source of the rabies virus is both wild and domestic animals. Wild animals include wolves, foxes, jackals, raccoons, badgers, skunks, the bats, rodents, and domestic animals - dogs, cats, horses, pigs, small and cattle. However, the greatest danger to humans is represented by foxes and stray dogs outside the city in the spring and summer. Animals are considered contagious 3-10 days before signs of illness appear and then throughout the entire period of the disease. Animals with rabies can often be distinguished by excessive salivation and lacrimation, as well as by observing signs of hydrophobia.

Human infection occurs through a bite from a rabid animal. And also if the saliva of a sick animal gets on damaged skin or mucous membrane. IN last years Airborne, nutritional (through food and water) and transplacental (through the placenta during pregnancy) routes of transmission of the virus are described. Several cases of human infection with rabies as a result of organ transplant operations have generated much debate.

The incubation period (the period from the bite to the onset of the disease) averages 30-50 days, although it can last 10-90 days, in rare cases - more than 1 year. Moreover, the further the bite site is from the head, the more incubation period. Particularly dangerous are bites to the head and arms, as well as bites from children. The incubation period lasts the longest for a bite on the legs.

There are 3 stages of the disease: I - initial, II - excitation, III - paralytic. The first stage begins with general malaise, headache, slight increase in body temperature, muscle pain, dry mouth, decreased appetite, sore throat, dry cough, and there may be nausea and vomiting. Appear at the site of the bite discomfort- burning, redness, nagging pain, itching, increased sensitivity. The patient is depressed, withdrawn, refuses to eat, and experiences inexplicable fear, melancholy, anxiety, depression, and, less commonly, increased irritability. Also characteristic insomnia , nightmares, olfactory and visual hallucinations.

After 1-3 days, a patient with rabies enters the second stage - agitation. Restlessness, anxiety, and, most characteristic of this stage, attacks of hydrophobia appear. When you try to drink, and soon even at the sight and sound of pouring water, a feeling of horror and spasms of the muscles of the pharynx and larynx appear. Breathing becomes noisy, accompanied by pain and cramps. At this stage of the disease, the person becomes irritable, excitable, very aggressive, and “mad.” During attacks, patients scream and rush about, they can break furniture, display superhuman strength, and throw themselves at people. There is increased sweating and salivation; the patient has difficulty swallowing saliva and constantly spits it out. This period usually lasts 2-3 days.

Next comes the third stage of the disease, the beginning of which is characterized by calm - fear and attacks of hydrophobia disappear, and hope for recovery arises. After this, the body temperature rises above 40 - 42 degrees, and paralysis limbs and cranial nerves various localizations, disturbances of consciousness, convulsions. Death occurs from respiratory paralysis or cardiac arrest. Thus, the duration of the disease rarely exceeds a week.

Treatment of rabies

There are no treatments as such for rabies. If the disease is already in the first stage, there will most likely be no outcome other than death. Although there are isolated cases of cure for rabies in the world. But for now this is exotic.

However, there is a way to prevent the disease by killing it in the bud. This is a method of specific prevention - the introduction of a special vaccine against rabies, no later than the 14th day from the moment of the bite. The best specific prevention- this is the introduction of specific immunoglobulin and/or active immunization (vaccination).

The vaccine is administered intramuscularly, 1 ml 5 times: on the day of infection, then on the 3rd, 7th, 14th and 28th day. With this scheme it is created good immunity, however, WHO also recommends a 6th injection 90 days after the first.

The best grafting site is the deltoid muscle of the shoulder or thigh. If a person is bitten, but before the bite he was vaccinated according to the full scheme, and he has a sufficient level of antibodies, he is vaccinated according to a special scheme without the use of immunoglobulin.

Therapy may be discontinued if the animal is found to remain healthy during the 10-day observation period or if the animal is free of rabies virus.

Some people who are at risk (veterinarians, dog handlers, hunters) need to be vaccinated in advance. Vaccinations are also carried out according to a specially established scheme with the first revaccination after 12 months. and then every 5 years.

What to do if you are bitten?

The first thing to do is to immediately wash the bite area with soap. It is necessary to wash quite intensively, for 10 minutes. Deep wounds It is recommended to rinse with a stream of soapy water, for example using a syringe or catheter. There is no need to cauterize wounds or apply stitches.

After this, you need to immediately go to the nearest emergency room, because the success of rabies vaccination greatly depends on how quickly you seek help from a doctor. It is advisable to inform the doctor at the emergency room the following information - a description of the animal, its appearance and behavior, the presence of a collar, the circumstances of the bite.

Next, you should undergo a course of vaccinations prescribed by your doctor. No one has been giving forty injections in the stomach for a long time; you will be given a vaccine and sent home. And so on five or six times. A person who has been bitten may be kept in the hospital if his condition is particularly severe, those receiving repeated vaccinations, as well as persons with diseases of the nervous system or allergic diseases, pregnant women, as well as persons vaccinated with other vaccinations within the last two months. During vaccination and 6 months after it, you must refrain from drinking alcohol. In addition, if you are undergoing a rabies vaccination course, you should not be overtired, hypothermic, or, conversely, overheat.

During vaccinations, it is necessary to carefully monitor your health status. And if there are any complaints about the deterioration of the condition, you must consult a doctor and temporarily stop vaccinations. Only after examination by a neuropathologist, therapist and radiologist is the issue of continuing vaccinations consultatively decided.

It is very easy to become infected with rabies by drinking the milk of a mad cow, being bitten by a sick animal, or eating infected meat. It is a mistake to believe that animal diseases do not pose a threat to human life and health. This is wrong. For people, this disease is as dangerous as for any other organism. In any case, upon noticing symptoms of illness in an animal, you must immediately sound the alarm and resort to certain measures.

Diagnosis of the disease

Bovine rabies (or spongiform brain disease) is characterized by damage to the central nervous system. For the most part this dangerous disease occurs in cows, although other animals are sometimes susceptible to it.

The main reason cattle are infected with this disease is self-developing RNA proteins (prions). They enter the cow's body through the spleen and infect nerve cells. After penetration, the rabies virus invades the central nervous system and affects almost all components of the animal’s body.

The incubation period of the disease can last from several years to several months, so any animal is at risk of infection. Effective methods Therapy leading to final recovery does not exist today, so it is customary to isolate and kill all sick people. It is very important to periodically resort to rabies prophylaxis, even despite the apparent good condition cow health. The best way out To prevent the disease will be vaccination.

Forms of the disease

There are only two main forms of rabies in cows: violent and calm.

In the first type, the disease begins with severe irritation. The cow alternately makes sudden movements and reacts aggressively to other animals. Aggression can be especially pronounced towards small pets. Excessive sweating, drooling, and frequent urge to urination.

In the silent form of the disease there is practically no excitement, but rather, on the contrary, some lethargy is observed. The cow is indifferent to food and looks depressed. There is a disappearance of ruminant periods and milk secretion, it is difficult for the animal to swallow, the mooing sounds hoarse, as if through a partition.

In both cases of the development of the disease, after a few days the animal becomes paralyzed lower jaw, then the front and hind limbs, and then death occurs.

Symptoms of infection

Signs of the disease are very obvious, so it is almost impossible not to notice that something is wrong with the animal. The main symptoms are:

• unusual behavior, fear, anxiety;
• strange reactions to external stimuli, such as noise or light (some animals experience seizures);
• sudden weight loss;
• mood swings;
• trembling of individual parts of the body or even the entire body.

In particular difficult cases The cow's vision may fail, she does not notice obstacles and bumps into them.

Specific prevention of rabies

The best preventive measure that can prevent animal health problems is to get vaccinated. It causes biochemical changes in the animal’s body that reduce the sensitivity of cells to prions. Artificial immunization in case of illness helps to produce antibodies that neutralize the virus, which tries to penetrate inside before damaging nerve cells and the body as a whole.

For vaccination, veterinarians use preparations containing a culture of rabies virus from the Paster/RIV strain with an activity of at least 2 IU at a dosage of 1 milliliter intramuscularly. Only completely healthy animals are vaccinated, with the first vaccination in cows occurring at six months of age, and revaccination every two years.

There is no one hundred percent guarantee that a cow will not get sick after vaccination. Statistics say: 9 out of 10 vaccinated animals do not become infected with rabies, being in the same conditions of care and maintenance. And this is a very good indicator.

Precautionary measures

People who are constantly in contact with the virus, for example, laboratory workers studying the disease, must be vaccinated.

After an animal attack (bite or scratch), the development of infection must be prevented immediately. To do this, the victim must wait until some blood flows out of the wound. Then wash the wound thoroughly (preferably with soap), treat antiseptic, for example, alcohol and be sure to bandage the wound site. Measures to disinfect the wound must be carried out very carefully to avoid further damage. Wound treatment must be done immediately (within an hour) after contact with the animal.

Also, people at risk of contracting rabies are vaccinated as a matter of urgency.

The signs of rabies in humans are almost the same as the symptoms of the disease in animals. Firstly, a person ceases to feel himself in space, does not control his movements, and feverish twitching of the limbs is possible. Secondly, vision deteriorates greatly. A transition to an aggressive-impulsive state is possible. A person may experience uncontrollable and rapidly passing seizures. If people develop any symptoms of rabies, they should immediately contact a specialist.

Tell us if you have encountered rabies in cows. Share your experience and describe your methods of combating this terrible disease.

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