Verminous haemorrhagic dermatitis (cattle)

Verminous haemorrhagic dermatitis is a filariasis of cattle marked by a cutaneous haemorragic nodule. It is referred sometimes to as "summer wound" (German "Summerwund").

It is due to "Parafilaria bovicola".

The transmission envolves flies ("Musca spp."), which eat eggs with microfilariae when feeedind on the skin lesions. [Johannes Kaufmann, Parasitic infections of domestic animals, Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, ISBN 3-7643-5115-2, p. 106-107.]

The disease is recorded in Sweden, Germany and especially South Africa. It also occurs in Bulgaria, France, Morocco and Tunisia.

In Germany, the nodules are known to develop on the upper side on the body. In Morocco, the haemorrhagic lesions are mainly seen on the belly, neck and forelimbs, where it can lead to a wide plages of subcutaneous necrosis, with swelling of the arm.

Ivermectin is efficient for individual treatments of the illness. But surgical excision, although very haemorrhagic, is far more efficient.

"A similar disease, sometimes referred to as "Cascado", occurs in Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia) due to "Stenofilaria" species."

Epidemiology

It differs from countries, especially following the temperature and rainfalls pattern, and the subsequent multiplication of the vector.

In Germany, the verminous nodules start in May and June, 2 to 4 weeks after the beginning of pasture feeding. They heal spontaneously in October November. [Gustav Rosenberger, Krankheiten des Rindes, Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin, ISBN 3-489-61716-9.]

In Morocco, the disease is observed in years when heavy rainfalls occur in March and April. Numerous cases are then observed in April and May, in the immediate immediate surroundings of the ponds. Some cases will heal spontaneously, but some others lead to wide subcutaneous lesions which requires a veterinary treatment The repartition and gravity of the skin lesions might suggest that the causative agent could be slightly different from the one observed in Western Europe. [Lucien Mahin, Observations on diseases of cattle in Morocco, 1977-2008, unpublished data.]

External links

* [http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/71807.htm Related page of the Merck Veterinary Manual]

References