Bovine Upper GI Diseases

Question 1

What is an effective way to age cattle?

Answer 1

Look at the teeth!

Question 2

What is the infectious agent for vesicular stomatitis?

Answer 2

Rhabdoviridae - bullet shaped virus

Question 3

How is vesicular stomatitis spread?

Answer 3

Horizontal transmission via vectors (midges, black flies, sand fleas), direct contact

–> results in economic losses (low milk, poor reproduction, death)

Question 4

When are clinical signs seen are what are they?

Answer 4

• Have 3-14 day incubation
• see vesicles on tongue, lip, muzzle, interdigital skin, teats
• causes excessive salivation, not eating, lameness

Question 5

How do you treat and contain Vesicular stomatitis?

Answer 5

• Isolate animal and contain for 30 days past last clinical sign
• give easy to consume feed

Question 6

How do you test for vesicular stomatitis?

Answer 6

• Call state vet!!! Indistinguishable from FMD (REPORTABLE)

- test vesicular fluid, epithelium, serum, lesion swabs - viral isolation, ELISA, virus neutralization, PCR

Question 7

What causes foot and mouth disease?

Answer 7

Picornavirus

• Several serotypes and subtypes
• Very hardy in environment

Question 8

What animals are most clinically affected by FMD? Which incubate without clinical signs?

Answer 8

• Cattle and swine most clinically affected

- Small ruminants incubate without CS

Question 9

How is FMD tramsmitted?

Answer 9

• By aerosol, direct contact, fomites

- Resp tract most common infection site in cows

Question 10

What are clinical signs of FMD?

Answer 10

• Excessive salivation, lip smacking, vesicles on mouth mucosa, tongue, palate, teats, nares, interdigital skin, coronary bands

Question 11

How do you treat FMD?

Answer 11

• CALL STATE VET
• Isolate/ slaughter all affected/ exposed animals
• Vaccinated and quarantine in endemic areas

Question 12

What causes bovine papular stomatitis?

Answer 12

• Parapoxvirus

Question 13

What are clinical signs of BPS?

Answer 13

• Raised papules on muzzle, lips, oral mucosa

Question 14

Which age of cattle are affected by BPS?

Answer 14

• Calves – mild disease

Question 15

How does Actinomyces bovis cause disease?

Answer 15

• Opportunistic infection after break in epithelium/ mucosa

- Normally found in oral and Resp Tract

Question 16

What are clinical signs for actinomycosis?

Answer 16

• “lumpy jaw”
• Osteomylelitis of mandible/ maxilla
• non-painful mass

Question 17

How do you diagnose actinomycosis?

Answer 17

• History and CE
• Definitive diagnosis from culture (difficult), exudate smear (see SULFUR GRANULES)
• Gram positive, club shaped rods and filaments

Question 18

How do you treat actinomycosis?

Answer 18

• IV sodium iodide –> several treatments 5-10 days apart
• Antibiotics
• Debride wound

Question 19

How does Actinobacillus lignieresii cause disease?

Answer 19

• Opportunistic when breaking through epithelium and mucosa

- Normally in GI tract

Question 20

What are the clinical signs of Actinobacillosis?

Answer 20

• Granulomatous glossitis (wooden tongue)
• Dysphagia, drooling, tongue protrusion
• Head and neck granulomas

Question 21

How do you diagnose Actinobacillosis?

Answer 21

• See excessive painful, exudative granulation tissues
• Sulfur granules
• Isolate organism (easy in lab)

Question 22

How do you treat Actinobacillosis?

Answer 22

• IV 20% NaI
• Antibiotics
• Debride
• Better prognosis than Actinomycosis

Question 23

What are some common causes of pharyngeal lacerations/ retropharyngeal abscesses?

Answer 23

• Injury following oral treatments

- e.g balling guns, frick speculum, orogastric tubes, drenching instrument

Question 24

What are clinical signs of pharyngeal lacerations, retropharyngeal abscesses?

Answer 24

• Mild inappetence
• Respiratory distress –> head and neck extension, swelling and inspiratory distrees, necrotic breath
• Death

Question 25

How can you diagnose pharyngeal lacerations/ retropharyngeal abscesses?

Answer 25

- Mouth speculum/ endoscopy - Radiographs (find abscess) - US (differentiate from cellulitis and abscess)

Question 26

How do you treat pharyngeal lacerations/ retropharyngeal absecesses?

Answer 26

- Mild cases self-resolve on their own - Large lesions - carefully lavage, rumen fistula - Prognosis guarded

Question 27

What is the causative agent of calf diptheria

Answer 27

- Fusobacterium necrophorum (necrobacillosis) | - Normal oral cavity inhabitant but invades tissues from damage

Question 28

What are clinical signs of calf diphteria?

Answer 28

- "barking calves" - extended head and neck - Respiratory distress

Question 29

How do you treat necrobacillosis?

Answer 29

- if mild, use antibiotics | - Don't stress if respiratory distress --> give temporary tracheostomy, tube feed, recover quickly

Question 30

What causes esophogeal obstructions/ choke? What are the clinical signs?

Answer 30

- Ingesting foreign objects/ food without entirely chewing - Appear anxious, head/ neck extension, excessive salivation, retching - Can result in respiratory distress and death

Question 31

How do you treat esophageal obstructions/ choke?

Answer 31

- Pass a large bore orogastric tube - Sedate - Small lavage