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Ticks might be spreading cattle disease

A veterinarian at Kansas State University says an increased number of ticks in parts of the Midwest could be responsible for the spread of a deadly livestock disease this year.

Dr. Emily Reppert tells Brownfield anaplasmosis is commonly associated with tick bites.

“It’s an organism that likes to infect a particular type of cell within cattle.”

She says spring moisture has led to higher tick populations in states like Kansas and might be one of the reasons the disease has been more prevalent in cattle this year.

Symptoms of anaplasmosis range from acute death loss to a sudden drop in weight.

“On the order of several hundred pounds.  Other things we can see would be increased paleness to the mucus membrane, so their eyes might look a little bit whiter than usual.  The other thing we sometimes see is a change in the color of their mucus membrane.”

Reppert says while there is no cure, antibiotics can be used to treat the disease.

“Start with the injectable antibiotics, so certainly the drug of choice is Oxytetracycline.  Those can be given in the face of an outbreak.”

 

Currently producers are able to purchase these antibiotics on their own, but once the Veterinary Feed Directive is in place next year, Reppert says they’ll have to work directly with a veterinarian.

And while ticks are a common form of transmission, she points out anaplasmosis can also be spread by biting flies, needles and ear taggers.