Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia
Introduction
- Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a respiratory disease of cattle. It is notifiable in the UK and many other countries and has not been seen here for many years. It is transmitted by close contact with clinically or subclinically affected animals and severity depends on strain and host susceptibility. There is usually around a 50% morbidity and high mortality rate in severe outbreaks.
Clinical signs
Clinical signs include an acute onset fever, anorexia, depression, lowered milk yield, hyperpnoea, coughing and a mucopurulent nasal dischargewhich all occur suddenly. Dyspnoea occurs with abducted elbows and extended necks and an expiratory grun. The disease can be fatal within 1-3 week.
Calves may suffer from arthritis, synovitis and endocarditis, but are most commonly seen as sudden death.
Diagnosis
Clinical signs and history to suspect diagnosis but definative diagnosis should be achived by post mortem examination. Signs at necropsy will include marbled appearance to lungs with consolidated grey and red lobules separated by emphysematous areas, serofibrinous pleural fluidand necrotic foci surrounded by fibrous capsules in chronic cases act as source of infection.
A PCR on pleural fluid, lung tissue, regional lymph nodes or bronchoalveolar lavage of fluids useful, as is fluorescent antibody testor serological tests such as serum agglutination, haemagglutination, complement fixation and ELIS. Due to the rareity of the disease in developed countries, the best diagnostic tool is not known.
Treatment and control
Slaughter of affected cattle in countries where the disease is exoticis neccessary by law. Movement restrictions, quarantene and slaughter of carrier animals in endemic countries is required. Vaccination has been used in endemic regions.
References
Andrews, A.H, Blowey, R.W, Boyd, H and Eddy, R.G. (2004) Bovine Medicine (Second edition), Blackwell Publishing
Radostits, O.M, Arundel, J.H, and Gay, C.C. (2000) Veterinary Medicine: a textbook of the diseases of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and horses Elsevier Health Sciences