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UNDERSTANDING of the organism become sus- The Midwest Cattleman · September 30, 2021 · P31
continued from page 9 ceptible to re-infection. veterinarian. This treatment likely to suffer severe illness.
eliminated using antibiotic The best plan to minimize should be at a time of year In some states in the U.S.,
when the local tick and fly your veterinarian may be able
treatment. disease loss due to anaplasmo- population is the lowest. Be- to obtain an experimental an-
The first sign of anaplasmo- sis depends greatly on a farm’s cause the treatment does not aplasmosis vaccine that does
sis in a herd may be the sud- or ranch’s geographic location clear infection from every an- not prevent infection but is
den death of adult cattle. If and the number of cattle in imal, the animals should be reported to reduce the risk of
anaplasmosis is identified as the area that are infected. In tested again about six months clinical signs and death. Pro-
a cause of death and disease parts of the country where an- after the treatment and if an ducers may also elect to feed
in a herd, cattle that are ob- aplasmosis infection is rare, a animal tests positive at this tetracycline under the direc-
viously sick should be kept as strategy to find and treat and/ time, it should be considered tion of a veterinarian when
quiet as possible and treated or remove any carrier-animals a treatment-failure and re- the disease is most prevalent
with an appropriate injectable is recommended. In contrast, moved from the herd, either to control active infection and
antibiotic to kill the organism. in areas of the country where by slaughter or by being sold to use insecticides to control
In addition, tetracycline can many cattle are infected, an to a herd in an area where an- tick and fly populations.
be fed in the mineral mix or attempt to remove all carri- aplasmosis is common. Because the best anaplas-
supplement to provide addi- ers from a herd will result In contrast, in herds located mosis control strategy for a
tional protection to the herd in a herd that is susceptible where anaplasmosis is com- particular farm or ranch de-
as directed by a veterinarian to re-infection and the herd mon, rather than trying to pends on how likely that herd
through a VFD document. may have greater losses than avoid infection, some produc- is to come into contact with the
For carrier cattle that don’t if other strategies had been ers may want to allow infection organism, an important com-
appear sick but that are in- used to minimize the disease’s to occur while the cattle are ponent of a control strategy
fected with the anaplasma effects. young in order to minimize ob- is a plan to deal with replace-
organism, your veterinarian If infected cattle are found vious sickness and death loss. ment animals. If your herd is
can plan a treatment protocol in a herd in a part of the coun- In some countries young ani- free of anaplasmosis and the
using approved antibiotics ad- try where anaplasmosis is mals are purposefully exposed risk of exposure is low, any re-
ministered over several days rare, one strategy to minimize to the organism allowing them placement animal should be
to clear the organism. Howev- disease loss is to test the herd to build immunity at a time in tested before being brought
er, treatment with antibiotics for anaplasmosis infection their life when the disease is into contact with the herd. A
is not effective for all cattle and and to treat any test-positive mild. Although they will be test-positive animal should ei-
those animals that are cleared animals with an appropriate infected for life, they are not
antibiotic as directed by your continued on page 32
