Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis in a Dairy Cattle Farm in Tanzania

Abstract

The present study  was  designed  with  the  objective  of determining  incidence  and pattern  of  occurrence  of   infectious   Bovine  Keratoconjunctivitis  (IBK),  investigating its causal  agents  and  evaluating  treatment  methods  in  a  dairy  cattle  farms  in  Tanzania.  During the   period of four years, IBK affected 724 (22.3 %) calves aged <6  months,  594  (17.9  %)  weaners  aged 7 to 12  months,  361 (14.8  %)  young stock aged  13   to  18   months   and  963 (4.9   %) adults aged  >18  months   (Numbers  in parentheses refer to incidence rates per age group). Incidence and severity of IBK varied according to age,   season, nutritional status, fly activity and   type   of management. The  disease  was  found  to  occur  all  the  year  around  with  peak  incidence  during rainy  season  and  towards  the end  of  dry  season.  Out of 58 cases   in which Bacterial isolations were attempted.  Moraxella  bovis was  found  in  35 (60.3%),  Branhamella  catarrhalis in  22 (37.9%)  and  Staphylococcus aureus in  18  (31.0 %). Often, the infection was mixed. In a treatment trial whereby 64 animals were given topical Penicillin-Streptomycin (Streptopen, Glaxo) twice a day for seven  days, 29  cases  were given intravenous injection  of  Tribrissen (Coopers)  every  other  day  for  3 days and 48 animals were treated with two or three subconjunctival injections of Penicillin-Streptomycin (Penstrep , C-Vet LTD) spaced  7 days apart,  recovery  rate was best in the latter treatment group. It was therefore concluded that subconjunctival injections were the treatment of choice for IBK