The acting director of veterinary services Dr John Shoopala yesterday confirmed that several suspected cases of rare elephant skin disease among cattle have been reported in the north.
He said cases were reported at Oshikango, Ondobe and Okongo. Dr Shoopala says the disease in the Ohangwena Region was successfully eradicated in 1986 and the latest incidents represent a re-emergence.
“It is important to avoid introduction of the infection into non-infected herds as a result of trade or movement of infected animals,” he stressed, while explaining that the severity of elephant skin disease may vary from very mild to severe and even death of seriously affected cattle.
“The onus of the disease spreading will be pretty much on cattle owners to be alert and prevent introduction of infected cattle to other animals, while the directorate monitors the situation,” he says.
Bovine besnoitiosis is a disease of cattle caused by a protozoal organism called Besnoitia besnoiti.
In Africa, the disease is widely distributed but Namibia, with its proud animal health disease record, managed to eradicate the disease in 1986.
Shoopala says many infected cattle remain sub-clinically infected and the only sign of the disease is the presence of parasitic cysts in the membranes of the eyes.
The disease results in both systemic and skin clinical signs.
Clinical signs in the acute phase initially include fever, which may reach 40-41 degrees Celsius and can persist for a week or more, progressive weight loss and listlessness/weakness, and slow gait if forced to move or reluctance to move.
Nasal and ocular discharges will occur as well as redness of the skin, particularly of the muzzle, skin around the eyes and scrotum of light skinned animals.
Accumulation of fluid varies from a slight swelling of the face to thickening of the skin folds over the neck, back and chest or even subcutaneous oedema over the entire body in severe cases.
Inflammation of the testes sets in leading to swelling and sensitivity, swelling of the superficial lymph nodes and intolerance of light may be observed. Less commonly seen are diarrhoea and abortion.
These signs would have usually disappeared by the third week and there may be a break in some cases before the more advanced or chronic lesions develop.
Biting arthropods, such as horseflies and deerflies, have been implicated as mechanical transmitters of the infection, from chronically or sub-clinically infected cattle.
The potential for wild ruminant and rodent reservoirs has been suggested. The definitive host for Besnoitia besnoiti remains unknown.