B. Voc.

In Agriculture Sciences

End Semester Project – IV

Topic – Some Major Cattle Diseases

Submitted by :- Shivansh Mishra

Enrolment No. :- 2101119043
Submitted To :- Mr. Ashish Gupta sir
Mr. Pankaj payasi sir
Dr. Pooja Rani ma’am
B. Voc. (Agriculture Science)
 Declaration
I the undersigned ‘Shivansh’ student of B. Voc. (Agriculture
Science). 4th semester hereby declare that the project work
presented in this report is my own work and has been carried out
under the guidance of, professor ‘Dr. Pooja Rani Ma’am’,
Agriculture Science, department of vocational education, Indira
Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh.

This work has not been previously submitted to

any other university, college for any
examination.

DATE – 20/08/2023

Dr. Pooja Rani Ma’am

B. Voc. (Agriculture Science)
 Certificate
This is to certify that project report entitled “Some Major Cattle
Diseases”. Submitted to department of vocational education under
Indira Gandhi national tribal university, Amarkantak, Madhya
Pradesh for the award of
B. Voc. (Agriculture Science) is an important piece of work
carried out by “Shivansh” it is under certified that this project is a
bonafide piece of work and no part of this has been submitted
earlier for any purpose elsewhere.

Certificate by guide
Certified that of has worked under my guidance

DATE – 20/08/2023

Dr. Pooja Rani Ma’am

B. Voc. (Agriculture Science)
 Topic – Some Major Cattle Diseases

INTRODUCTION
Cattle play a crucial role in agriculture and food production.
They provide various valuable resources such as meat, milk,
leather, and even by-products like gelatine and cosmetics.
Cattle farming contributes significantly to the global food
supply, providing a consistent source of protein through beef
and dairy products. Additionally, cattle also help in soil
fertility through their manure, which can be used as organic
fertilizer. Their grazing habits can aid in managing
grasslands and preventing overgrowth, thereby promoting
healthy ecosystems. Overall, cattle are integral to sustaining
both rural economies and the broader food industry.
Farmers in India rely almost entirely on farming and their
livestock for financial support. Farmers of all sizes depend
on the revenue generated by their livestock for survival.
This income comes by selling of milk, meat, and other
items. Large numbers of cattle can be found on both
organized and unstructured farms in India. The majority of
the populace is disorganized and chaotic. There are many
different types of diseases that are prevalent in India due to
the country's large population. Diseases such as foot and
mouth disease (FMD), bovine brucellosis, tuberculosis,
bovine mastitis, among others, are major diseases that cause
Maintaining cattle health is of paramount importance for
both economic and ethical reasons. Economically, healthy
cattle are more productive, leading to higher yields of meat
and dairy products. Disease outbreaks can result in
significant financial losses due to reduced production,
treatment costs, and even animal deaths.

Ethically, ensuring cattle well-being is a moral

responsibility. Practices that prioritize animal health and
welfare reflect a commitment to treating animals with
respect and minimizing suffering. Unhealthy or mistreated
cattle can lead to public backlash, affecting a company's
reputation and consumer trust.

Furthermore, maintaining cattle health also has

environmental implications. Healthy cattle contribute to
sustainable agriculture by reducing the need for antibiotics,
mitigating disease transmission risks, and promoting
efficient resource use. Overall, focusing on cattle health
aligns with both economic prosperity and ethical
considerations, while fostering sustainable practices in the
agriculture industry.
Cattle can be susceptible to a range of diseases that can
have significant impacts on the industry. Some notable
diseases include:

1. Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD): Highly

contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals,
causing fever, blisters, and lameness. FMD outbreaks can
lead to trade restrictions on meat and livestock, resulting in
economic losses.

2. Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD): Complex

respiratory condition caused by multiple pathogens. It
affects cattle health and growth, leading to reduced
productivity and increased veterinary costs.

3. Mastitis: An inflammation of the udder, usually caused

by bacterial infections. It affects milk quality and quantity,
leading to economic losses in the dairy industry.

4. Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD): Viral infection

that weakens the immune system, leading to poor
reproduction rates, reduced growth, and increased
susceptibility to other diseases.
5. Blackleg: A bacterial infection causing sudden death in
cattle. It can lead to substantial losses in affected herds due
to mortality.

6. Johne's Disease: Chronic bacterial infection that

affects the digestive tract, causing weight loss, decreased
milk production, and increased culling rates.

7. Anaplasmosis: Tick-borne disease that leads to

anaemia, reduced weight gain, and increased mortality.

8. Brucellosis: Bacterial infection causing reproductive

issues, including abortions. It also has zoonotic potential,
affecting both cattle and humans.

9. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE):

prion disease affecting the nervous system. It can lead to
trade restrictions and consumer concerns about food safety.
The potential impacts of these diseases on the cattle industry
include reduced production efficiency, increased veterinary
expenses, trade restrictions, reputation damage, and
economic losses due to culling and decreased market
demand for affected products. Implementing effective
disease prevention, biosecurity measures, and vaccination
programs is essential to mitigate these impacts and maintain
a healthy cattle population.

Methods & Material

Haemoprotozoan infections are very common in cattle and
cause devastating losses to the livestock industry and pose a
major threat to the dairy industry throughout the world.
[1]. Most of the haemoprotozoan parasites are transmitted
by ticks and is of great economic importance in Asia and has
always been a formidable barrier to the survival of exotic
and cross bred cattle in India.
[2]. The hot and humid climate is very conducive for the
development and survival of potential vectors such as ticks
and flies and is a constant source of infection to susceptible
animals.
[3]. Theileriosis, babesiosis and anaplasmosis are the three
major ticks borne haemoprotozoan diseases of crossbred
cattle in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.
[4]. In India, the annual loss estimated due to tropical
theileriosis alone is approximately US $800 million.
[5]. In the absence of adequate control measures, these
haemoprotozoan diseases have serious economic impact on
cattle production in terms of mortality, reduced milk yield
and lowered draft power.

In a 3 years study, a total of 576 crossbred dairy cattle (212

Holstein Friesian cross and 364 Jersey cross) from all
districts (n=11) of Meghalaya were assessed with the survey,
clinical examination, and personal observations.
We screened 301 bloods. samples each month from
apparently normal/healthy crossbred cattle from various
locations of Dehradun district. Samples were tested using
Giemsa's staining technique and specific PCR test.
A microbial agent is a microorganism that is capable to
cause disease in animal. Pathogenicity is the capability to
induce disease in an animal. Pathogenic bacteria express
their pathological effect by means of their infectious
aggressiveness (virulence), a term which refers to the level
of pathogenicity of the microbial organism. Hence, the
factors of virulence of a pathogen are any of its genome,
biochemical characters, and structure that give the ability to
induce disease in an animal. Domestic livestock have
always suffered from a wide range of bacterial diseases. As
livestock are concentrated in larger numbers, the problems
of major epidemic have become more severe

Result
Microscopic examination of blood smears revealed 27.2%
(82) overall prevalence of theileriosis. The highest
prevalence was found in rainy season with a prevalence rate
45.4%. By Theileria genus specific PCR test, 98 samples
(32.5%) were found to be positive for theileriosis.
Out of the total animal assessed, 33.85% (n= 195) were
found to be affected with one or more of the clinical
reproductive problems. Repeat breeding (RB), anestrus,
retention of fatal membrane, and abortion were found to be
the major clinical reproductive problems. Out of the total
animal affected with reproductive disorders, the incidence of
anestrus, RB, retention of fatal membrane, and abortion was
found to be 31.79% (n= 62), 24.61% (n= 48), 14.35% (n=
28), and 11.25% (n= 22), respectively. In addition, dystocia
(5.12%), prolapse (1.53%), endometritis (4.61%), and
pyometra (6.66%) were minor clinical reproductive
problems. There was a significant difference in the
incidence of reproductive disorders with respect to breed,
age, and parity.
The study was conducted for about 9 years to observe the
overall & seasonal prevalence of blood parasites in cattle.
Microscopic examination of 5257 blood smears from cattle,
revealed 473 (9%) samples positive for blood parasites.
Our finding is lower than previously reported by Alim et al
(2011) who reported 16.18% and 12.02% in cross breed and
indigenous cattle, respectively. While Singh et al (2012)
reported 22.9% occurrence in Punjab. Report of Lalchandani
(2001) cited overall occurrence of 39.21% these variations
are might be due to different geographical distribution.
Lower prevalence of hemoprotozoan diseases in the current
study might be due to sampling from clinically ill animals
rather than selection of clinically susceptible cattle.
However, variation in geo-climatic condition, breed, and
exposure of vectors and age of the animals might contribute
to variable prevalence of hemoprotozoan diseases in the
study areas (Muhanguzi et al., 2010).
Tion with occurrence of haemoprotozoans. The highest
prevalence’s found during rainy season with 47.99%
prevalence rate. Hemoprotozoan diseases vary greatly
According to season. Observation of rainy season of this
study is in accordance with the report of Ananda et al.
(2009) and Radostits et al. (1994) who observed that higher
incidence of hemoprotozoan diseases is founds on after peek
of tick population, which is depending on temperature,
humidity, rainfall, etc. which might be accounted for higher
prevalence of such infections in the rainy season of the
study. Lower temperature and humidity of winter months
were less favourable for the growth a multiplications of tick
vectors which might contribute to lower frequency of such
diseases in the study population (Muhammad et al. ,1999;
Zahidetal.,2005). During rainy season, among positive
samples highest incidence has been recorded for Theileria
spp which is 49.78% (Table2). This supports the earlier
study of Theileriosis infestation. Vahora et al. (2012) and
Kohli et al. (2014) reported that 82.94% and 45.4% cases of
theileriosis are generally observed during summer or rainy
season when the tick shave higher activity although sporadic
outbreaks have been recorded year-round. The present study
suggests that overall occurrence of blood parasites was 9%.
Among the positive samples Theileriosis recorded in
42.28% samples, Anaplasmosis recorded in 42.07%
samples, and Babesiosis was recorded in 15.65% samples.
Highest incidence was recorded in rainy season (from June
to September) (47.99%) followed by summer (26.01%) and
winter season (26.0%). There Is a need for further
investigation using molecular technique and making
program for control to the tick population in the area.

Year-wise occurrence of blood parasites

Reference :- B. Ganesh Kumar (Senior scientist)

Reference :- Vishwa Mohan (Author Times of India)

 Discussion
The detailed periodic regression analysis values of 12
livestock diseases for the period 2001–2016 are given in
Table 1. Most of the livestock diseases showed the
significance for intercept, X value, sinus and cosinus values
and are given in the Table 1. The results of the present study
concurred with the previous report for the periodic
regression analysis (Èobanoviæ and Luèiæ, 1992). Four
bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases were analyzed for
trends of the disease and predicted the future disease
outbreaks for the period from 2017–2026. The periodic
regression analysis curve showed the baseline of the
outbreaks, upper bound line which was 95% confidence
interval from the baseline and the observed line indicated
the actual outbreaks occurred during 2001–2016 in different
months in a calendar year. Bacterial diseases: The bacterial
diseases included for the study were AX, BQ, ET and HS.
The trend pattern and prediction curves of AX and BQ are
given in Fig. 1. The AX outbreaks showed 55 outbreaks
during 2001 and reduced to 20 outbreaks during 2016. The
trend analysis revealed that the AX outbreaks are decreasing
slowly, but outbreaks were reported continuously every year
in India. This might be due to the effective use of AX spore
vaccine in the large and small ruminants. The observed
outbreaks curve revealed that many a times it has crossed
the upper bound curve and indicated the epidemic nature of
this disease in livestock over the period. Further, the
preventive vaccination against AX has to be taken seriously
in livestock, since AX outbreaks will continue to occur
beyond 2026 also as per the prediction curve. BQ periodic
analysis curve revealed a fast-decreasing trend in the
outbreak numbers from 100 outbreaks in 2001 to 12
outbreaks in 2016, and the outbreaks, i.e. baseline will touch
the zero point during 2026 based on the prediction analysis.
This might be due to the effective vaccination followed
against this disease in different parts of the country and the
current strategies should be continued for controlling the BQ
in livestock

Conclusion
Perhaps the single biggest advance in dairy health in the last
25 years has been the paradigm shift to focus on disease
prevention, rather than treatment. The key contributors to
progress in health management in the last generation include
using epidemiology to better study the determinants of
disease, integration of the disciplines of veterinary medicine
and animal science, and renewed focus on using science to
advance health and husbandry of dairy cattle. Major
advances have been made in the last 25 year in the
prevention of milk fever, contagious mastitis, and severe
coliform mastitis. During this time, average herd size and
milk production per cow have increased dramatically.
Despite these increased demands on cows’ metabolism and
humans’ management skills, the incidence of most common
and important diseases has remained stable. Great progress
has been made in understanding the biology of energy
metabolism and immune function dairy cows in transition,
the time at which the majority of disease occurs. This,
coupled with emerging understanding of how best to
provide for dairy cows’ behavioural needs, promises to be
the foundation for progress in maintenance and
enhancement of the health of dairy cows in the next 25 yr.

There is an ongoing challenge for prevention of many

diseases; although there is still much to learn, information
already exists to substantially reduce or prevent the disease
altogether the challenge is in effectively and consistently
implementing the required management practices. Ever-
better understanding of epidemiology and pathophysiology
will not in itself reduce the incidence of disease. The ability
to translate emerging knowledge into on-farm application
and actual prevention of problems requires understanding of
the farm as an integrated system, a major component of
which is educating and motivating humans to implement
well-designed practices. Understanding and accomplishing
this final major step in the disease prevention process is both
an advance and an ongoing challenge.
Over the past 6 decades, advances in disease control and
dairy productivity have required that professionals
repeatedly shift their focus to a broader perspective and
expand the array of methodologies used. Thus, we have
made the leap from the sick individual, to disease control
and eradication in groups, to the health and productivity of
cows on a dairy, to the health and productivity of a nation's
herd. The focus today rests mainly on the production system
until the milk truck leaves the farm. The next challenge will
be to broaden the perspective once again, this time to
encompass the entire food system, including issues of food
safety, product development, environmental issues,
consumer demands, food supply and security, and the role of
the dairy industry in society as a whole.
Livestock disease outbreaks become a burden to the animal
husbandry farmers and cause great economic loss in India.
Period regression analysis is used to find the periodic or
cyclic character of livestock disease outbreaks in animals, as
many other natural phenomena in environment is periodic or
cyclic in nature. In present study, livestock disease
outbreaks of anthrax (AX), black quarter (BQ),
enterotoxaemia (ET), haemorrahgic septicemia (HS),
bluetongue (BT), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), peste des
petits ruminants (PPR), sheep and goat pox (SGP),
babesiosis (BA), fasciolosis (FA), theileriosis (TH) and
trypanosomosis (TR) were analysed using periodic
regression to know the trend and future prediction of
outbreaks. Time series data on disease outbreaks, month and
year was collected from National Animal Disease Referral
Expert System database for 2001–2016. The regression
curves were prepared with baseline, observed outbreaks and
upper bound curves for 12 livestock diseases. The analysis
revealed decreasing trend for AX, BQ, ET, HS, FMD, PPR,
SGP and a cyclical trend of peak occurrence for every 4–5
years was observed in BQ, PPR, SGP, FA and TR. However,
TR showed increasing trend and BT, BA, FA, TH outbreaks
were maintained at the same trend in the past and future
also. Further, BQ in 2026, ET in 2020, HS in 2022, FMD in
2023, outbreak numbers may touch the zero point, if the
preventive measures are continued for these diseases
effectively. Thus, continuous and constant efforts are needed
for prevention of livestock diseases outbreaks from all
stakeholders, which will improve the economy of farmers in
India.
 Reference: - KRISHNAMOORTHY ET AL.

Future Aspects
Predicting the exact future aspects of cattle diseases in India
is challenging. However, continued vigilance, research, and
implementation of preventive measures, such as vaccination
programs and improved biosecurity practices, can help
mitigate the impact of major cattle diseases. Monitoring
climate changes and their potential influence on disease
patterns, as well as promoting sustainable farming practices,
could also play a crucial role in shaping the future landscape
of cattle diseases in India.
every 4–5 years. This may be due to the time required for
the pathogen to establish the disease in the desired host and
to become an epidemic of severe nature. The results from
the present study concurred with the previous report
(Krishnamoorthy et al. 2016) which indicated the
importance of AX vaccination in the two zones identified in
Tamil Nadu based on the epidemiological analysis. The
trend pattern and future prediction of ET and HS are given
in Fig. 2. The ET outbreaks were reduced and showed
decreasing trend from 200 outbreaks during 2008 to 10
outbreaks in 2017. Based on prediction analysis, ET
outbreaks would touch the zero point during 2020, if the
current management strategies like vaccination against ET
was continued to have the desired results. HS outbreaks also
showed the decreasing trend in the number of outbreaks that
occurred recently when compared to past outbreaks during
2001. This might be due to availability of HS vaccine,
continuous and regular vaccination in livestock under field
conditions. Prediction analysis indicated that the HS
outbreaks baseline will touch zero on 2022 and the HS
vaccination, preventive measures should be followed
effectively to control the disease in India.
Viral diseases: The periodic regression curves for BT and
FMD are depicted in Fig. 3. The BT outbreaks maintained
same trend continuously as in the past, but FMD showed
decreasing trend showing that the baseline of outbreaks will
become zero by 2003. This may be due to the preventive
measures like vaccination of adult animals for two times
annually under FMD control programme (FMD-CP).
However, this is only prediction and may be true if the
efforts are continued at the same level in future also. The
trend and prediction curve for PPR and SGP are given in Fig
4. The PPR and SGP showed the decreasing trend in the
outbreak numbers during the period under report and may be
due to the PPR control programme and vaccination against
SGP under field conditions. The findings from the present
study concurred with previous report of FMD and PPR
(Krishnamoorthy et al. 2016). The PPR and SGP outbreaks
showed cyclical pattern of peak occurrence for every 4–5
years duration. This might be due to the circulation of virus
in the animals and time required for the virus to become
virulent and infectious, causing epidemics in India.
However, these two diseases will continue to occur beyond
2026 also, which indicate the necessity of increasing the
efforts to prevent these diseases in future. There was no
available literature to compare the findings from this study
since no work on periodic regression analysis of livestock
disease outbreaks was carried out.
Parasitic diseases: The periodic regression curves of BA
and FA are depicted in Fig. 5 and revealed the same pattern
of outbreaks continuously. The outbreak numbers appear to
be increased during the year 2013 to 2015 which may be due
to the reporting of these diseases in National Animal Disease
Reporting System (NADRS), a software to enter the
diseases details online and also the availability of diagnostic
facility in different diagnostic laboratories of State Animal
Husbandry Departments. These diseases will continue at the
same level due to no effective preventive measures adopted
like vaccination, control of vectors, etc. The details of the
trend and prediction of TH and TR are given in Fig 6. The
TH revealed same pattern continuously but TY was slightly
increased over the period of time. The TR outbreaks
reported were more during 2013–2015 period when
compared to the past year outbreaks. It might be due to the
availability of diagnostic facilities and also non availability
of preventive vaccines for these disease and vector control
measures. To reduce the parasitic diseases occurrence,
necessary preventive measures need to be undertaken in the
animals under the field conditions by the Veterinarians like
reducing the contact between the vectors and host, proper
treatment strategies, and regular screening of animals for
haemoprotozoan parasitic diseases.
The major constraints in the control of livestock diseases in
the developing country like India are poor vaccination
coverage, lack of financial support and insufficient
infrastructure, which interferes with the building of herd
immunity (Swaminathan et al. 2016). However, the
livestock disease outbreaks showed decreasing trend over
the years and it indicated that the efforts undertaken by
various vaccination programmes are bearing fruits in India.
Improved monitoring and/or surveillance, rapid and
confirmatory diagnosis, and networking of diseases are
required to go forward in the path of diseases eradication.
Vaccination is the main strategy for control and eradication
of many livestock diseases in India. Good management
practices like stringent biosecurity measures, strict sanitation
and hygiene practices in the farm, isolation and quarantine
of diseased animals, and trade restrictions are necessary for
successful operation of control programmes (Swaminathan
et al. 2016). The spatio-temporal epidemiological analysis of
past data on livestock disease outbreaks in Tamil Nadu
identified the two zones and time period to undertake
preventive measures as reported (Krishnamoorthy, et al.
2016). Further, continuous epidemiological analysis of
livestock disease outbreaks needs to be undertaken for
shorter period of time to modify the required strategies in
preventing the livestock disease outbreaks in India. Thus,
the periodic regression analysis of bacterial, viral and
parasitic diseases will help in knowing the trends, prediction
of future outbreaks and assist in planning the preventive
measures, allocation of scarce resources effectively. The
BQ, HS and FMD, the major diseases of livestock will reach
zero point, if the constant and continued efforts are
undertaken for these diseases. The livestock diseases which
need to be taken on priority for prevention were known by
this analysis and helps the policy maker for making
informed decisions. This is the first report of periodic
regression analysis of livestock disease outbreaks in India to
the best of our knowledge.