Oorsig/Review
Figure 01: Testing for EBL
parlour and died half an hour later from the
haemorrhage. I did confirm histopathologically
and in the first case (10 years ago) we bled about
50 cows and they were all positive, so culling was
not an option. They are two of the top herds in
the district and don't have any obvious problems
other than these odd acute deaths. I have not
surveyed beef cattle in the area, but touch wood
all bulls bled at fertility testing so far have been
negative. We had 3 flocks with fairly severe
Jaagsiekte in the Hogsback and Dordrecht areas
for many years, but I have also not seen a case
or p/m for the past 3 years - not reported or
disappeared?
AL - 29 Jun 2005
Any ideas why a herd with a known high incidence
of EBL seropositive cows, suddenly have 4 cows
die in the space of two weeks a.r.o. CLINICAL
EBL? That is to say, large intra-abdominal /
intrathoracic tumours confirmed on histopath.
I have in the past approx. 12 years only seen 3
cases of clinical EBL. My understanding was that
the incidence of lymphocytosis and / or clinical
cases in seropositive animals was very low.???
GK - 30 Jun 2005
The few, 6 that I can think off, (Clinical EBL) cows
that I have seen have all been on post mortem,
within a week of calving. They had died from
heart failure with massive tumours throughout
the heart, lymph nodes, omentum. But you are
correct in saying that very few seropositive cows/
herds show clinical cases. Bearing in mind that
a lot of cows are sick and die out there with no
veterinary involvement, there may just be more
cases we never see.
TC - 26 Jun 2009
KZN seems to have >65% dairy herds infected.
Some districts are much higher than that. Dr
Mohammed Moola investigated this at Allerton
20
in the '90s. Herds themselves can have > 70%
seropositive. Incidences (not incidents) of clinical
cases in the highly infected herds seem to go up
and down. We are also doing the ostrich act;
and have enormous respect for colleagues using
new gloves, needles, etc. (for each animal) Our
opinion, and I speak for a huge number of KZN
colleagues who prefer not to expose themselves
on this medium, is that so long as there are biting
insects around one is hiccupping against thunder
... but is this "best practice"?! If my memory serves
me correctly, and perhaps Hans can comment, in
the USA eradication has been largely forsaken.
EdP - 29 Jun 2009
I have recently started testing in a herd that I am
involved with and found the same. Had a case
where a cow died acutely after calving and on
post mortem found that the heart muscle was
severely affected.
ML - 16 Sep 2013
I clearly remember being told that there was no
BVD or Bovine Leucosis in South Africa by the
local state vet years ago. Only to see the explosion
that occurred within ten years of that statement.
We live in a changing global village where these
things are going to become all the more common.
DM - 16 Sep 2013
A farmer sent me photographs, by BBM, of
several sheep that died in the Southern Cape and
the lesions look very typical for sheep leucosis.
To get these off BBM and onto Ruralvet is beyond
my Monday morning capabilities esp. while I’m
in a hurry to get to the farm! I recall one specific
farm on which we actually diagnosed the disease
in sheep many years ago – against/on the foot of
the Langeberg Mountain range. My “gut feeling”
is that we are/might be missing more than we are
actually seeing…