Let's talk about Mycoplasma

[MoGal]

Texan: found you some info, this is what he does in Australia: Erythromycin

actually the whole article is great, but we don't have injectable vit c in the US

http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/press/cattle11.htm

Pneumonia

Signs of pneumonia are labored and rapid breathing. If the ear is laid to the chest, it sounds rather like an express train in a tunnel. A high temperature, misery and occasionally coughing will also be noticed. Ordinary pneumonia can occur in any animal that is below par and subject to temperature stress allied to, in nearly all cases, poor nutrition in which the calcium and possibly magnesium are too low. Bad housing with too little air is also a frequent cause of pneumonia in young animals, it is not a good idea to keep calves confined. If they have to be kept in sheds, they should be airy, but not drafty.

This kind of pneumonia is generally bacterial and will respond to good nursing, massive doses of vitamin C and vitamins A and E especially. Twenty grams of vitamin C by intramuscular injection every two hours, with 10 cc of vitamin B12 daily (given with one of the vitamin C injections) and vitamins A, D and E either orally or by injectionshould help. Some firms market injectable vitamin E. White E is a powder that can be used orally in food (the dosage is on the container). Vitamin E is invaluable for the convalescing pneumonia patient because it helps heal lung damage. The extent of lung damge can be gauged by checking the breathing rate and the vitamin E may be given for a week or two until the breathing rate improves.

Pleuro pneumonia

The dreaded "Pleuro" (mycoplasma pneumonia) is another problem altogether. Although it can affect all species, in most people’s minds it is the dread disease that decimated the cattle numbers in the early days in Australia (respiratory problems are always worst where calcium and magnesium are low). It is highly contagious and for this reason, any case of pneumonia should be checked out by a vet.

Mycoplasma pneumonia has had a habit of recurring once the animal has contracted it and it seemed impossible to effect a permanent cure. However, that was before some of the drugs we have today were obtainable. Erythromycin, in particular, is highly effective against mycoplasma infections. The treatment, as above, for ordinary pneumonia should be given at the same time as any drugs are given. Needless to say, any animal with pneumonia should be segregated from the healthy ones immediately, pending the arrival of the vet.

[Texan]

Thanks for checking into it and posting that, MoGal.


For any of the rest of you who might be interested, here's some of the better links I've found discussing Myco:


http://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/2004/fall/mycoplasma.htm

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/400/400-304/400-304.html

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Cattle-Health--Mycoplasma---Signs--Treatment---Prevention/2009-06-26/Article.aspx?oid=489883

[MoGal]

Texan, if you google "niacinamide and micoplasma" there are a bunch of studies done.

Niacinamide (vitamin B3) kills micoplasma.

[VB RANCH]

Do you think myco plasma can live in the ground, or do you think it lives in your herd waiting for its chance to get out, which ever, it sure sucks

[Texan]

[Texan]

[VB RANCH]

a few years ago i sold calves on suprior, the guy that bought them wanted them vac. for mycoplasma, so we did, allways thought it was a southern bug, not any more, dont vac. for it any more, every year when we wean we have a few cases of it, calves are out of cows that were calves when we vac. that bunch for the suprior sale, that bug is sure the sheets, end up watching some of those calves rot to death

[Kato]

How well does the vaccine work? We can't get it in Canada, but if we could, we'd sure give it a try. It seems this is showing up more and more all the time. I don't know if cow calf guys are trying to save money and not keeping their herd health up, or what's going on. I suspect there are a lot of calves around her coming from unvaccinated cows, and homes with less than acceptable nutrition. We get a few in every batch of feeders now, and it's getting to be a real pain.

We treat with Draxxin, but it's so frustrating, because it's so slow. Sometimes heamophilus can produce the same kind of symptoms too, but whichever they have, the Draxxin is the best bet.

[highlonesome]

[VB RANCH]

Don't know if the vaccine works, what i do know is we been weaning our calves for better than twenty years, and didnt have a problem with mycoplasma until we used the vaccine, on 2nd thought i guess it does work