Thousands of lambs and calves have died in South Africa and Botswana in recent years due to a virulent, fast-spreading Cryptosporidium and Escherichia coli disease complex. Veterinarian Dr Liezel Wasserman, who has been investigating the problem, spoke to Sabrina Dean.
Free State-based veterinarian Dr Liezel Wasserman is considered by many to be one of the foremost experts in managing diarrhoea in lambs and calves.
She started building up her expertise on the subject following the appearance of a distinctive yellowish diarrhoea that was causing fatalities in beef cattle calves in the area in which she was practising near Clocolan in the eastern Free State.
The first incidences occurred at the end of 2013, and the following year, Wasserman started receiving similar reports about lambs.
She has since identified the cause as a Cryptosporidium and Escherichia coli disease complex that has spread to various parts of South Africa, and even as far as Botswana.
“To date, my observations have suggested that more than 18 000 lambs and over 7 000 calves have died from this,” she says.
During her quest to identify the disease and determine its origin, she has studied in detail how best to deal with various types of diarrhoea encountered in lambs and calves.
She addressed the topic during her presentation to sheep farmers attending the provincial congress of the National Wool Growers’ Association held in Brandfort in the Free State earlier this year.
THE SPREAD OF E. COLI
According to Wasserman, there are nearly 900 types of E. coli bacteria in existence.
“Within an hour of birth, every newborn, whether it be a lamb, calf or baby human, will have up to 100 different bacterial colonies living inside its intestinal canal.”
E. coli are able to spread remarkably quickly and, in addition, can build up resistance to antibiotics within days.
This story is from the Farmer's Weekly 17 May 2019 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Farmer's Weekly 17 May 2019 edition of Farmer's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
