Population Medicine and Control of Epidemics
Hafid Benchaoui
Contents
1 Introduction ............................................................................... 114
2 Helminth Control ......................................................................... 114
2.1 Helminth Parasites of Ruminants ................................................... 114
2.2 Helminth Parasites of Dogs and Cats ............................................... 116
2.3 Anthelmintic Agents ................................................................ 122
2.4 Anthelmintic Resistance ............................................................ 122
3 Mastitis Control in Dairy Cows ........................................................... 124
4 Control of Respiratory Disease in Cattle and Swine ...................................... 127
5 Conclusion ................................................................................ 132
References .................................................................................... 133
AbstractPopulation medicine is an important component of veterinary care in
livestock (farm animals) and companion animals (pets). This chapter covers some
of the chemotherapeutic approaches undertaken at population level to control
infectious diseases in domestic animals. Optimisation of health, productivity and
welfare in livestock commonly entails implementation of whole-herd or whole-
flock strategies to effectively counter the negative impact of infectious diseases.
Gastro-intestinal and liver parasites of grazing cattle and sheep are endemic in most
parts of the world and can result in significant production losses. Strategically timed
anthelmintic treatments are instituted with the double objective of reducing worm
burdens in infected animals and ensuring reduction of pasture contamination with
infective larvae. Mastitis is another major endemic problem, particularly in cattle,
which causes significant economic losses to dairy farmers globally. As a painful
inflammatory condition of the cow’s udder, clinical mastitis also raises animal
welfare concerns. Prevention of clinical mastitis requires rigorous post-milking
hygiene, identification and culling of chronically infected cows, attention to the
H. Benchaoui
Novartis Animal Health Inc., Schwarzwaldallee 215, WRO-1032.2.44, CH-4002, Basel, Switzerland
e-mail: [email protected]
F. Cunningham et al. (eds.),Comparative and Veterinary Pharmacology,
Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology 199,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-10324-7_5,#Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010
113