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tape worms provided one per cent by weight of tobacco dust is added. The
tobacco dust should be steeped overnight in a little cold copper sulphate
solution and then added to the rest of the solution. It is not necessary to
follow up with a purgative. Another method of treatment is to give two doses
of kamala (1 to 1½ drachms) in about 4 ounces of castor oil the same day.
Freshly ground arecanut (two drachms) may be given in milk twice daily for a
week and be followed by a purgative, e.g. magnesium sulphate (6 ounces)
dissolved in water.
(v) Eye-worm infestation.—This infestation is caused by a thread-like
round worm about ½ to 1 inch long, called Thelazia rhodesi. This is usually
found in the conjunctival sac but it may invade the anterior chamber of the
eye, when the condition becomes much more serious. A large number of
calves may suffer from this eye trouble on a farm. When the worms are few
the symptoms may be so slight that the condition may remain undetected.
In some cases, however, conjunctivitis, lachrymation, and fear of light may
be present. When the worms are present in large numbers these symptoms
are more intensified and ulceration and opacity of the cornea may result
rendering the animal blind. The condition can be diagnosed by the symptoms
described above and by the detection of the parasite in the affected eye.
Treatment consists in the removal of the worms by means of soft camel-
hair brush or a fine pair of forceps, using a local anaesthetic if necessary, and
then treating the inflammatory condition of the eye by means of antiseptic
eye lotions, e.g. silver nitrate (1 to 2 grains) in an ounce of distilled water.
B. Other parasitic diseases
(i) Coccidiosis.—It is essentially an enzootic disease caused by a double-
contoured oval parasite called Eimeria zurni (Plate XIII, fig. 1) inhabiting the
intestine and setting up severe inflammation of the intestine. The disease is
more common during the wet season in low-lying and marshy areas. The
infection takes place by means of ingestion of contaminated food and water.
The disease appears in an acute form in calves, but older animals show
more resistance which is liable to be broken down by devitalising diseases,
especially those which involve the digestive tract, e.g. rinderpest. The
affected animal stands with arched back and head held forward and shows loss
of appetite and severe watery diarrhœa accompanied by the passage of blood
and mucus, and the rectum may prolapse on account of too much straining.
Anaemia and emaciation may be present and there may also be febrile
symptoms and the animal may succumb. The older affected animals, though
they may not show any symptoms of the disease, contaminate the pastures
and byres and thus spread the infection to young susceptible animals. On
post-mortem examination the intestinal mucous membrane, particularly of the
large intestine, appears congested, inflamed, thickened and covered with
flakes of clotted blood. In severe cases the epithelium of the intestinal
mucous membrane may be denuded in certain places giving it a roughened
appearance. The mesenteric glands may be congested and enlarged. The
diagnosis of this condition can be readily made by the detection of the
coccidium in the faeces with the aid of a low-power microscope.
E 2