Nebraska ag experts say early detection for livestock parasites, illnesses will be important during summer show season

County fairs and livestock shows are ramping up this summer as several cattle illness threats are starting to emerge in Nebraska and other states. Livestock experts aren’t raising alarm about increased spread, but they are encouraging livestock owners to pay more attention this year to biosecurity efforts and the movement of their animals.

Two threats have emerged over the last several months: the rise in a tick-born disease called Theileria and the return of a flesh-eating parasite called the New World Screwworm.

At least 10 feedlots and three breeding herds have reported cases of imported cattle having Theileria. The disease is caused by the Asian longhorn tick, most commonly found on the East Coast. The tick itself hasn’t been found in Nebraska, but the disease can be spread further by reusing needles with an infected animal or through other blood-sucking organisms such as lice. The symptoms include anemia, jaundice, loss of appetite, exercise intolerance and weakness. In some cases, the disease can be fatal.

Cattle owners have been closely watching the spread of the New World Screwworm. It wreaked havoc on U.S. herds decades ago, but it was eradicated from the country in the 1960s. Cases started appearing in Texas in early June, and cattle owners in neighboring states have assumed that the parasite will eventually spread north. The screwworms lay eggs in the flesh of live animals, which can cause infections, disease and death if left untreated.

Nebraska Extension said early detection of the parasite is “critical for successful control efforts.” Possible early signs of New World Screwworm infections include non-healing wounds, depression or restlessness, foul-smelling lesions, presence of maggots in living tissue and animals showing pain or discomfort. They could show this behavior through shaking their heads or showing pain or irritation around wounds.

Several county fairs and shows have already started this summer. The Nebraska State Fair will kick off at the end of August in Grand Island. But several other large-scale shows, including the Burwell Rodeo that brings together animals from outside Nebraska, will culminate over the next few weeks.

Vaughn Sievers, the agriculture director for the Nebraska State Fair, said fair officials work closely with an official State Fair veterinarian to evaluate the health of animals before they are allowed onto fairgrounds.

“To date, the fair has not experienced a disease outbreak,” Sievers said. “However, we coordinate closely with our security and veterinary teams to maintain response plans and designated quarantine areas in the event one were to occur.”

Officials with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture said livestock owners should start biosecurity measures even before they set out to travel to shows. The state agency is recommending livestock owners ensure all their equipment is clean and disinfected, and they should monitor their animal’s health leading up to traveling for shows.

While livestock are at fairs, the department said exhibitors shouldn’t share tools with others, and when using a community hose, they should not allow their animals to drink directly from the hose or dip the community hose in their bucket.

After the shows or fairs are over and animals are heading back to farms, livestock owners should isolate all the show animals for at least two to three weeks, just in case illnesses develop several days after returning home. Experts recommend keeping animals away from nose-to-nose contact, if they’re able.

The Nebraska State Fair has a protocol for handling biosecurity measures and subsequent contingency plans.

Nebraska Extension has provided checklists for ag producers who are taking their animals outside state lines. Lindsay Waechter-Mead, a beef educator with Nebraska Extension, recommended certain regulations with traveling cattle that can take multiple days to complete. Even domestic pets, such as cats and dogs, also require a Certified Veterinary Inspection to cross state lines.