Blue tongue disease

Written By The HealthMeth Team - Updated On Thursday, February 17, 2022 12:00 PM

Blue tongue disease

Blue tongue disease is caused by a virus transmitted by insects that infects ruminants, sheep and cows, and the percentage of cows infecting it is low compared to sheep. This disease spreads widely in the summer when blood-sucking mosquitoes and arthropods that transmit it through blood to sheep and cows are more common than by contact and touch. The incubation period is 6-8 days, during which some signs of infection appear, such as: a fever with severe congestion in the oral mucosa, and the occurrence of ulcers and bleeding in the mouth and lips, and when infected with it, it must be treated immediately for fear of causing the death of animals Infected with it.


There are some ruminants that are infected with this disease but are not affected by it, and this disease does not pose any danger or threat to human life even if the meat of these infected animals is consumed, and the origins of this disease go back to Africa and the tropics, but today it is spread all over The world, and causes a great loss to sheep and cattle breeders due to the death of large numbers of their livestock and animals, in addition to the strict restrictions imposed on them after its spread.


Symptoms of blue tongue disease

  • A high temperature of the affected animal.
  • The affected animal was lethargic and lazy, with loss of appetite.
  • Increased secretions from the nose, mucus and saliva from the mouth.
  • Oral mucositis and haemorrhagic patches that turn blue.
  • The animal suffers from severe diarrhea.
  • Swelling of the head and muscle pain in the affected animal.
  • Inflammation of the lungs and eyes.
  • Pregnant females have had a miscarriage.
  • Difficulty walking or walking the animal abnormally.
  • Dry scales are at the front of the animal's mouth.
  • In severe and advanced cases of the disease, the tongue appears blue.


Diagnose the disease

The disease is diagnosed and identified through the clinical signs that appear on the infected animal, as well as by taking blood and spleen samples, examining them in the laboratory, and searching for the virus in them. The disease can also be diagnosed through autopsies where congestion and bleeding are observed in the lung, heart and digestive system.


Treatment and prevention

There are no treatments for this disease, but it can be prevented and sheep and ruminants can be protected from being infected in the following ways:

  • Identify and dispose of infected animals, sheep and cows.
  • Use of appropriate insecticides to eliminate the disease vector.
  • The use of vaccines for this disease, which protect healthy and uninfected animals from infection with this disease.