Eye infectious diseases in european bison in Azerbaijan

УДК 619:616.995.132
DOI 10.33861/2071-8020-2024-5-3-5

Aksenova P. V.

Summary. Eye diseases such as moraxellosis (infectious conjunctivitis) and thelaziosis were noted during the formation of the bison group in the Shahdag National Park. An outbreak of moraxellosis was noted three months after importation, at the end of August. The morbidity rate in animals was 83.3%. The disease was acute, and in some cases hyperacute. The following were noted: conjunctival edema, lacrimation, photophobia, blepharospasm, profuse serous-catarrhal and purulent discharge, infiltration and ulceration of the cornea, perforating ulcers, panophthalmitis. Outbreaks of thelaziosis did not occur so violently and covered a maximum of 34% of the herd. Clinical manifestations generally repeated those of moraxellosis, but developed much more slowly. Eye lesions were more often unilateral. The nematodes were identified as Thelazia rhodesi. Draxin was used to treat moraxellosis. Ivermec was applied to treat thelaziosis. These enzootic outbreaks prove the need for an epizootic survey of the area before making a decision on the reintroduction of animals. When moving non-immune bison to regions unfavorable for moraxellosis and thelaziosis, vaccination is recommended immediately upon quarantine, as well as frontal preventive treatment with ivermectin. It is necessary to drive bison as quickly as possible after the quarantine period to more remote mountain areas, where there are fewer flies that carry them and the risk of vector diseases is reduced.

Keywords: European bison, Bison bonasus, Azerbaijan, eye, thelaziosis, moraxellosis, infectious conjunctivitis, keratoconjunctivitis, keratitis, corneal ulcers, enzootic outbreak, vector diseases, vector flies.

Author affiliation: Aksenova Polina V., D. Sc. in Biology, chief scientific researcher of the Competence Center of the Don State Technical University; senior scientific researcher of the Teberda Nature Reserve; 1, Gagarin sq., Rostov-on-Don, 344000; phone: 8-900-2321110; e-mail: zoolist-krasnodar@ya.ru - responsible for correspondence with the editorial board.