Scientists are working to prevent a common health issue in cows. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Cattle pinkeye is a very contagious eye infection that causes redness, itchiness, pain, and discomfort in the eyes of affected animals. Severe cases can result in blindness and impair weight gain in calves, and thus are a concern for animal well-being and have negative economic impacts on the beef industry.
Now, USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) scientists have revealed that there are two different variants, or genotypes of Moraxella bovis (M. bovis), a bacterium known to cause pinkeye in cattle. They identified DNA differences between the genotypes. In addition, they found substances that can potentially be used as targets to control the disease. This finding helps scientists understand how different types of M. bovis cause infection in livestock and can help develop preventative measures to protect U.S. cattle against this disease.
Pink eye is the most frequently reported disease in beef breeding cows and second in calves.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land of Ours program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour and The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.