Cattle Thelaziasis

Thelaziasis is an eye disease caused by worms, can attack livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, buffalo, rabbits and other animals. The worms live in the membrane or bag niktitan conjunctiva or lacrimal duct.

Cause thelaziasis is Thelazia with worms of the genus species are manifold, in Indonesia, the species is often caused thelazia Thelazia rhodesii and Thelazia gulosa. Female worms measuring about 2 cm long and about 1 cm male worms.
Clinical symptoms appear in infected animals Thelazia are:

• Animal people seem uneasy because there is no pain or irritation to the eyes.
• Consequently decreased appetite animals become emaciated and appear weak.
• The presence of excessive eye out on animals or people called lacrimation.
• Area conjunctival eye on the affected animals thelazia, experience redness.
• At an advanced stage keratitis can occur (see figure on Bali cattle were attacked thelazia), ulceration of the cornea and eventually blindness.

Anatomical pathological changes in cattle infected thelaziasis, nothing except the typical worm under a membrane niktitan eye or lacrimal duct or in the conjunctiva bag, depending on the species of worm.
The life cycle of worms eye / thelaziasi originated from larval stage (mikrofilararia) found in cow tears. The larvae are then inhaled by the vectors (flies Musca sp), the body of the fly larvae thelazia vectors have evolved into the second larval stage and third stage (infective larvae). Infective larvae in the body fly Musca sp is then transferred and transmitted to a cow or other animal, to further develop into the fourth and fifth stage larvae (adults). The next adult female worm produces first-stage larvae or commonly called microfilariae.
To diagnose the disease in cattle Thelazia done by looking at clinical symptoms arise that is the worm in the eye. Diagnosis can be confirmed by laboratory tests to identify the worms eye.

The disease is almost similar to the worms eye is pink eye caused by Moraxella. Difference if the infection in the eyes of animals moraxella not find any worms. That seems just a pink eye disease, similar to pink eye caused Thelazia.
Treatment of eye worm Thelazia do traditionally, by using tobacco water by feeding and cow's eye sufferers. While chemically by using modern medicines, Thelazia can also be treated with iodine solution with levels of 0.3% or with levamisole anthelmintic example. For patients with bacterial infections (eg pink eye) can be treated with ointments containing antibiotics.

Animal diseases can be prevented by breaking the chain or life cycle of the parasite, namely to eradicate and eliminate the vector fly Musca sp. By controlling the fly Musca then stage 2 and 3 larvae Thelazia not be formed, so that the worm's life cycle cut eye.