Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis in Al-silate Area

Abstract

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis was prevalent in Al-Silate area, Khartoum State. The disease was encountered in farms kept under poor hygienic and management conditions. The disease was encountered in 30 animals of different age groups but was most prevalent among calves. Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis was characterized by copious watery lacrimation, closure of the eyelids, photophobia and blepharospasm. Some animals showed hyperemia and edema of the conjunctiva. Others showed mucopurulent ocular discharge, in addition to white or yellow opacity of the cornea, scleritis, keratitis and corneal ulceration. Thirty isolates of virulent hemolytic and fimbiriated Moraxella bovis were obtained in pure culture on bovine blood enriched agar. The isolates were non-motile, catalase and oxidase positive and hydrolysed Tween agar. Drug sensitivity showed that all 30 isolates of Moraxella bovis were highly sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, moderately sensitive to Chloramphenicol and weakly sensitive to Tetracycline. However, all isolates showed variation in sensitivity from high to moderate for the remaining drugs, but the majority of Moraxella bovis isolates (19) were weakly sensitive to Co-Trimoxazole.