Control of Ringworm in Cattle

Effective disinfection of the environment and vaccination will control ringworm outbreaks amongst calves.

As the environment is the major source of infection. Effective control of ringworm will only occur if the environment is properly cleaned and disinfected. This must be done between each batch of calves

Vaccination against ringworm

A vaccine was developed to be used in Norway as part of a government supported policy to reduce ringworm in the cattle population and hence the incidence of ringworm in the human population. Demographics indicate this was a highly successful policy. The vaccine has and still is extensively used in Sweden by the leather industry to reduce the ringworm damage to hides and hence improve the quality of leather produced by the Swedish industry. This has also been extremely successful with cattle hides fetching a high price in Sweden and allowing the leather industry to consistently produce grade 1, high-value, quality leather hides.

Live ringworm vaccines are more effective and in most animals there is a long lasting duration of immunity after receiving only the primary vaccination course.

Indications for vaccination

• Prevention of ringworm in cattle.
• Rapid resolution of the condition in animals already showing clinical signs of ringworm.
• As ringworm is a zoonosis, in situations where there is close human animal contact, vaccination is vital.