{"id":56007,"date":"2026-04-14T04:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T04:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=56007"},"modified":"2026-04-14T04:11:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T04:11:00","slug":"controlling-ringworm-in-cattle-causes-spread-signs-and-treatment-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/04\/14\/controlling-ringworm-in-cattle-causes-spread-signs-and-treatment-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Causes, Spread, Signs and Treatment Options \u2013 Eduzim News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"post_data\">\n<p>Controlling Ringworm in Cattle: Causes, Spread, Signs and Treatment Options<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>By Dr. Trywell Muzerengi \u2013<br \/>Ringworm in cattle, medically called dermatophytosis, is a highly contagious fungal skin infection that affects the outer layers of the skin and hair. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with worms. The disease is most commonly seen in young calves and tends to spread quickly during cold months when animals are kept in crowded sheds with poor ventilation.<br \/> Cause<br \/>The main fungus responsible is Trichophyton verrucosum, which is specially adapted to infect cattle.<br \/> How It Spreads<br \/>The infection is easily transmitted through:<br \/>Direct contact between infected and healthy animals<br \/>Sharing of equipment such as ropes, brushes, and halters<br \/>Contaminated surfaces in barns and holding areas<br \/>Fungal spores that can survive in the environment for long periods<br \/>Poor housing conditions, especially overcrowding and limited airflow<br \/> Signs to Look Out For<br \/>Farmers should be alert to the following symptoms:<br \/>Circular grey or whitish crusty patches on the skin<br \/>Patchy hair loss, especially on the head, neck, ears, shoulders, and back<br \/>Dry, scaly or slightly raised skin lesions<br \/>Mild itching in some cases<br \/>More severe outbreaks in young or weakened animals<br \/> Risk to Humans<br \/>Ringworm is a zoonotic infection, meaning it can pass from animals to humans. Farm workers and children are particularly vulnerable. In people, it causes red, ring-shaped, itchy skin rashes, making hygiene very important on affected farms.<br \/> Diagnosis<br \/>The condition is usually identified based on clinical signs, but it can be confirmed through:<br \/>Microscopic examination of skin scrapings (KOH test)<br \/>Fungal culture tests<br \/>Wood\u2019s lamp examination (though not always reliable for this fungus)<br \/> Treatment and Control<br \/>Although the disease may clear on its own over time, treatment helps reduce spread and speeds up recovery.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Topical Treatment<br \/>Common options include:<br \/>Lime sulfur dips (1:16 dilution)<br \/>Enilconazole sprays (1:100 dilution)<br \/>Iodine-based solutions, miconazole, or chlorhexidine washes<br \/>These are usually applied twice a week until lesions heal.<br \/>\u201cCrusts should be removed carefully with a brush, and contaminated materials must be properly disposed of to prevent reinfection.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Systemic Treatment<br \/>In severe outbreaks, veterinary-prescribed medicines may be used, although some drugs like griseofulvin are restricted in food animals in certain regions. Treatment must always follow veterinary guidance.<\/li>\n<li>Prevention and Farm Hygiene<br \/>Control depends heavily on good management practices:<br \/>Regular cleaning and disinfection of barns and equipment<br \/>Avoiding overcrowding of animals<br \/>Improving ventilation in housing areas<br \/>Proper disposal or disinfection of contaminated materials<br \/>Routine inspection of young stock<br \/> Recovery<br \/>Most animals recover within a few weeks, although visible healing may take time. After infection, cattle usually develop natural immunity, reducing the chance of reinfection.<br \/> Conclusion<br \/>Ringworm in cattle is not usually dangerous, but it spreads easily and can cause economic losses through poor hide quality and treatment costs. Early detection, hygiene, and proper housing remain the best methods of control.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\">\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\">\n<\/figure>\n<p>[email\u00a0protected]<\/p>\n<p>Instagram: lasmuzagro1<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\">\n<\/figure>\n<p>\t\t\t<span id=\"wordads-inline-marker\" style=\"display: none;\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><!-- #comments --><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Spread #Signs #Treatment #Options #ZimEye<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Controlling Ringworm in Cattle: Causes, Spread, Signs and Treatment Options By Dr. Trywell Muzerengi \u2013Ringworm in cattle, medically called dermatophytosis,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,11],"tags":[6694,202,3985,1584,10443,2520],"class_list":["post-56007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi","category-world","tag-eduzim","tag-news","tag-options","tag-signs","tag-spread","tag-treatment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56007"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56009,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56007\/revisions\/56009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}