A note about antibiotics and different illnesses

greybeard

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I have seen posted here (and other livestock boards) about the uses of antibiotics on viral illnesses in livestock. This is NOT a post about the general yes/no-good/bad use or overuse of antibiotics or the use of vaccines--please don't go there, but it is important to understand the difference between the two and & when an antibiotic is effective and when it is not. Antibiotics are not inexpensive and many require a vet's prescription, which also means a vet visit and the cost associated with that. None of us like to waste $$.
Antibiotics are not effective on viruses.
Viruses and bacterial infections are completely different, because the 2 culprits are completely different, and this is true for livestock and humans. I include humans simply because it is easier for us to relate commonly known illness when comparing viral infections to bacterial infections. The common cold is a viral infection--influenza, ebola,and Aids are all viral infections. Pneumonia can be either bacterial or viral, as can meningitis. Most common diarrhea is a bacterial infection, as are staphylococcus (staph) infections. For the bacterial infections, antibiotics are generally effective. There are a few true antivirals for humans (Tamiflu) and the cocktails for HIV, but comparatively few antivirals have been developed and approved.
Why antibiotics don't work against viruses:
Viruses—which cause their own panoply of diseases from the common cold and the flu to AIDS and Ebola in humans as well as a host of illnesses in livestock—are profoundly different from bacteria, and so they don’t present the same targets for a drug to hit. Penicillin interferes with the growth of bacterial cell walls, for example, but viruses don’t have cell walls, because they aren't even cells—they’re just genes packed into “shells” made of protein. Other antibiotics, such as streptomycin, attack bacterial ribosomes, the protein-making factories inside the pathogens. A virus doesn't have ribosomes; it hijacks the ribosomes inside its host cell to make the proteins it needs.
http://www.wired.com/2012/03/ff_antivirals/all/

Now, the difference being identified and stated we will move away from humans.

The things living creatures do to fight virus is to build antibodies either thru vaccines, and/or the animal's ability to build it's own antigens. Vaccines build immunity to the virus by the animal tweaking it's own antibodies fighting it as soon as it is recognized by the body's immune system, but the natural immune process takes place without vaccines as well.

When the animals come under attack from a viral infection they launch a sophisticated defense known as 'the immune response'. The immune system is designed to recognize the cells that make up each healthy body and repel any foreign invaders such as viruses.

They do this by using a huge army of defender cells which consist of different types of white blood cell. Up to a billion of them every day in bone marrow.
White blood cells called macrophages destroy germs as soon as they detect them. However, if a viral infection begins to take hold, the immune system begins to fight back using a more powerful defense of white cells called T and B lymphocytes.

Antibodies are a special protein made by B cells. They bind to a virus to stop it from replicating, and also tag viruses so that other blood cells know to destroy them.
T cells have different roles to play. Some act as guard dogs that raise the alarm when they detect invading viruses; others kill virus-infected cells directly, or help B cells to produce antibodies.

Once the virus has been cleared, a small number of these specialist B and T cells persist and retain an accurate memory of the destroyed virus.

This means the immune systems are primed to prevent another infection from the same virus, without attacking the body's own cells by accident. This is known as 'acquired immunity'. Sometimes a single infection early in the life cycle will give a lifelong resistance.


This is also how vaccines work--a relatively minor viral infection is intentionally caused and the animal's body does the rest.
(please don't get into the "To vaccinate or not vaccinate" discussion here--not the purpose of this thread)

But, DON'T stop using the antibiotics--in fact, when an animal is diagnosed with a viral infection, antibiotics are often prescribed by a vet (and by doctors for humans with viral infections) but not for the reason one might think. It's not to fight the virus. The immune system and the animal itself is already weakened trying to fight the virus, which means any other pathogen that comes in (or is already present) can easily get out of control. Vets often recommend using an antibiotic to fight or prevent a secondary problem. There's nothing worse than an animal with a viral infection on it's way to developing it's defenses, then you walk out one morning to find it's squirting everything it takes in half way across the pen--a bacterial diarrhea has been added to the animal's viral woes.
Know what you are fighting, know the proper response, follow all directions on the package and seek advice from a vet if it's nothing more than a phone call. Give a viral infection some time to be beat into submission by the animal's natural defenses but don't wait too long before calling the professional. If you have a fatality, have a necropsy/autopsy done so next time you will better be able to recognize and treat. (they are not that expensive) This can also limit your loss to just one animal instead of an entire herd.

[I am one of those people that absolutely hates to see misleading or erroneous information posted and left intact, so if you have anything to add to this or find something wrong, please don't hesitate to pm me or post it in reply or correct me. I promise I will not be upset in the least.]
 
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Southern by choice

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Greybeard this would be a great article. Please consider posting it under "articles". You have posted this in the cattle section but this is great info for all livestock owners.

:thumbsup
 

Bossroo

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GREAT post greybeard ! :thumbsup I hope that it helps those new to all types of livestock or to their own kids to understand that what the don't vaccinate and / or anti- biotic crowd types' mantras are preaching the WRONG messages. Also , if one checks with every health agency and organisation in the US as well as Europe have said that the GMO products are completely SAFE . :ya
 

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