HEAL ▶▶▶TH
Facial eczema: A cause for concern
Earlier this year there were two reports of clinical facial eczema outbreaks in the Australian region of Gippsland. Experts expect that the prevalence of facial eczema in New Zealand and Australia may increase in the future, with global warming providing suitable conditions for widespread outbreaks of the disease over longer periods.
BY RENÉ GROENEVELD H
ans van Wees, farmer from Maffra in Gippsland, Victoria, has seen the effects of the disease. “If you enjoy farming, the look of facial eczema is horrible,” he says.
Hans started farming in Gippsland in 2008. “It’s a seasonal dairy farm,” he explains. “We calve once a year.” He milks 880 crossbred cows on 200 hectares. Last year he produced 415,000 kilogrammes of milk solids with 840 cows. This year he aims to produce 435,000–440,000kg milk solids. He sup- plies the milk to Fonterra. Hans emigrated from the Netherlands to New Zealand in 1979. He first studied agricultural science at Massey Universi- ty in Auckland. After working as a share farmer for more than ten years, he moved to Australia. Hans worked at two other farms before he ended up on his farm near Maffra, about 30 kilometres from Sale in Central Gippsland. Outbreaks of facial eczema have been reported across Victo- ria in the past. But it has been seen mainly in east Gippsland. Facial eczema is caused by the toxin sporidesmin, which is produced by the spores of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum. The fungus grows in the dead litter at the base of pasture, and prefers warm moist conditions. When ingested by cattle, sporidesmin damages the liver and bile ducts. The damaged liver cannot rid the body of waste and a breakdown product of chlorophyll builds up in the blood, causing sensitivity to sunlight, which in turn causes inflammation of the skin.
Dairy farmer Hans van Wees: “I have seen it, and it is an animal nightmare to look at.”
14 ▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 7, No. 4, 2020
Zinc is protective Zinc is protective against facial eczema. Dairy Australia explains that zinc prevents cell damage by forming an inactive complex with sporidesmin. It also inhibits intestinal absorption of cop- per which catalyses formation of the oxygen free radicals that cause the cell damage. Zinc supplements can therefore be ef- fective for facial eczema control and prevention. Spore counting on sentinel farms across Gippsland and the Bega Valley commences in January each year. If spore counts rise to dangerous levels, Dairy Australia issues an alert to dairy farmers in the affected regions to monitor their own pasture spore counts and commence feeding of zinc oxide supplements to their milking herds. Hans van Wees was one of the contributors to the report A Review of Facial Eczema, produced by Dairy Australia. He first experienced the effects of facial eczema in New Zea- land, where he was share farming at the time. “In New Zealand they also have a monitoring system. They monitor the spore count and they warn you when to drench with
PHOTO: HANS VAN WEES
PHOTO: JORIS TELDERS
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