Pinkeye Fact Sheet

PINKEYE FACT SHEET 2021

What is it?

PINKEYE is also known as keratitis contagiosa, infectious keratitis, contagious ophthalmia, New Forest eye, blight and most commonly as infectious

bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK)

It is a herd disease that spreads rapidly and severely affect animal productivity and welfare

Clinical signs are restricted to the eye and include conjunctivitis and/or keratitis, with a significant number of infected animals developing corneal ulceration

Economic impact

Pinkeye is the most economically important ocular disease of cattle, estimated to cost Aussie producers 10 million AUD per year or 0.78 AUD per head / annum The estimated average annual prevalence of pinkeye in B. taurus cattle in Australia is 10% in calves and 3% in cows.

Natural outbreaks usually peak in the third or fourth week after the first case

Possible causes

Bacteria Moraxella

Moraxella bovis, Moraxella bovoculi

Non-Moraxella organisms

Environmental factors

Host factors

Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma bovoculi, and bovine herpesvirus type 1

Flies, eye injury from supplementary feeding or tall pasture, season (summer, low rainfall), dust and wind

Breed, age, concurrent illness, nutrition, body condition score, stressors and genetic factors

The heritability of susceptibility to pinkeye infection is estimated to be around 0.1

The severity of the disease can be classified using scores varying from 1 - excessive tearing and photophobia with a small ulcer; to 4 - ulcer extends completely through the cornea and the iris protrudes through the ulcer

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