Tropical Animal Health

Provides an integrated presentation of animal diseases in the tropical environment. This book presents the basic scientific facts of host defence mechanism and the host-pathogen relationship in the tropics. It is suitable for professionals working in the field of veterinary medicine and animal production in the tropics.

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This book, Tropical Animal Health, describes the problems of animal diseases in the tropics, in the tropical environment, and in relation to particular production systems. In Part I, those basic scientific facts of the special host defence mechanism and of the host-pathogen relationship in the tropics, which hardly play any part in animal husbandry in temperate climates, are explained. Of special importance are the resistance mechanisms of autochthonous breeds and in contrast to them, the high susceptibility of exotic breeds in the tropics. It is explained how immuno- and chemoprophylaxis can be used as instruments for animal health measures if they are adapted to the socio-economic and ecological conditions of both the tropics and developing countries. Scientific details of immunology are presented as far as they are necessary to understand the epizo- otiology of tropical diseases and diagnostic techniques for recognizing tropical diseases as well as the execution of prophylactic measures. Vector-borne diseases are the disease complexes most difficult to control since they are bound to the tropical environment, thanks to the biology of their vectors.
Therefore, a special chapter has been dedicated to the description of biology and eradication of vectors of vector-borne diseases. The extent of the description varies according to the importance of the specific vector. The acaricides, insecticides and alternative methods used to control vectors are dis- cussed in detail. The author has tried to present a world-wide picture, but it is not possible to cover every aspect completely.