Fact Sheet Written by:
John G. Kirkpatrick, DVM, Associate Professor Medicine and Surgery
Dr. David Lalman, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist
And Provided by
Oklahoma State University
Pinkeye is a highly contagious, infectious bacterial disease of the eye of cattle caused by Moraxella bovis (M. bovis). It has a worldwide distribution. Although pinkeye is non-fatal, it has a marked economic impact on the cattle industry. Costs resulting from decreased weight gain, milk production, and treatment were estimated to be $150 million in the U.S. alone, according to a 1993 study. Pinkeye (1.1 percent infection rate) was second to scours and diarrhea (1.7 percent infection rate) as the most prevalent condition affecting 1996 born unweaned calves over three weeks old, according to the Part II: Reference
of 1997 Beef Cow-Calf Health & Health Management Practices report of the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) of the USDA: APHIS: Veterinary Services. Pinkeye (1.3 percent infection rate) and foot rot (0.8 percent infection rate) were the two most prevalent conditions affecting
all breeding beef females (replacement heifers and cows), according to the same 1997 report of 1996 conditions.
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