A fatal disease of livestock, especially cattle and sheep, caused by a bacterial parasite transmitted by ticks.
From 'heart' + 'water'; named for the fluid accumulation around the heart in infected animals. First identified scientifically in South Africa in the 19th century.
Heartwater killed thousands of cattle herds in Africa and was a major barrier to livestock farming—the disease literally fills the heart's protective sac with fluid until the animal dies. It's still a serious veterinary concern in Africa, spread entirely by tiny ticks.
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