“Despite its enormous importance, effective means of diagnosing and controlling the disease are not available,” Ganta said. High mortality rates up to 90% can occur in livestock if introduced into a non-endemic area, such as to the mainland U.S. The disease is characterized by fever, labored breathing, coughing, neurological signs, hydrothorax, ascites and edema of the lungs. “The USDA-estimated cost of heartwater could be as high as $2.3 billion in losses to the U.S. “The possible introduction of heartwater from the Caribbean and through imported exotic foreign animals from Africa is a major concern to the U.S.
