Texas fever
- noun
- /ˈtɛksəs ˈfiːvər/
- Specialized
:
fiebre de Texas
- The farmer lost several cows to Texas fever before implementing strict tick control measures.
Examples
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Early detection of Texas fever is crucial to prevent the spread of infection among cattle herds.
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Veterinarians in the region are on alert for outbreaks of Texas fever during the summer months.
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The cattle were infected with Texas fever last summer.
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Farmers need to be aware of Texas fever in their herds.
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Early detection of Texas fever is crucial to prevent the spread of infection among cattle herds.
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The farmer lost several cows to Texas fever before implementing strict tick control measures.
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Veterinarians in the region are on alert for outbreaks of Texas fever during the summer months.
Synonyms
A disease that makes animals like cattle or horses have fever and lose red blood cells after tick bites
Surface Forms
Morphology
The word 'fever' clearly signals an illness and 'Texas' marks a geographic association, so a learner who knows both words will likely infer a disease connected to Texas; however the specific referent — an infectious protozoan disease of cattle transmitted by ticks — is not derivable from the constituents. Toponymic disease names often partially transparently mark origin or association but hide host, etiology, and technical details, so full meaning requires prior exposure.
Etymology
Texas fever comes from the 1800s, when cattle moved from Texas carried tiny ticks that passed a fever to other cows. The image of Texas cattle bringing the fever into new herds explains why the name means 'an infectious disease of cattle' today.
