Common Ovine and Caprine DiseasesDr. Dipa Brahmbhatt VMD, MPH, MS

Objectives

• clinical signs associated with specific diseases.• etiology of the diseases.• common treatments for disease. • common and scientific names of parasites

associated with this species. • vaccinations

Reading Assignment

Chapter 17: Common Ovine and Caprine DiseasesKnow table 17 -1: Diseases which can be prevented with vaccines

Key terms• Abortion• AGID• Blepharospasm• Conjunctiva• Coronary Band• ELISA• Epididymitis• Epiphora• Lochia• Microphthalmia

• Opisthotonus• Phthisis Bulbi; shrinkage

eyeball• Prion• Prolapse Ring• Retractor Bulbi muscles• Serovar• Stillbirth• Tetraplegia

Previously covered disease

• Anthrax• Botulism• Black leg• Foot rot• Leptospirosis• Listeriosis• Malignant Edema• Pinkeye

• Johne’s disease• Tetanus• Foot and Mouth Disease• Rabies• Freemartin• Milk Fever• Retained Placenta• Pregnancy toxemia/

ketosis

Paratuberculosis (Johne’s Disease)

Previously covered disease.

Urinary Calculi

Previously covered disease.

Prolapse

Previously covered disease.

Prolapse (cont’d)

Prolapse (cont’d)

BACTERIAL DISEASES

Tetanus

Previously covered disease.

Big Head• Causative agent: Clostridium novyi, C.

sordellii, or C. chauvoei (black leg)• Clinical signs (sheep): Head butting and

fighting causes bruising or laceration and edematous swelling.

• Diagnosis: Clinical signs• Treatment: Penicillin, broad spectrum

antibiotics• Prevention: Vaccinate 7/8 way - ewe 1

month before lambing, lamb: 1 month and 2-4 weeks later booster

Black Disease• Causative agent: Clostridium novyi Type B (soil)• Transmission: ingestion of spores, flukes predispose them

to black disease• Clinical signs: Often found dead (endotoxins); respiratory

distress, anorexia, and fever• Diagnosis: Necropsy and culture/ gram stain - liver– Hemorrhage of SQ vessels, sub epicardial hemorrhage,

kidney/liver - autolysis• Treatment: Tetracycline• Control: trematodes e.g. albendazole

Black disease. Dark brown swollen liver showing necrotic areas (1–2 cm) in diameter surrounded by a zone of hyperaemiaCourtesy of FAO

Brucellosis• Causative agent: Brucella ovis and B. melitensis

(rare: abortion) in sheep; Brucella melitensis and B. abortus (ZOONOTIC) in goats. Gram – coccobacillus– Malta fever in humans

• Transmission: sheep - veneral and goats – ingestion of contaminated food, direct contact: urine, feces, placenta, milk

• Clinical signs: – Sheep: Abortion (rare), epididymitis, – goats: abortion storms, lameness, mastitis,

diarrhea, and depression• Diagnosis: Agglutination tests or complement

fixation • Treatment: None

Caseous Lymphadenitis• Causative agent: Corynebacterium

pseudotuberculosis : gram + coccoid

• Transmission: direct contact with superficial wounds, ingestion, inhalation

• Clinical signs: Dyspnea, tachypnea, cough, and weight loss

• Diagnosis: Culture from TTW, radiographs, necropsy (hepatic abscess)

• Treatment: Isolation, hygiene and vaccine?

Caseous Lymphadenitis (cont’d)

Caseous Lymphadenitis (cont’d)

Chlamydophilosis – Enzootic abortion ewes (EAE)

• Causative agent: Chlamydia psittaci (zoonotic) – gram -• Transmission: Direct contact: uterine discharge, fetus,

placenta; veneral (rams are carriers) • Clinical signs: Abortion (#1 cause in goats): last

trimester, weak or stillborn lambs, pneumonia, KCS, epididymitis, and polyarthritis

• Diagnosis: ELISA, fluorescent antibody staining, and culture isolation

• Treatment: Oxytetracycline; females that have aborted should be isolated; fetal tissue or placenta should be burned or buried; and management

• Prevention: vaccine (prevent abortions)

Clostridium Perfringens• Causative agent: Clostridium perfringens (normal flora GI sheep)• Clinical signs:

– Type A: diarrhea – neonates.– Type B (lamb dysentery: endotoxin): acute bloody diarrhea –

young lambs > high mortality.– Type C (lamb dysentery: endotoxin): diarrhea in lambs < 3

wks. And in adults – “struck”.– Type D: feedlot lambs – high concentrate, eat excessive feed/

milk. Diarrhea (sheep can die w/o diarrhea in goats diarrhea than die), incoordination, excitement, circling, head pressing, convulsions and sudden death

Clostridium Perfringens

• Diagnosis: Clinical signs or necropsy • Treatment: Penicillin and vaccinate with

antitoxin in outbreak • Prevention: vaccination, parasite control,

gradual feed changes

Joint ill• Causative agent: Kids, Staphylococci, streptococci,

Corynebacterium spp., Actinomyces, and coliform bacteria • Transmission: breaks in skin, umbilical cord, GI, respiratory tract • Clinical signs: Warm, painful, swollen joints, lameness, fever, umbilical cord abcessation, and leukocytosis with left shift • Diagnosis: Clinical signs• Treatment: Penicillin's and joint flushing (saline)• Prevention: avoid overcrowding and hygiene at partiurition,

dipping umbilical cord

Vibriosis

• Causative agent: Campylobacter jejuni and C. fetus, gram – rod

• Transmission: ingestion of organisms (intestines of sheep, birds, dogs)

• Clinical signs: Late-term abortion (#1 – sheep), stillbirths, and weak lambs

• Diagnosis: Culture• Treatment: Antibiotics and vaccination

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) - Scrapie

• Causative agent: Prion • Transmission??: Suffolk. Infected at birth. Genetics.

(environment) and show c.s. at 3.5 years. • Clinical signs: Wool or hair loss, ataxia, weight loss,

starring, aggressiveness, floppy ears, tremors, seizures, inability to swallow, and death. Chronic and degenerative

• Diagnosis: Finding prion protein with immunostaining of lymphoid tissue in 3rd eyelid

• Treatment: None• REPORTABLE, eradication program

OTHER DISEASES

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) - Scrapie

Toxoplasma

• Causative agent: Toxoplasma gondii • Clinical signs: Fetal death, abortion,

embryonic death, stillbirth, and weak nonviable neonates

• Diagnosis: Serologic tests • Treatment: Prevent cat access to sheep areas

VIRAL DISEASES

Bluetongue• Causative agent: genus: Orbivirus; Family: Reoviridae • Transmission: Culicoides gnat/midge, cattle are

reservoirs• Clinical signs: Ulcerations on the mouth or nose,

lame, fever, and abortion, neonate - hydroencephaly• Diagnosis: Viral isolation• Treatment: Insect control, vaccine• REPORTABLE

Caprine Arthritis and Encephalitis

• Causative agent: Retroviral (similar to ovine progressive pneumoniae)

• Transmission: fomites (needles), colostrum• Clinical signs: – Neurologic: kids 1-4 months: tetraplegia, ataxia,

blindness, head tilt, facial paralysis, opisthotonus, generalized paresis

– Arthritic– Mastitis

Caprine Arthritis and Encephalitis

• Diagnosis: AGID (test for CAE antibody), CS, and necropsy

• Treatment: None• Prevention: cull,

colostrum heated 1 hour at 56⁰ C

Contagious Ecthyma • contagious viral pustular

dermatitis – orf – sore mouth – contagious pustular dermatitis – cutaneous pustular dermatitis, scabby mouth

• Etiology: Family poxviridae and genus: Parapoxvirus

• Transmission: direct/ indirect with environment

Immunity and counter-immunity during infection with the parapoxvirus orf virus: David M Haig, , Colin J McInnes, 2002

Contagious Ecthyma • Clinical signs: Lesions in oral

cavity, eyelids, feet, and teats; lameness, anorexia, dehydration, malnutrition, secondary bacterial infections

• Diagnosis: Clinical signs• Treatment: Secondary

bacterial infections and supportive

• Prevention:

Ovine Progressive Pneumonia

• Causative agent: Retroviridae family • Transmission: milk and colostrum• Clinical signs: Coughing, bronchial exudates,

anorexia, fever, depression, encephalitis, and mastitis

• Diagnosis: Necropsy, ELISA, AGID, and virus isolation• Treatment: None• Prevention: culling

Description:This slide shows gross lung tissue from a sheep with ovine progressive pnemonia (OPP). This is an example of a multifocal pulmonary disease that may be diagnosed by lung biopsy.

Author: Angie Warner, D.V.M.,D.Sc.

Noninfectious Diseases

Entropion

• Causative agent: Congenital, trauma, severe dehydration, weight loss, and painful ocular conditions

• Most common ocular disease in neonatal lambs

• Bilateral and lower lids

Entropion

• Clinical signs: Blepharospasm, photophobia, epiphora, keratoconjunctivitis, and eye rubbing• Diagnosis: Clinical signs• Treatment: Surgical and Penicillin, topical atropine, topical antibiotics

Hereditary Chondrodysplasia – spider lamb syndrome

• Causative agent: Inheritable • Clinical signs: Skeletal

defects primarily seen in Suffolk or Hampshire breeds– Lambs show clinical

signs at 6 weeks of age• Longer legs• Chondrodysplasia: skull,

sternum, vertebrae

Hereditary Chondrodysplasia (cont’d)

Metritis

• Causative agent: Clostridium spp. After dystocia, retained placenta

• Clinical signs: Vaginal discharge – malodorous brownish-red watery

• Diagnosis: Clinical signs• Treatment: Prostaglandins and oxytocin

References• http://www.pipevet.com/content/Photosensitization.asp• http://www.arkanimalcare.com/sites/default/files/InfoFiles/SheepGoat/

Disease%20of%20Sheep_Goats.pdf• http://www.vet.k-state.edu/depts/vhc/agpract/articles/

Caseous_Lymph.pdf• http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/t0756e/T0756E06.htm#ch5.3.2• ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/publications/mmwr/rr/rr4908.pdf• http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/

50713.htm• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/scrapie/

downloads/fs_ahscrapie.pdf• K Holtgrew-Bohling , Large Animal Clinical Procedures for Veterinary

Technicians, 2nd Edition, Mosby, 2012, ISBN: 97803223077323

References

• http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0004.html• http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/

bluetongue.pdf• http://www.uwyo.edu/vetsci/courses/

patb_4110/3-28/class_notes.htm• Immunity and counter-immunity during infection

with the parapoxvirus orf virus• David M Haig, , • Colin J McInnes