Sudden Death, Clostridial Diseases, and Notifiable Disease Flashcards
List some causes of sudden death in neonatal (less than one week old) lambs
- Congenital issue
- Birth Trauma (rib fractures, dystocia)
- Starvation
- Hypothermia
- Clostridial Disease
- Meningitis
- Septicaemia
- Watery mouth
- Predators
List some causes of sudden death in older lambs
- Clostridial disease
- Pasturellosis
- Urolithiasis
- PGE
- Fluke
- Rumen acidosis
- Plant poisoning
What are the effects of Clostridial disease in older lambs?
- Pulpy kidney
- Braxy
- Abomasitis
- Tetanus
List some causes of sudden death in adult sheep
- Hypocalcaemia
- Hypomagnesaemia
- Fluke
- Plant poisoning
- Pasteurella
- Clostridial disease
When does plant poisoning usually occur?
When there is a lack of other food available - starvation, snow/frosty conditions
Name some common plants that cause toxicity
- Yew
- Acorn
- Laurel
- Rhododendron
How is plant poisoning diagnosed?
PM
History
Field inspection
What is the cause of pneumonic pasteurella?
Mannhaemia haemolytica
Mannhaemia haemolytica is a normal bacteria found in which part of the body?
Nasopharynx
Pneumonic Pasteurella is a disease associated with what other risk factors?
- Poor colostrum status
- Stress e.g transport, weather change, secondary infection, acidosis, housing, poor ventilation, PGE
How is pneumonic pasteurellosis treated?
long acting oxytetracycline, amoxicillin
How is pneumonic Pasteurella controlled?
Vaccination
* Primary course to lambs from 3 weeks age
* Booster pre-lambing
* Ewes during pregnancy protection of neonatal lambs as well
Address risk factors
Name the agent that causes systemic pasteurellosis
Biebersteinia trehalosi
Describe the disease seen with systemic pasteurellosis
Sudden death approx. 6-10 month old lambs
Stress of handling gathering may worsen
Clostridial diseases are associated with what factors?
- Poor hygiene
- Injury/trauma/insult/wounds
- Endoparasites
- Changes in diet
What causes Clostridial organisms to multiply rapidly?
Anaerobic micro-environments in tissues -> rapid multiplication -> toxin production
How are Clostridial diseases diagnosed and prevented?
- Diagnosis: history and post-mortem findings
- Prevention: vaccination and hygiene
What causes enterotoxaemia in clostridial disease?
Dietary change and over consumption concentrate feed
What diseases are caused by clostridium perfingens B, C and D?
B = lamb enterotoxaemia dysentry
C = struck enterotoxaemia
D = pulpy kidney disease
Blacks disease hepatotoxic (with fluke) is caused by?
Clostridium novyi
Clostridial disease that leads to myonecrosis and toxaemia occurs due to?
Contamination of wounds
- Lambing
- Castration/ Tail docking
- Injections
- Fighting injuries
Name the two diseases caused by neurotropic clostridial disease
Botulism
Tetanus
Describe botulism and its cause
Clostridium botulinum C
- Pasture contaminated poultry manure
- Flaccid paralysis and death
- Very rare in sheep
Describe tetanus and its cause
Clostridium tetani
- Spastic paralysis
- Wounds
- Often not sudden death
Lamb dysentery is caused by?
C perfingens type B
At what age are lambs affected by dysentery?
Under 3 weeks old
Describe the clinical presentation of lamb dysentery
- Sudden death
- Severe abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea
What would be found on the PM exam of a lamb with dysentery?
Haemorraghic enteritis, blood-stained fluid body cavity and pericardium
C perfingens type D causes which disease?
Pulpy kidney
At what age are lambs affected by pulpy kidney disease?
4-10 weeks old or finishing lambs 6 months plus
How does pulpy kidney disease clinically present?
- High levels concentrate feed
- Sudden death
- May see ataxia, opisthotonus
How does pulpy kidney disease present on a PME?
P.M changes to kidneys, blood stained fluid body cavity
Clostridium sordelli causes which disease?
Abomasitis and Toxaemia
How does abomasitis and toxaemia present?
- 4-10 weeks old
- Intensive, concentrate fed lambs
- Sudden death
- Or bloat due to displaced and distended abomasum
Contamination of docking and castration wounds can lead to which infection?
Tetanus vis clostridium tetani
How does tetanus present clinically?
Stiffness (hindlimbs), recumbency, opisthotonus and death
Cl novyi type B causes which disease?
Blacks disease
Blacks disease occurs secondary to?
Fluke infection
What would be seen on the PME of a sheep infected with Cl novyi type B?
Blood-stained fluid body cavity, necrotic liver, fluke present
How can you control Clostridial diseases on farm?
- Hygiene
- Clean equipment, Clean needles
- Avoid injecting wet/ muddy sheep
- Clean wounds and antibiotics where required
- Care when concentrate feeding
How can the Clostridial vaccine be used to protect lambs?
- Protect breeding ewe simultaneously protect lamb through colostrum by vaccinating her about 4 weeks before lambing annual booster
- Need to start own vaccination course from 3 weeks old
When approaching sudden death cases on farm what information should be gathered in the history?
- One or many affected
- Clinical signs of any others in group
- Age
- Season
- Proximity to Lambing
- Indoors or grazing
- Changes in management
- Weather changes
- Recent treatments including anthelmintics
- Vaccination history
- Recent gathering or handling
When approaching sudden death cases on farm what information should be gathered in the history?
- One or many affected
- Clinical signs of any others in group
- Age
- Season
- Proximity to Lambing
- Indoors or grazing
- Changes in management
- Weather changes
- Recent treatments including anthelmintics
- Vaccination history
- Recent gathering or handling
When approaching sudden death cases on farm what should be done on the farm visit?
- Observe others in group
- Environment: Feed quality / quantity, Access to poisons (plants or lead), Ventilation
- Clinical examination of live sheep: BCS, Anaemia, Bloat, Abdom pain
Name 5 notifiable diseases in sheep
- Anthrax
- Blue tongue
- Contagious agalactiae
- Foot and mouth
- Scrapie
A ‘soft tar’ splenomegaly found on PME is seen with what disease?
Anthrax
Name the vector of bluetongue
Culicoides imicola
Describe the clinical signs of bluetongue
- Fever
- Mouth ulcerations (drool saliva)
- Mucus from nose and eyes
- Swelling head and neck and coronary band
- Lameness
- High mortality
How is bluetongue controlled?
- Vaccination program
- Notifiable to APHA
- International surveillance and risk assessment
Contagious agalactia is a serious disease syndrome of sheep and goats that is characterised by what signs?
Mastitis, arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis and, occasionally, abortion
What are the clinical signs of contagious agalactiae?
- Weight loss
- Swollen joints
- Abortion
- Yellow and separated milk
- Shriveled or swollen udders
- Less milk yield
- Swollen or infected eyes
- High temperature
Name the agent that causes contagious agalactiae
Mycoplasma agalactiae
How is contagious agalactiae diagnosed?
Bacterial culture and PCR milk
Conjunctival and ear swabs
Joint fluid
Describe the clinical presentation of foot and mouth in sheep
- Highly infectious
- Spread, direct between animals, air- borne, fomites
- Lameness
- Blisters on tongue
What are some DDx for foot and mouth in sheep
- Orf
- Bluetongue
- Trauma
- CODD
- Foot abscess
The UK is required to test every how long for TSE in fallen stock/abbatoirs?
Annually
What is illegal to feed to ruminants as part of TSE food controls?
Animal protein
As part of TSE controls what is classified as specialised risk material at abattoirs?
Brain, spinal cord and spleen removed in sheep over 6mo
