Sudden Death, Clostridial Diseases, and Notifiable Disease

Question 1

List some causes of sudden death in neonatal (less than one week old) lambs

Answer 1

• Congenital issue
• Birth Trauma (rib fractures, dystocia)
• Starvation
• Hypothermia
• Clostridial Disease
• Meningitis
• Septicaemia
• Watery mouth
• Predators

Question 2

List some causes of sudden death in older lambs

Answer 2

• Clostridial disease
• Pasturellosis
• Urolithiasis
• PGE
• Fluke
• Rumen acidosis
• Plant poisoning

Question 3

What are the effects of Clostridial disease in older lambs?

Answer 3

• Pulpy kidney
• Braxy
• Abomasitis
• Tetanus

Question 4

List some causes of sudden death in adult sheep

Answer 4

• Hypocalcaemia
• Hypomagnesaemia
• Fluke
• Plant poisoning
• Pasteurella
• Clostridial disease

Question 5

When does plant poisoning usually occur?

Answer 5

When there is a lack of other food available - starvation, snow/frosty conditions

Question 6

Name some common plants that cause toxicity

Answer 6

• Yew
• Acorn
• Laurel
• Rhododendron

Question 7

How is plant poisoning diagnosed?

Answer 7

PM
History
Field inspection

Question 8

What is the cause of pneumonic pasteurella?

Answer 8

Mannhaemia haemolytica

Question 9

Mannhaemia haemolytica is a normal bacteria found in which part of the body?

Answer 9

Nasopharynx

Question 10

Pneumonic Pasteurella is a disease associated with what other risk factors?

Answer 10

• Poor colostrum status
• Stress e.g transport, weather change, secondary infection, acidosis, housing, poor ventilation, PGE

Question 11

How is pneumonic pasteurellosis treated?

Answer 11

long acting oxytetracycline, amoxicillin

Question 12

How is pneumonic Pasteurella controlled?

Answer 12

Vaccination
* Primary course to lambs from 3 weeks age
* Booster pre-lambing
* Ewes during pregnancy protection of neonatal lambs as well

Address risk factors

Question 13

Name the agent that causes systemic pasteurellosis

Answer 13

Biebersteinia trehalosi

Question 14

Describe the disease seen with systemic pasteurellosis

Answer 14

Sudden death approx. 6-10 month old lambs
Stress of handling gathering may worsen

Question 15

Clostridial diseases are associated with what factors?

Answer 15

• Poor hygiene
• Injury/trauma/insult/wounds
• Endoparasites
• Changes in diet

Question 16

What causes Clostridial organisms to multiply rapidly?

Answer 16

Anaerobic micro-environments in tissues -> rapid multiplication -> toxin production

Question 17

How are Clostridial diseases diagnosed and prevented?

Answer 17

• Diagnosis: history and post-mortem findings
• Prevention: vaccination and hygiene

Question 18

What causes enterotoxaemia in clostridial disease?

Answer 18

Dietary change and over consumption concentrate feed

Question 19

What diseases are caused by clostridium perfingens B, C and D?

Answer 19

B = lamb enterotoxaemia dysentry
C = struck enterotoxaemia
D = pulpy kidney disease

Question 20

Blacks disease hepatotoxic (with fluke) is caused by?

Answer 20

Clostridium novyi

Question 21

Clostridial disease that leads to myonecrosis and toxaemia occurs due to?

Answer 21

Contamination of wounds
- Lambing
- Castration/ Tail docking
- Injections
- Fighting injuries

Question 22

Name the two diseases caused by neurotropic clostridial disease

Answer 22

Botulism
Tetanus

Question 23

Describe botulism and its cause

Answer 23

Clostridium botulinum C
- Pasture contaminated poultry manure
- Flaccid paralysis and death
- Very rare in sheep

Question 24

Describe tetanus and its cause

Answer 24

Clostridium tetani
- Spastic paralysis
- Wounds
- Often not sudden death

Question 25

Lamb dysentery is caused by?

Answer 25

C perfingens type B

Question 26

At what age are lambs affected by dysentery?

Answer 26

Under 3 weeks old

Question 27

Describe the clinical presentation of lamb dysentery

Answer 27

- Sudden death - Severe abdominal pain, bloody diarrhoea

Question 28

What would be found on the PM exam of a lamb with dysentery?

Answer 28

Haemorraghic enteritis, blood-stained fluid body cavity and pericardium

Question 29

C perfingens type D causes which disease?

Answer 29

Pulpy kidney

Question 30

At what age are lambs affected by pulpy kidney disease?

Answer 30

4-10 weeks old or finishing lambs 6 months plus

Question 31

How does pulpy kidney disease clinically present?

Answer 31

- High levels concentrate feed - Sudden death - May see ataxia, opisthotonus

Question 32

How does pulpy kidney disease present on a PME?

Answer 32

P.M changes to kidneys, blood stained fluid body cavity

Question 33

Clostridium sordelli causes which disease?

Answer 33

Abomasitis and Toxaemia

Question 34

How does abomasitis and toxaemia present?

Answer 34

- 4-10 weeks old - Intensive, concentrate fed lambs - Sudden death - Or bloat due to displaced and distended abomasum

Question 35

Contamination of docking and castration wounds can lead to which infection?

Answer 35

Tetanus vis clostridium tetani

Question 36

How does tetanus present clinically?

Answer 36

Stiffness (hindlimbs), recumbency, opisthotonus and death

Question 37

Cl novyi type B causes which disease?

Answer 37

Blacks disease

Question 38

Blacks disease occurs secondary to?

Answer 38

Fluke infection

Question 39

What would be seen on the PME of a sheep infected with Cl novyi type B?

Answer 39

Blood-stained fluid body cavity, necrotic liver, fluke present

Question 40

How can you control Clostridial diseases on farm?

Answer 40

- Hygiene - Clean equipment, Clean needles - Avoid injecting wet/ muddy sheep - Clean wounds and antibiotics where required - Care when concentrate feeding

Question 41

How can the Clostridial vaccine be used to protect lambs?

Answer 41

- 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

Question 42

When approaching sudden death cases on farm what information should be gathered in the history?

Answer 42

- 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

Question 43

When approaching sudden death cases on farm what information should be gathered in the history?

Answer 43

- 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

Question 44

When approaching sudden death cases on farm what should be done on the farm visit?

Answer 44

- 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

Question 45

Name 5 notifiable diseases in sheep

Answer 45

- Anthrax - Blue tongue - Contagious agalactiae - Foot and mouth - Scrapie

Question 46

A 'soft tar' splenomegaly found on PME is seen with what disease?

Answer 46

Anthrax

Question 47

Name the vector of bluetongue

Answer 47

Culicoides imicola

Question 48

Describe the clinical signs of bluetongue

Answer 48

- Fever - Mouth ulcerations (drool saliva) - Mucus from nose and eyes - Swelling head and neck and coronary band - Lameness - High mortality

Question 49

How is bluetongue controlled?

Answer 49

- Vaccination program - Notifiable to APHA - International surveillance and risk assessment

Question 50

Contagious agalactia is a serious disease syndrome of sheep and goats that is characterised by what signs?

Answer 50

Mastitis, arthritis, keratoconjunctivitis and, occasionally, abortion

Question 51

What are the clinical signs of contagious agalactiae?

Answer 51

- Weight loss - Swollen joints - Abortion - Yellow and separated milk - Shriveled or swollen udders - Less milk yield - Swollen or infected eyes - High temperature

Question 52

Name the agent that causes contagious agalactiae

Answer 52

Mycoplasma agalactiae

Question 53

How is contagious agalactiae diagnosed?

Answer 53

Bacterial culture and PCR milk Conjunctival and ear swabs Joint fluid

Question 54

Describe the clinical presentation of foot and mouth in sheep

Answer 54

- Highly infectious - Spread, direct between animals, air- borne, fomites - Lameness - Blisters on tongue

Question 55

What are some DDx for foot and mouth in sheep

Answer 55

- Orf - Bluetongue - Trauma - CODD - Foot abscess

Question 56

The UK is required to test every how long for TSE in fallen stock/abbatoirs?

Answer 56

Annually

Question 57

What is illegal to feed to ruminants as part of TSE food controls?

Answer 57

Animal protein

Question 58

As part of TSE controls what is classified as specialised risk material at abattoirs?

Answer 58

Brain, spinal cord and spleen removed in sheep over 6mo