Another Possible Cause Of Losses Of Lambs

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29354, 5 November 1960, Page 8

Another Possible Cause Of Losses Of Lambs

There fa reason to believe that Ecoli septicaemia may be a widespread and serious cause of loss In the sheep industry in New Zealand.

The condition has been known to be a cause of mortality in pigs and it was recorded for the first time in lambs in Australia in 1958 when it Was also reproduced. It was first recognised in New Zealand in October, 1959, by the Wallaceville Animal Research Station in lambs from several properties in Ashburton County.

Ecoli causes sudden deaths in lambs, brain damage causing nervous symptoms and it appears that it is also a cause of arthritis which does not respond to penicillin or other antibiotics. The condition has probably very often been confused with pulpy kidney in the past because it appears to cause sudden deaths in lambs anywhere from- two to 14 weeks of age and it can give quite a high proportion of positive tests for pulpy kidney in the laboratory. According to the records of the Ashburton Veterinary Club the organism was recovered from

more than 100 lambs postmortemed from 31 properties in the county in the 1959-60 season. The- significance of the recovery of the organisms is, however, far from clear for there are a mul-: titude of strains of this organism. Some of these are pathogenic (disease producing) but the vast majority are not and in attempting to control the trouble vaccines or anti sera would have to be used which contained substances which would protect the animals against the actual strains involved.

Last season the club used an anti serum which contained substances giving protection against the strain involved on a particular property and it appeared to give protection but this would need to be repeated for confirmation. However, on this property where there was heavy mortality last season a different strain of the organism has shown up on some occasions this season when there has been a much reduced scale of mortality. The organism has also been recovered from ewes but the significance of this is not known, according to a club spokesman.