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Goat industries curse- Caseous Lymphadenitis
By Michael Fisher Golden Plains Area Livestock Extension Agent, Colorado Caseous Lymphadenitis is a chronic and highly contagious disease that primarily affects goats and sheep. It is also known as pseudotuberculosis, abscesses, CLA, and CL. Originally diagnosed in Oregon several years ago; the disease has spread around the globe and has been referred to as "the curse of the goat industry throughout the world". Although small ruminants are its main host, the condition is a zoonotic disease and sporadic outbreaks have been reported among horses, cattle, camelids (alpaca and llama), water buffalo, wild ruminants, primates, pigs, poultry, and humans. The disease is caused by a bacterium known as Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, which is a small, gram-positive, rod-like parasite. The bacterium lives on soil and manure and waits for an opportunity to invade the host's body via a wound, through the skin, by inhalation, or by way of the mucous membranes. Once in the body, it attacks the lungs, liver, kidney, and lymph node system. Animals that contract the disease can carry it for years before showing clinical signs. In other cases, it may show up within 1 to 3 months of exposure. Sickened livestock may appear unthrifty and depressed. Loss of both appetite and weight are possible. Infertility and depressed milk production may also occur in some animals. They also may develop abscesses. These can be internal, which can be fatal, as well as external abscesses. The external ones tend to follow the lymph system, forming exterior to lymph nodes. They may also form along the spinal column. Upon harvest, carcasses that exhibit more than one CL abscessed lymph node are condemned. The disease is very difficult to treat and infected animals are generally considered lifelong carriers of the CL. Since it does circulate through the lymph system, treatment at one node does not preclude the disease from developing at other nodes. In the early years of CL, it was often considered to be a dairy goat disease. This was because of the close proximity that these animals were maintained in, as opposed to other goats or sheep that might be out grazing on open range or pastures. However, the meat goat boom of recent years has amplified the disease and helped it to both persist and spread. While not all abscesses that a goat or a sheep may develop are caused by CL, some researchers estimate that about 70 percent are the result of this disease. It is imperative that animals exhibiting the diseased abscesses receive veterinarian care. If left unattended, the abscesses will rupture and drain pus into the goat's surroundings. Today, this is the number one manner in which the disease is spread. The bacterium can survive for years on wood, hays, and dirt. Metal objects such as feed bunks, fences, water tanks, livestock trailers, building siding, and clippers are also viable habitats for the bacterium to live upon and be transferred to other animals from. Additionally, the bacterium is capable of surviving extended temperatures below minus 50 degrees F. If you have CL in your flock, a rigorous culling program should be implemented. Should your flock be free of the disease, implement a strong biosecurity program to prevent the disease from entering your flock. Animals entering your herd should have a serologic screening and be quarantined for 60 to 90 days before having contact with other livestock. Equipment and boots should be disinfected frequently and restricted to your own farm. Furthermore, you should invest in your own shearing equipment and not allow it to be used on other flocks. Date: 12/13/07
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