Related Experiment Videos
Contagious ecthyma in the live sheep export industry
A R Higgs1, R T Norris, F C Baldock
1Animal Industries Division, Department of Agriculture, Albany, Western Australia.
Australian Veterinary Journal
|September 1, 1996
Summary
Vaccinating sheep against contagious ecthyma (scabby mouth) before live export can reduce disease prevalence. However, current methods cannot guarantee disease-free shipments to the Middle East.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Science
- Animal Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Contagious ecthyma (scabby mouth) poses a significant health risk to sheep during live export.
- Understanding disease prevalence and control is crucial for the Australian sheep export industry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate control strategies for contagious ecthyma in Australian sheep destined for live export.
- To assess the effectiveness of vaccination in reducing scabby mouth prevalence.
Main Methods:
- Conducted prevalence studies on 106 farms and at a commercial feedlot in Western Australia.
- Performed vaccination trials on sheep across 26 farms in 3 states.
- Utilized a compartmental model to identify key determinants of disease prevalence.
Main Results:
- Contagious ecthyma was present on 23.6% of farms with weaner sheep, with an average prevalence of 6.1%.
- Vaccinated sheep exhibited lower scabby mouth prevalence post-simulated shipping compared to controls.
- The proportion of immune sheep was identified as the primary factor influencing disease prevalence.
Conclusions:
- Vaccination programs can effectively mitigate contagious ecthyma during live sheep export.
- Achieving completely scabby mouth-free shipments remains a challenge with current export technologies.