[Severe watery diarrhea caused by Vibrio cholerae in lambs]

An outbreak of watery diarrhoea in lambs is described. Seventeen lambs died within 24 hours after the start of the diarrhoea. At necropsy Vibrio cholerae was isolated from the organs and intestines of three lambs. The strains did not react with O1 or O139 antisera, the strains responsible for cholera epidemics among humans. It is concluded that the diarrhoea in the lambs was caused by V. cholerae non-01/non-139. This microorganism had not been described before in lambs in the Netherlands.