Listeriosis in sheep and goat; cause, symptom, and treatment

06/02/2023

28/09/2022

Twenty-two sheep and 4 goats suffering from central nervous listeriosis were treated with a therapy that had proved to be successful in cattle. For one week they received daily subcutaneous injections of 50,000 IU Procaine Penicillin G per kg live weight and 5 to 10 mg Vitamin B1 per kg body weight. The base excess was tested by blood gas analysis, and it was compensated by intravenous infusion of Na-bicarbonate. Animals that could not eat or swallow received water and rumen liquid by stomach tube. Eight of 26 patients (31%) were healed. The prognosis of central nervous listeriosis depends mainly on the time of initial treatment and on the degree of general disturbances: More than 90% of the animals that were recumbent (16 of 17) or showed dysphagia (12 of 13) at the beginning of treatment died or had to be euthanized because of persistent central nervous disturbances. The correction of blood-pH was of no therapeutic benefit when the disease was already in progress. Treatment of central nervous listeriosis seems to be effective as long as the patients can stand and swallow. When patients received care at this early stage of disease, 77% (7 of 9) were healed and returned to the flock.

28/09/2022

High dose penicillin is the recommended treatment for listeriosis. Marbofloxacin was given to provide a broad spectrum antibiosis as we had concerns about inhalation pneumonia becoming a potential complication. Meloxicam was given for analgesia and dexamethasone administered for anti-inflammatory purposes. Vitamin B1 was given to prevent potential cerebrocortical necrosis.

28/09/2022

Circling Disease and Silage Sickness are other names for listeriosis in goats, commonly associated with feeding moldy hay. Listeriosis is a life-threatening disease primarily caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes; however, ruminants may also get listeriosis from Listeria ivanovii. Listeria is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans.
Listeria can live almost anywhere – in soil, manure piles, grass, and the gastrointestinal tracts of healthy animals. It thrives in aerobic conditions, such as the top layer of silage and moldy hay or feed. It is commonly found in the f***s of infected birds, animals, fish, and insects as well as sewage. It can contaminate water, milk, and food. It can withstand temperatures from 34-113 F. While outbreaks can occur year-round, in livestock they are most prevalent in spring and fall.

28/09/2022

clinical signs including staggering, convulsions, head tilt, circling, recumbency, paddling of the limbs and death in 0.5 to 10 per cent of the flock. Some also reported abortions in clinical normal sheep. Post-mortem examination was unremarkable. Diagnosis was confirmed on laboratory examination of fixed brain tissue and culture of fresh tissue from the affected sheep or aborted foetus.

Recent outbreaks may be due to the good previous season, leading to standing rank and rotting dry matter in paddocks. However, in almost all cases seen, sheep have been in containment (risk of overcrowding and poor sanitation) and being fed a mix of hay, silage and grain (potentially contaminated). Most have been late pregnant ewes of mixed ages.

Affected producers are recommended to remove animals from the potential source of listeria (silage, containment, rank feed, other sick animals). Cleaning water troughs, feeding out on fresh, dry areas and avoiding excess feed being left to soil and rot are all important preventative measures.

Other control and prevention methods include:

elevating feed and water off the ground
feeding out on fresh, dry areas and avoiding excess feed being left to soil and rot
daily washing of feed and water troughs
avoid excessively muddy and wet containment areas
avoid manure contamination of feeding areas
burning the carcass of any sheep that dies on farm.
Listeria can cause severe disease in people, especially those who are immuno-compromised and pregnant women. Appropriate hygiene measures and PPE need to be worn.

Treatment is limited as antibiotics are generally not effective in neurological cases. In abortion cases we believe there has been reduced levels of abortions post treatment with antibiotics during an outbreak, but this is always hard to measure. If you have seen abortions it is a good idea to investigate the cause as there are many different causes, and some of these such as Campylobacter are preventable with vaccination. Prior to the Campylobacter vaccine being widely used in South West Victoria, Campylobacter was the major cause of abortion in this district. In the last three years we have seen Listeria take the lead as the major pathogen causing abortion. Control involves minimising the predisposing factors with the aim to minimise this outbreak and prevent another outbreak. Speak to your local veterinarian about subsidised investigations.

28/09/2022

Listeriosis
Listeria is a common bacterium found in the gut of normal sheep. It can also survive and multiply in the environment, particularly rotting vegetable matter, but also soil, water, manure and feed (including pasture), and can survive for up to five years.
Compared to other bacteria, it is quite hardy and can withstand a range of pH, temperatures and salt conditions. Feeding silage with a pH above 5.5 is often associated with outbreaks of listeriosis. The disease commonly occurs under wet and muddy conditions. Other predisposing factors for clinical listeriosis in sheep include: sudden change in weather, change in feeding regime, introduction of carrier animals, confinement, overcrowding, poor sanitation, stress, advanced pregnancy, feeding silage, access to rotting hay or vegetation, and feeding sheep on the ground. Signs are usually seen eight to nine days after infection.
The two forms of clinical listeriosis seen in sheep are the neurological form and the abortion form.
Neurological form:
can affect any breed and at any age
often circling, staggering, head tilt, off-feed, found dead
Abortion form:
affected pregnant ewes of any age in the second to final month of pregnancy
Between January and July 2021 infectious listeriosis causing neurological disease and abortion in adult sheep was diagnosed across 14 separate properties in Victoria, predominantly in the South West. Notably, there was a significant increase in neurological presentation of the disease leading to death.

28/09/2022

Listeriosis is an important infectious disease of sheep and goats most commonly causing encephalitis, but also capable of causing a blood infection and abortion.
Listeriosis is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes and is commonly seen in cooler climates. These bacteria can be found in the soil, food sources, and even the f***s of healthy animals. Most commonly, this disease of sheep and goats is observed as a result of feeding moldy or spoiled hay or silage. It’s possible for your sheep and goats to become infected without feeding moldy or spoiled hay or silage as it is found in the environment.
The bacteria are very hardy and are common in soil
Silage not fermented (not acidified) properly, put up too dry or not compacted tight enough to protect it from the air
Round bales of hay that have started to rot
Feed bunks that are not cleaned regularly and in which some f***s and wet feed leftover accumulate and ferment
Rotting (decaying) woody debris
Manure
Milk, urine, and drainage of the eyes and nose of infected animals.
Environmental and f***l contamination are more common sources of the disease than silage in sheep and goats because most are never fed silage. Michigan State University Extension recommends not using silage for small sheep flocks and goat herds as the feeds will spoil before they can be consumed and possible Listeriosis infections can result.
Symptoms of Listeriosis include depression, loss of appetite, fever, lack of coordination, salivation, facial paralysis, and circling. Disease is more common in animals 1 to 3 years of age than it is in older animals. The abortion form of Listerosis usually shows no other symptoms and can only be diagnosed by laboratory analysis. The onset of the encephalitic form is usually very fast and causes death in 24 to 48 hours after symptoms appear. Symptoms include circling in one direction, high fever, lack of appetite, red tissues around the eyes, usually with blindness, and depression. Affected animals may have a droopy ear, drooping eyelid, and saliva running from limp lips on one side of the face caused by a partial paralysis. When near death, the animal will lie down and may have convulsions. A diagnosis can only be confirmed in a diagnostic laboratory but isolation of the organism can be difficult.
Recovery is rare, but is possible with early aggressive antibiotic treatment and supportive care of the affected animals. There are no effective treatments for small ruminants, and they usually die after infection. Large doses of Oxytetracycline or Penicillin G may help in some cases.
Steps for prevention or to minimize associated risks:
Recently introduced animals should be considered suspect as carriers.
Infected animals should be isolated from the rest of the herd or flock
Floors, pens, sheds, feed bunks, mineral feeders, etc. should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
If several animals are affected and silage or round bales of hay are being fed, their use should be discontinued until they can be ruled out as a source of contamination.

01/07/2022

People at Risk
CDC estimates that Listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness, or food poisoning, in the United States. An estimated 1,600 people get sick from Listeria each year, and about 260 die.
Listeria is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.

01/07/2022

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by the germ Listeria monocytogenes. People usually become ill with listeriosis after eating contaminated food. The disease primarily affects pregnant women, newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. It’s rare for people in other groups to get sick with Listeria infection.
Listeriosis is usually a mild illness for pregnant women, but it causes severe disease in the fetus or newborn baby. Some people with Listeria infections, most commonly adults 65 years and older and people with weakened immune systems, develop severe infections of the bloodstream (causing sepsis) or brain (causing meningitis or encephalitis). Listeria infections can sometimes affect other parts of the body, including bones, joints, and sites in the chest and abdomen.

01/07/2022

A specific food item has not yet been identified as the source of this outbreak. Most of the sick people in this outbreak live in or traveled to Florida about a month before they got sick. Listeria symptoms usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria. If you are at higher risk for Listeria infection and have symptoms, especially if you recently traveled to Florida, talk to your healthcare provider.
Healthcare providers should report listeriosis illnesses to their health department. This information may help investigators solve this outbreak.
Fast Facts
Illnesses: 23
Hospitalizations: 22
Deaths: 1
States: 10
Recall: No
Investigation status: Active
Representative image for this outbreak
What People at Higher Risk Should Do
Listeria is most likely to sicken pregnant people and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems. Other people can be infected with Listeria, but they rarely become seriously ill.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these Listeria symptoms:
Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn.
People who are not pregnant may experience headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever and muscle aches.
If you have symptoms of Listeria, help us solve this outbreak:
Write down as much as you can remember about what you ate in the month before you got sick.
Answer public health officials’ questions about your illness.
Prevent Listeria.
Learn which foods are more likely to contain Listeria, and take steps to prevent getting sick.
Stay up to date on food recalls and outbreaks to avoid getting sick from eating contaminated food.
What Healthcare Providers Should Do
Report listeriosis illnesses to your health department.
Infection with Listeria is reportable almost everywhere in the United States.
In most cases, healthcare professionals should report foodborne illnesses to their county or city health department. Please refer to your state health department website to find more information about how to contact your local health department.
About Listeria
Listeria can cause severe illness (known as invasive listeriosis) when the bacteria spread beyond the gut to other parts of the body.
Pregnant people, adults 65 years or older, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe illness.
Symptoms of severe illness usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria, but may start as early as the same day or as late as 70 days after.
Listeria can also cause common food poisoning symptoms, like diarrhea and fever. People who experience these symptoms usually recover without treatment.
For more information about Listeria, see Listeria Questions and Answers.