Few options for jaagsiekte

June 11, 2010

WITH individual testing for ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (jaagsiekte disease) still problematic, and a vaccine a long way off, Christina Cousens of the Moredun Research Institute said early recognition, culling clinical cases and upping biosecurity were the only options available.

She said to immediately cull any ewes (and their offspring) with a clear, runny discharge from their nose, as this was a clear symptom of clinical cases with fully developed lung tumours.

Unfortunately infected ewes could be spreading the disease before they reached the nasal discharge stage, and it was virtually impossible to identify these ‘healthy carriers’, as testing could reveal the disease in the flock and not the individual ewes.

Dr Cousens also suggested culling older ewes and ones with lack of body condition and, where possible, to operate a closed flock, double fence boundaries and decontaminate any shared equipment.

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