Diagnosis Methods and Prevention Measures for Anthrax in Sheep

Anthrax in sheep is an acute, febrile and septicemic zoonotic infectious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis. It often occurs in sporadic or endemic form, and sheep are the most susceptible. This disease also has a seasonal character, and it is most likely to occur under the changeable weather conditions of spring and autumn, so how do you diagnose anthrax in sheep? How can it be prevented?

1. How do you diagnose anthrax in sheep?

1. Disease characteristics and symptoms

In its natural invasion environment, anthrax most easily invades various herbivorous animals, and the most susceptible include sheep, cattle and horses, while pigs have a lower incidence. It also has a certain invasive capacity for people who frequently come into contact with these animals. During an outbreak of anthrax in sheep, diseased sheep are the main source of infection. The pathogen can be transmitted through a range of factors such as saliva and urine, and is also excreted from the body with feces and then spread by various natural factors. After forming spores, it may turn the breeding area into a source of infection. The main cause of disease in sheep is digestive tract infection caused by eating water and feed containing the pathogen.

The onset of anthrax is acute and sudden. After contracting the disease, the sick sheep will suddenly become comatose and lie on the ground unable to stand normally, the whole body will undergo spasms, and the body temperature will also rise rapidly to above 40 degrees. The mucous membranes become cyanotic, the breathing sound is loud, and breathing is rapid or even impossible, with death occurring within a few hours. Before death, the natural orifices begin to bleed. In cases with a slow course, there will be brief excitement and restlessness in the early stage, running around and moving about, and discomfort when sitting or lying. After this stage, the animal begins to show poor spirits, refuses to eat, has an accelerated heartbeat, and may even pass feces mixed with blood.

2. Diagnosis methods

First, put on antibacterial protective equipment properly. From a dying or dead diseased sheep, collect a small amount of blood from the ear blood vessels for capsule smear staining and examination under a microscope. If many pathogens are found on the capsule, appearing singly or in chains with junctions like bamboo joints, then it is undoubtedly anthrax. This pathogen is a Gram-positive large bacillus and is the main pathogen of anthrax. When collecting blood, special care must be taken not to let the blood spill on the ground. You can also take blood from a dead sheep, add physiological saline, boil for half an hour, cool it, filter it with filter paper, then place it in a thin glass tube and draw it up with a capillary pipette, slowly dropping it onto the upper layer of serum to observe the result. If a white precipitation ring is found, it is anthrax.

2. How can anthrax in sheep be prevented?

Because sheep infected with anthrax die within a few hours, there is currently no effective treatment, so prevention in advance is the only option. After diseased sheep are found, they must be isolated immediately. Sheep with similar symptoms must also be moved out promptly and fed separately, and the situation must be reported immediately to the relevant departments. Dead sheep must have all materials they came into contact with, such as manure, urine and soil, buried deeply or completely burned at once, far away from normal sheep sheds. The sheep shed must be disinfected immediately with hot alkaline water and bleaching powder for comprehensive disinfection at least three times, with an interval of at most one hour. If some sheep have already become ill, the remaining sheep must immediately be given anti-anthrax serum, with the dosage determined according to the instructions. The flock must be regularly injected with avirulent anthrax spore vaccine for prevention, but goats need to be injected with anthrax No. 2 vaccine, and lambs under one year old must not be injected with any medication. When handling anthrax, special attention must be paid to wearing antibacterial clothing to prevent transmission to humans. Anthrax is a very severe infectious disease, and corresponding preparations must be made immediately upon discovery; otherwise it can cause the entire flock to become infected and die immediately, resulting in incalculable economic losses.

Summary: The above is an introduction to how to diagnose anthrax in sheep and how to prevent it. We hope it is helpful to friends in need!