This disease has many technical names: contagious pustular dermatitis, contagious ecthyma, infectious labial dermatitis, ecthyma contagiosum, thistle disease and scabby mouth.
Key features of contagious ecthyma:
- Cause: Orf virus (ORFV).
- Symptoms: Lesions on lips, tongue, nostrils, and potentially udders, feet, and other areas. Lesions can be small crusts or large, scab-covered areas.
- Transmission: Direct contact with infected animals, particularly through abrasions or cuts.
- Zoonotic potential: The virus can infect humans, causing similar lesions, often on the hands and face.
- Impact: Economic losses can include reduced productivity, secondary infections, and in some cases, mortality.
- Diagnosis: Based on clinical signs, or by PCR assay.
- Treatment: Typically, no specific treatment is needed as the disease is self-limiting. Treatment may focus on alleviating symptoms and preventing secondary bacterial infections.
–This disease, which affects goats and sheep, is caused by a virus called parapox virus.
These viruses live in environments such as barn walls, food containers, in pastures, etc. and can survive for a month, a year, and more.
Propagation
These viruses enter the animal through open wounds such as sores and often affect goats because they like to eat thorns that lead to injuries in the mouth.
-Also, baby goats that suckle if they are sick can infect their mothers.
-contact with an infected animal.
Symptoms
The main symptom is mouth ulcers.
-There may also be sores on the breasts and ears.
Prevention and treatment
A vaccine against this disease exists and is important because there is no specific treatment for this disease, so when it occurs, antibiotics and other natural methods are used.
–Sick animals should also be quarantined away from other animals to avoid infection.
NB:
This disease can be transmitted from animals to humans, so you should protect yourself when caring for sick animals.