In Sickness and Health

Zoonoses

A disease that can be naturally transmitted from animals to humans is called a zoonotic disease. There are a handful of diseases that people can acquire from sheep.

Good Hygiene

If infective sheep manure is handled, diarrheal infections such as cryptosporidia or salmonella are possible (though uncommon), especially in children and those with compromised immune systems. Prevention is simple: wash hands in warm soapy water after handling sheep and/or their feces.

 
It is a good idea to wear gloves when
assisting with the delivery of lambs
and handling fetuses or placenta.

 Alert to Pregnant Women!

The biggest health risk sheep pose is to pregnant women. This is because the same organisms which can cause abortion in ewes can cause abortions (miscarriage) in women. The most common causes of abortion in sheep are enzootic abortion (chylamidia) and toxoplasmosis. Domestic cats are the common carrier of toxoplasmosis. Because of the risk, pregnant women should not be involved with ewes that are lambing.

Ouch - That Hurts!

Soremouth (orf) is the most common skin disease of sheep. It is caused by a virus. It can be transmitted to humans and cause painful sores on the hands, arms, and face. The virus can be transmitted via natural infection or handling of the live soremouth vaccine. A recent study in England showed that 23 percent of sheep farmers and sheep farm workers have been infected with orf.

Ringworm (club lamb fungus) is a fungal disease that can be transmitted to humans. The lesions in people appear as a red thickened rash. In extreme cases, ringworm can cause disfiguring scars.

 Handle with Care

People, especially children, can become unnecessarliy injured when working with livestock. Safety should be of primary concern when handling all livestock. Safe handling is also less stressful to the animals. The use of specialized handling equipment minimizes the stress and risk of injury to both the shepherd and animals.

Don't Get Rammed!

Some shepherds have been seriously injured by rams (intact male sheep). Rams don't need to have horns in order to be dangerous. Several years ago, a ram was implicated in the death of an elderly couple. Under no circumstances should a person turn their back on a ram. Even the most docile ram can become aggressive. This is because it is a ram's natural behavior to charge, if he thinks his dominant position in the flock is being challenged. Rams are especially agressive during the mating or rutting season.

 
Suffolk sheep with Scrapie

Photo Source: USDA APHIS

. . New Words . .

Abortion - expulsion or extraction of the fetus from the womb before it is viable. Termination of pregnancy.

Fungus - one of a group of non-flowering lower plants that lack chlorophyll and the organized plant structure of stems, roots, and leaves.

Placenta - the tissue which connects the mother and fetus that transports nourishment and takes away waste.also called afterbirth.

Rutting - state of sexual excitement.

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) - a family of diseases of humans and animals characterized by spongy degeneration of the brain with serious and fatal neurological signs and symptoms. Infective agent is an abnormal protein called a prion.

Vaccine - a preparation that contains an infectious agent or its components which is administered to stimulate an immune response that will protect a person or animal from illness due to that agent.

Virus - ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts.

Zoonoses - an infectious disease that is transmissible under normal conditions from animals to humans.