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Page 1 of 2 Caseous Lymphadenitis in Goats
CL, Boils and Abscesses in Goats
Every goat producer eventually is threatened with the possibility of having CLA (Caseous Lymphadenitis) in their goat herd. CLA is possibly one of the most controversial topics in goat management and can be quite frightening.
How to recognize and deal with the dreaded CLA (Caseous Lymphadentitis) in goats. Various articles about this abscess - what is and what is not a typical location for CL Abscess.
NOT ALL ABSCESSES ARE CLA!
CL And NON CL (CASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS) Abscesses
Unfortunately every time a goat gets an abscess, the first thing the
owner is bombarded with is lectures on CL (CASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS)
caused by Corynebacterium
pseudotuberculosis ; and the goat owner dealing with this abscess
immediately is frightened into culling the goat.
There ARE abscesses which are NOT CL!
Read this Before You CULL!Using Formalin to treat CLA Abscesses
A Quick review of CL
Also known as "Cheesy Gland" because of the dryish
purulent excudate (pus)
which is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium
pseudotuberculosis and typically affects sheep and goats.
It is a highly contagious disease which usually locates itself in the
lymph glands but can also be internalized into the lungs and organs.
So, How does a Goat get CL?
The disease is spread through a herd by soil contamination from an
external abscess which has burst and contaminated the
environment, then picked up by another animal via mucus membranes or
open tissue.. The organisms can live in the soil for extended periods
of time- sometimes years, possibly infecting other animals with open
wounds or newborn lambs and kids with umbilical cords touching the
ground, does and ewes in milk whose teats are exposed by laying on the
contaminated soil are a few examples of how the disease may spread
. It is common for the disease to spread within sheep herds and
Angora Goat herds via shearing contaminated animals and not
sterilizing shearing equipment between animals.
There are 2 forms of this disease- Superficial (abscesses of lymph
nodes) and Visceral (abscesses of internal organs). Visceral abscesses
will condemn carcasses of meat animals while the Superficial abscesses
will ruin the pelt of the animal.
The Clinical Signs of CL in the Superficial form are visible abscesses
just under the skin - usually near the lymph glands: This form is most
typical in goats.
These abscesses are typically filled with pus that is a white, yellow,
or greenish color and usually has no real odor. It is a dryish
exudate (pus) that appears cheesy. If left untreated, the nodule will
grow larger until the wall of the nodule thins and it bursts, allowing
the bacteria to be released into the environment. It can live years in
the right environment- whether it be in the soil, barn floor or feed
bins.
"Researchers have shown that the organism is capable of entering the
lungs by inhalation and can spread to internal organs by injection into
the bloodstream. Studies also show that it can cross the membranes of
the digestive tract and vagina, and that a break in the skin is not
needed for an animal to become infected." 1
The Clinical Signs of CL in the Visceral form are long term emaciation,
coughing, and general poor health. The internal organs most affected
are the lungs, kidney and liver- mostly in sheep, but can appear in
goats.
NON- CLA Abscesses Diagram:
Symptoms of CLA
- Animal is lagging behind the flock.
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
- Purulent (Containing, discharging, or causing the production of
pus) ocular (eye) and nasal (nose) discharge
- Enlarged superficial body lymph nodes
- Generalized disease is associated with weight loss,
depression and loss of appetite
- Caseous abscesses in the superficial lymph nodes and carcass
muscle structure
- Firm and dry abscess in the kidney and other
organs. Soft pasty abscess in the early stages changes to firm
and dry with a characteristic laminated appearance in the
later stages of disease.
- Abscess content is creamy and pasty in goats
- Pneumonia
Pasteurella Abscess excudate is different in appearance and odor than the typical Cheesy CLA Excudate  Pasteurella abscesses have a foul odor and are wetter and sticky - unlike the dryish cheesy appearance of the CLA excudate (pus)- which has little to no odor.
Tooth Abscess in goat that "could be" mistaken for a CL Abscess:
Salivary Gland Abscess that also could be mistaken for a CL Abscess
Food Impaction in CheekAnother "facial lump" that may be accidentally thought of as CL is when a goat with either broken or missing back molars gets food (chewed hay) caught in between the cheek and teeth- it will stay there until it is physically removed - and if left it can cause death by way of starvation and water deprivation. I recently was contacted by a distraught goat owner who was worried this lump in her doe was CL - she was devastated, I asked her to send a photo of the goat and lump - the second I saw it I knew it was food caught in the cheek- she went back to the barn, removed the impacted food and took a deep breath of relief. This will more than likely have to be repeated for possibly months - daily until either the missing tooth adjusts or the sharp point of the broken tooth dulls- She gave me permission to use her photos so that it may help others:
Look at the green on the lip- a sign that chewed hay is the culprit. You will need to very carefully insert a finger into the mouth along the cheek and back, the goat will have the tendency to chew- be very careful as those back teeth are as sharp as shards of broken glass- hook the impact with your finger and remove. Photo courtesy of Alisha and her doe Smiley
Where to buy 10% Buffered Formalin: Valley Vet Supply
CLA
in Goats
Randall J Berrier ,DVM
Staff Veterinarian
Technical Service
Colorado Serum Company often gets a lot of
correspondence regarding caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) in goats
and questions about using our CLA vaccines (Case-Bac and
Caseous D-T) in goats. There
seems to be a lot of interest and misleading information
regarding vaccinating goats against CLA.
For more detailed information about CLA, the disease,
please refer to our vet's corner from June 2001, (volume 1 -
no.4).
Caseous lymphadenitis is caused by the
bacterial organism Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.
The two vaccines that Colorado Serum Company makes for
CLA are licensed for use in sheep only.
These two vaccines are also the only two commercially
available vaccines for combating CLA in the United States.
The vaccine (Case-Bac) is a combination bacterin/toxoid,
while Caseous D-T also contains tetanus toxoid and Clostridium
perfringens type D toxoid as well.
The main reason why Colorado Serum Company
did not have a label for usage of these vaccines in goats is
safety. Colorado
Serum Company originally tested caseous vaccines in goats and
noted varying levels of injection site reactions that went
from no reactions to swellings about 14 inches in diameter.
There would be associated lameness post-vaccination
that would last anywhere from 1 to 30 days.
All of these reactions would be unacceptable to USDA
and therefore Colorado Serum Company never pursued a license
in goats. Since
Colorado Serum Company was unhappy with the safety profile of
these vaccines in goats, we never pursued any further efficacy
testing in goats. Over
the years Colorado Serum Company has also received numerous
calls from the field from people who have used this vaccine
off label in goats. A
fair percentage of vaccinated goats will develop a fever and
become lethargic for a period of days.
These goats will sometimes go off feed or have a
reduction of feed intake.
Milking does can have a decrease in milk production.
Vaccinating pregnant animals can increase the risk
factors. As in
sheep, vaccinating goats that already have CLA will do
absolutely no good and will only make the above-mentioned
reactions worse. So
you can see why we cannot recommend vaccinating goats with
these vaccines.
However, all hope is not lost.
There are other options for goat ranchers.
First of all, I would strongly recommend having any
suspect abscesses sampled by a veterinarian and submitted to a
veterinary diagnostic lab to confirm if your herd has
CLA. An article
by Gezon, Bither, Hanson and Thompson in the Journal of the
American Veterinary Medical Association 1991; 198:257-263,
reported that over a 16 year period Actionmyces pyogenes
was cultured 3 times more often than C. pseudotuberculosis in
a particular goat herd with an ongoing history of internal and
external abscesses. The
point is - not every abscess in goats is CLA!
If you confirm that you do indeed have CLA in your goat
herd I would recommend not treating goats that have abscesses
and either selling them or isolating them.
Since there is no commercially available vaccine
available for goats you may want to consider having an
autogenous vaccine made from a sample of one of the abscesses
that tested positive for CLA.
Most autogenous products are whole-cell bacterins.
It has been our experience that a bacterin/toxoid
provides a much better immune response.
I don't know how much protection goats are going to
receive from an autogenous bacterin.
You may want to try an autogenous caseous bacterin in a
limited number of goats and determine if it works in your goat
herd.
Hopefully this helped answer questions
about using Colorado Serum Company Case-Bac
and Caseous
D-T vaccines in goats and why Colorado Serum Company can't
recommend it. Currently,
Colorado Serum Company is actively pursuing a safer vaccine
for CLA that can be licensed for use in goats.
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