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Lamb colisepticemia
Colisepticemia is a generalized infection of the newborn lamb by a common environmental bacterium, Escherichia coli. Unlike lamb's diarrhea, where the bacteria remains in the intestine, here it passes into the blood and spreads throughout t...
What is it?
Colisepticemia is a generalized infection of the newborn lamb by a common environmental bacterium, Escherichia coli.
Unlike lamb's diarrhea, where the bacteria remains in the intestine, here it passes into the blood and spreads throughout the body: joints, brain coverings, eyes, deep organs.
One cause largely dominates all the others: lack of colostrum. A lamb that has not drunk enough colostrum in its first hours of life has no defense against the microbes that surround it, and the slightest dirty shed becomes dangerous for it.
Key point
Emergency in the first days of life. A cold lamb that is no longer suckling should be seen the same day. The cause is almost always a lack of colostrum associated with heavy litter: this is where action must be taken, before the next lambing campaign.
Commonly observed signs
These signs are neither exhaustive nor specific. Only a veterinarian can establish a diagnosis.
Related signs — each one links to its page:
Lamb that stops suckling, stays lying down, no longer follows its mother and no longer reacts when approached.
Wet and cold mouth, salivation, nose cold to the touch: this is the sign that gave the disease its popular name.
Swollen and distended belly, the lamb appears bloated even though it is no longer suckling.
Lamb cold to the touch, sticky gums, skin that remains wrinkled when pinched: signs of dehydration.
Diarrhea in some cases, but it can be absent completely.
Lamb that remains lying down and never gets up, then dies within a few hours.
In lambs that survive a few days, the infection sets in: swollen and hot joints with lameness, cloudy eyes, tilted head, tremors or convulsions if the coverings of the brain are affected.
A large, wet or painful belly button points towards an entry point through the cord.
When to consult without delay
This list does not replace veterinary advice. It gathers situations that justify a prompt consultation.
Causes and risk factors
The bacteria is present everywhere in the environment: litter, floor of the sheepfold, soiled udders, hands and equipment.
It enters through the mouth, through the still open navel, more rarely through a wound.
In a lamb properly fed colostrum, the mother's antibodies neutralize the bacteria. In a lamb which has not drunk colostrum, or which has drank it too late, there is nothing to stop it.
The causes of lack of colostrum are numerous: lamb born weak, large litter, poorly nourished ewe which does not produce milk, ewe with painful or poorly shaped udders, difficult lambing, adopted or orphaned lamb, cold which prevents the lamb from getting up to suckle.
The microbial load in the room then acts as an amplifier: the dirtier and older the litter, the higher the dose of bacteria received.
Cold and humidity make everything worse, depleting the lamb's reserves.
Lack of colostrum: this is by far the first factor, present in the vast majority of cases.
Lambs from multiple litters, lambs born weak or small, orphans and adopted lambs.
Malnourished ewes at the end of gestation, which produce little and poor quality colostrum.
First-time ewes, ewes with damaged or painful udders.
Difficult lambing, lamb that takes time to stand up.
Damp, old, loaded litter; overcrowded sheepfold; lambings grouped in a single room.
Navel not disinfected at birth.
Cold, drafts, humidity, lamb getting cold before nursing.
Poorly cleaned bottle feeding equipment, probes reused without hygiene.
Transmission
Contamination comes from the environment, not from one sick lamb to another in the strict sense: each lamb becomes contaminated on the litter, the udder or the equipment.
Microbial pressure increases over the course of the lambing campaign in the same premises: lambs born at the end of the period are more exposed.
Improperly cleaned hands and bottle nipples effectively carry the bacteria from one lamb to the next.
The bacteria involved in this form of the newborn do not present any particular risk to humans, but hand hygiene remains a basic rule when handling animals and their droppings.
Diagnosis and care
Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.
The veterinarian examines the lamb, takes its temperature, feels the navel, joints and belly, and looks for nervous or ocular signs.
It takes stock of what happened at birth: did the lamb suckle, when, how much, did the ewe have colostrum, how was the navel treated.
Blood tests can assess whether the lamb has received the colostrum antibodies: this is very useful information at flock level, as it reveals a general management problem rather than an isolated accident.
Samples can be sent to the laboratory to identify the bacteria and test its sensitivity to antibiotics, which is particularly useful when several treatments have already failed.
In the event of repeated mortality, the veterinarian can carry out an autopsy: it distinguishes this disease from other causes of mortality in the first days, in particular lamb dysentery and hypothermia, the prevention of which is not the same.
The veterinarian also evaluates the lambing room, the bedding and the delivery management: this is often where the solution is found.
Treatment
It's an emergency: an affected lamb deteriorates within a few hours.
Treatment is based on antibiotics prescribed by the veterinarian, chosen according to the situation of the farm and, if necessary, the laboratory results.
Supportive care weighs as much as the antibiotic: warm the lamb gradually, rehydrate it, shelter it, give it energy. A cold lamb does not digest: warming it before giving it water is essential, and how to do this must be explained by the veterinarian.
An anti-inflammatory can be combined on prescription, particularly when the joints are affected.
If the lack of colostrum is the cause and the lamb is still very young, the veterinarian can suggest a supply of colostrum or a suitable alternative: it is a decision that must be made quickly, the window is short.
Lambs that develop joint or brain damage respond poorly and often have after-effects.
Do not use leftover antibiotics from a previous episode: the product may be unsuitable, and the lamb does not have time for a mistake.
Waiting times should be requested from the veterinarian.
Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.
Prevention
It's all about colostrum. Every lamb should drink colostrum in its first hours of life, and this should be checked rather than assumed: a lamb that has not suckled should be helped.
For this, a properly fed ewe at the end of gestation is essential: it is she who produces colostrum, in quantity and quality.
Particularly monitor multiple litters, lambs born weak, orphans and first-time lambs.
Disinfect the navel at birth, according to the product and method indicated by the veterinarian.
Mulch abundantly and often, drain between batches, do not allow litter to become loaded throughout the campaign.
Separate ewes that have lambed from waiting ewes, limit the density in the room.
Keep lambs dry and protected from drafts; a lamb that is cold does not suck.
Systematically clean and disinfect bottles, teats and probes between each lamb.
Wash hands before handling newborns.
Please note: clostridial vaccination of sheep, which is also essential, does not protect against this disease. Here, hygiene and colostrum are everything.
Possible complications
Death of the lamb in a few hours in the septicemic form.
Persistent arthritis, swollen joints, lambs that limp and never catch up on growth.
Damage to the brain envelopes, with nervous signs and very poor prognosis.
Eye damage, with permanent blindness in the affected eye.
Surviving lambs are stunted, lagging behind, often ultimately culled.
Repeated and increasing losses throughout the lambing campaign if room hygiene and colostrum management do not change.
When to see a veterinarian
A lamb a few days old stops suckling, remains lying down and no longer reacts: call immediately, this can be counted in hours.
His mouth is cold and wet and his stomach is swollen.
A lamb is cold, the skin remains wrinkled when pinched.
A joint is swollen and hot in a lamb, or it limps.
A lamb trembles, tilts its head or convulses.
The belly button is large, wet or painful.
Several lambs die in the same days of life: have the premises and lambing management examined, not just the animals.
Prognosis
A lamb treated in the very first hours, reheated and rehydrated, can survive.
A lamb that is already lying down, cold and no longer reacting has a very poor prognosis despite treatment.
Forms that affect the joints, the eye or the brain leave after-effects and rarely produce good animals.
At the flock level, the prognosis is excellent: it is a disease which recedes very quickly as soon as colostrum intake is assured and the lambing room is clean and well mulched.
Frequently asked questions
My lamb has a cold, wet mouth and a swollen belly, what should I do?
Call the veterinarian immediately, it takes hours. In the meantime, put the lamb in a dry place, away from drafts, and reheat it gradually. Do not give it milk while it is cold: a cold lamb cannot digest it. The veterinarian will tell you the right way to proceed.
Doesn't the vaccine I give to my sheep before lambing protect against this?
No. Clostridial vaccines protect against enterotoxemia and other clostridiases, not this infection. They remain essential, but here the protection comes from colostrum and the cleanliness of the lambing room.
How do I know if my lambs have drunk enough colostrum?
By monitoring them at birth rather than assuming it: a lamb that has drunk has a round belly and gets up easily. The veterinarian can also take a blood test from a few lambs to check if they have received the antibodies. This is a very informative check when you lose lambs every year.
Why am I losing more and more as the lambing season goes on?
Because the litter becomes loaded with microbes over the weeks. Lambs born at the end receive a much higher dose than the first. Draining between batches, mulching abundantly and separating ewes which have lambed from those which are waiting breaks this increase in load.
References
FAO — Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture
Content reviewed by the TunisieVet editorial team · Updated 11 August 2026
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