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parasitic disease Sheep, Goat Transmissible to humans

Cryptosporidiosis of lamb

Cryptosporidiosis is diarrhea in very young lambs and kids, caused by a microscopic parasite which settles in the wall of the small intestine. It strikes very early, in the first days and weeks of life, often when animals appeared vigorous...

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Definition Signs Causes Transmission Diagnosis Treatment Prevention Complications When to see a vet Zoonosis Prognosis FAQ Sources Affected species

What is it?

Cryptosporidiosis is diarrhea in very young lambs and kids, caused by a microscopic parasite which settles in the wall of the small intestine.

It strikes very early, in the first days and weeks of life, often when animals appeared vigorous at birth.

The parasite destroys the surface of the intestine that absorbs water and nutrients. The lamb then literally empties itself: dehydration, more than the parasite itself, is what kills it.

Key point

A day-old lamb with diarrhea can die of dehydration in less than two days. This disease is also transmitted to humans: children should not handle diarrheic lambs, and washing their hands with soap and water is essential after each visit to the sheepfold.

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:

Diarrhea Dehydration Reduction Loss of appetite Pain Stunted growth Weight loss Lying animal that does not get up

Profuse diarrhea, watery or pasty, often yellowish or whitish, usually without blood, in lambs from a few days to a few weeks old.

Hindquarters and tail permanently soiled, characteristic odor in the sheepfold.

Lamb which suckles less or refuses to nurse, even though it suckled well the day before.

Despondency, lamb which remains lying aside, head lowered, which no longer follows its mother.

Signs of pain: lamb tensing, grinding, pushing while emptying.

Rapid dehydration: sunken eyes, dry mouth, skin that remains wrinkled when pinched, cold extremities. This is the most urgent sign.

In severe cases, lamb lying on its side which no longer gets up, extreme weakness, then death within a few hours if nothing is done.

In those who survive, growth stops and delay which is still seen weeks later.

Cases follow one another in the same lambing batch: it is rarely an isolated animal.

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 parasite appears in a form of microscopic resistance, emitted in very large quantities in the droppings of a sick animal.

These forms are immediately infective, as soon as they emerge: there is no need for maturation in the environment, unlike other digestive parasites. A lamb that becomes infected in the morning can infect its neighbors shortly afterwards.

The lamb swallows them by licking soiled litter, walls, barriers, its mother's soiled udder, buckets or teats, or by drinking contaminated water.

Once in the small intestine, the parasite invades the lining and destroys the surface that absorbs water and nutrients.

The quantity needed to make a lamb sick is very small, while sick lambs emit enormous quantities: the pressure builds very quickly in a lambing barn.

Resistance forms survive for a long time in damp litter and in corners, and cope well with most common disinfectants, including chlorine-based ones. Heat, steam and complete drying are, however, unfavorable to them.

Adult ewes can emit it without being sick, particularly around lambing, and thus contaminate their own lamb.

Lambs and kids from the first days of life, the most fragile of all.

Grouped lambing in a single room, with many animals in the same place and births following one another: the pressure increases day by day and the last born are the most exposed.

Damp, dirty litter, insufficiently mulched, corners never cleaned.

Insufficient or late intake of colostrum: a lamb which has not received enough colostrum does not defend itself well against all the diseases of young age.

Thin or poorly nourished ewes at the end of gestation, which produce weak lambs and give poor quality colostrum.

Cold, drafts, lambs not warming up.

Poorly cleaned breastfeeding equipment, buckets and teats shared between batches.

Mixture of lambs of different ages, or presence of calves or kids in the same buildings.

Reuse of the same lambing room year after year without any real crawl space.

Transmission

Direct transmission from animal to animal through droppings, and indirect through litter, walls, fences, hands, boots, buckets and nursing equipment.

Sick lambs are very big emitters: just one is enough to contaminate a lambing room.

Ewes emit forms of resistance around parturition, which contaminates lambs from the first hours of life.

The breeder's clothes, boots and hands carry the parasite from one premises to another.

The parasite is also transmitted to humans, and is also transmitted from one animal species to another: calves, kids and lambs can contaminate each other when they share the same buildings or the same equipment.

Rodents, birds and flies can help disperse contamination in buildings.

Diagnosis and care

Diagnosis is the veterinarian's responsibility, based on clinical examination and laboratory tests. Care is decided case by case.

When faced with diarrhea in lambs, the first emergency is not the diagnosis but the condition of the animal: the veterinarian assesses dehydration, temperature and ability to suckle.

Diagnosis of the exact cause requires a laboratory examination of fresh droppings taken from several sick lambs not yet treated. With the naked eye, you cannot tell what is causing lamb's diarrhea.

This point is essential because diarrhea in young lambs has several possible causes, parasitic and microbial, and the treatment is not the same. Treating haphazardly, especially with an antibiotic, wastes time when the cause is parasitic.

Mixed infections are common: finding this parasite does not exclude that another agent is also present.

The veterinarian also assesses the context of the flock: quality of the colostrum, condition of the ewes at the end of gestation, density and cleanliness of the lambing room. This is often where the real explanation lies.

Coccidia, which affect older lambs, should not be confused with this parasite: the period of appearance and the action to take differ.

Treatment

The main part of the treatment is rehydration: give water with a suitable rehydration solution, regularly, in small quantities, without ever eliminating breastfeeding. A lamb that continues to suck retains its strength.

Very dehydrated lambs, unable to suckle or lying on their sides, can no longer be saved by the oral route alone: they require veterinary care, with administration of liquids by another route. You don't have to wait until the next day.

Warm and dry the lamb, place it on clean, dry bedding, away from drafts: a cold lamb will not recover.

There is no medication that eliminates this parasite reliably and quickly. Some products can be used for prevention at the batch level, but their use, limitations and suitability are strictly the veterinarian's decision.

Antibiotics do not work on this parasite. They can be prescribed when the veterinarian also suspects a bacterial cause, but given alone and systematically, they are of no use against this disease.

No dose or product should be decided on its own initiative on such young and fragile animals.

Quickly isolate sick lambs with their mothers in a separate box, and deal with them last during the sheepfold tour, so as not to carry contamination to healthy lambs.

Treatment depends on the cause and the animal's condition: it must be determined by a veterinarian. No self-medication.

Prevention

Take care of colostrum: each lamb must suckle quickly after birth, in sufficient quantity. This is the most cost effective measure of all lambing, regardless of the disease involved.

Properly feed ewes at the end of gestation: ewes in good condition produce vigorous lambs and quality colostrum.

Mulch abundantly and often: dry litter is the best barrier. Cure soiled corners rather than covering indefinitely.

Reduce the density in lambing rooms and, when possible, separate births into several batches or several rooms, to prevent the last born from arriving in a saturated environment.

Immediately isolate any lamb that begins to have diarrhea, with its mother, and treat it last during the round of the sheepfold.

Clean and disinfect the premises between two series, with a real crawl space and complete drying. Ask the veterinarian which products and processes are really active on this parasite: most common disinfectants are not, and steam or prolonged drying in the sun are often more effective than a poorly chosen product.

Clean and dry buckets, teats and breastfeeding equipment thoroughly after each use, and do not share them between batches.

Do not house calves or kids in the same room as newborn lambs.

Wash hands between batches, change or clean boots, and wear sheepfold clothing.

Control rodents and flies in lambing buildings.

Possible complications

Death from dehydration, often within one to two days in younger lambs.

Long-term growth retardation among survivors, who lag behind the pack.

Superinfection or association with other agents of neonatal diarrhea, which suddenly worsens the condition.

General weakening which opens the door to other illnesses of young age, particularly respiratory ones.

Long-lasting contamination of the lambing room, with the disease returning each season if cleaning is not rethought.

Risk of contamination of people handling sick lambs, particularly children.

When to see a veterinarian

A lamb less than three weeks old has diarrhea: this is always a situation to be taken seriously, do not put it off until tomorrow.

The lamb no longer suckles, remains lying down or does not get up: it is an emergency.

The pinched skin on the side remains wrinkled, the eyes are sunken, the mouth is cold: dehydration is already advanced.

Several lambs from the same lambing batch are affected in quick succession.

A lamb dies of diarrhea: have the case examined to protect those following it, the action to take depends on the exact cause.

Diarrhea comes back every year at the same time in your sheepfold.

A person in the house, especially a child, develops diarrhea after handling sick lambs: consult a doctor and report this.

Transmission to humans

This parasite is transmitted to humans, and sick lambs and kids are a well-identified source of contamination. Breeders, veterinarians, trainees and especially the children who come to see the lambs are concerned.

Contamination occurs by swallowing the parasite: soiled hands put in the mouth, cigarette or snack taken from the sheepfold without having washed your hands, clothes and boots brought home.

In humans, it causes profuse watery diarrhea, with cramping, nausea and fatigue, which often lasts longer than ordinary gastroenteritis. In a healthy person, this usually returns to normal, but the episode is distressing.

In young children, the elderly, pregnant women and especially people with weakened immune systems, the disease can be severe and prolonged. These people should not handle diarrheal lambs.

The protective measures are simple and effective: wash your hands with soap and water after handling lambs, and systematically before eating, drinking or smoking; never take a meal in the sheepfold; keep clothing and boots reserved for the building; remove work clothes before going home.

Hydroalcoholic gels are not very effective on this parasite: washing hands with soap and water remains the reference measure.

If diarrhea occurs in the family after contact with sick lambs, consult a doctor and tell him about this contact: this information directly guides the examinations.

Prognosis

A lamb caught early, rehydrated correctly and kept warm and dry usually recovers well, even if it is a little behind schedule.

A lamb already lying down, cold and very dehydrated has a guarded prognosis even with veterinary care: in this disease, a few hours change everything.

At the flock level, control is based on colostrum, density and cleanliness of the lambing room much more than on medication. Farms that rethink their lambing see the problem decline significantly from one year to the next.

Frequently asked questions

Can I give an antibiotic to my lambs with diarrhea?

Not on your own initiative, and especially not as a systematic reflex. When the cause is this parasite, the antibiotic does nothing: it does not replace rehydration or cleaning the area. Only the veterinarian can decide whether a bacterial cause justifies an antibiotic, after examining the animals and if possible an analysis.

However, I disinfect my sheepfold every year, why does the diarrhea come back?

Because the resistance form of this parasite tolerates most commercial disinfectants well, including those based on chlorine. What matters is to really cure, to let it dry completely, to use a suitable process that the veterinarian will tell you, and above all to reduce the density of lambs in the room.

Can my children come see the lambs?

Not those with diarrhea. This parasite is transmitted to humans and young children are particularly susceptible. For lambs in good health, the visit is possible provided they wash their hands with soap and water when leaving, before any snack or meal.

Does colostrum protect against diarrhea?

It does not specifically protect against this parasite, but a lamb that has suckled its colostrum well is significantly more resistant to all early-onset diseases and is much more resistant to dehydration. This is the first lever to work in any lambing.