Veterinary case
A neck abscess in a lamb hid a rare bacterium
⚠️ This information is provided for awareness only and does not replace an examination by a veterinarian.
🤖 Summary produced automatically from the scientific publication cited at the bottom of the page.
A hard, non-draining abscess on a lamb's neck led to the discovery of a bacterium never before reported in sheep in Mexico.
What happened?
On a farm of 155 sheep in Mexico, several animals had recurring skin abscesses. The vet first suspected caseous lymphadenitis, a common sheep disease. Among the examined animals, a 4-month-old lamb had a hard 5 cm abscess on the side of its neck, without any drainage. The owner wanted to know the real cause to protect his flock's market value.
What did the vet find?
The abscess was hard, 5 cm wide, without drainage, and looked like typical caseous lymphadenitis. The vet collected a sample by puncture and sent it to the lab. Cultures showed yellowish colonies that did not destroy blood cells, unlike the usual bacterium for this disease. Further testing, including genetic analysis, confirmed it was actually Corynebacterium xerosis, a bacterium rarely found in sheep.
What did the vet do?
ℹ️ Treatment given to THIS animal, decided by its veterinarian. It is not a prescription: never apply it without veterinary advice.
No specific treatment was applied to this lamb as part of the study; the case mainly served to identify the responsible bacterium. The vet advised cleaning and disinfecting the abscesses of all affected animals in an isolated area to prevent the infection from spreading.
What happened next?
The study identified this bacterium for the first time in a sheep in Mexico. The vet recommended the owner improve pen cleaning, remove sharp objects, and be careful when handling the animals, since this bacterium can also infect humans.
Advice for the farmer
Keep pens clean and free of sharp objects, since skin wounds make it easier for abscess-causing bacteria to enter.
Source
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Title
- Identification and molecular characterization of Corynebacterium xerosis isolated from a sheep cutaneous abscess: first case report in Mexico.
- Authors
- Hernández-León F, Acosta-Dibarrat J, Vázquez-Chagoyán JC, Rosas PF, de Oca-Jiménez RM.
- Year
- 2016
- DOI
- 10.1186/s13104-016-2170-8
- Licence
- CC BY
