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Sheep and Goat Pox

What are sheep and goat pox?

Sheep pox and goat pox are highly infectious diseases of sheep and goats characterized by fever, lacrimation (tear production), salivation, nasal discharge, and eruptions of numerous nodules in the skin. Typical pox lesions appear on the skin and on the lining of the respiratory tract, stomach, and intestines. There is a high mortality rate in susceptible populations. Sheep pox virus and goat pox viruses are usually host specific; however, strains exist that can infect both sheep and goats. Merino and European breeds of sheep are more susceptible to sheep pox virus than other breeds. Goat breeds also vary in susceptibility to goat pox virus, with breeds that are not normally exposed to the virus being more severely affected. Sheep and goat pox viruses can replicate in cattle but do not cause any clinical signs of disease in cattle.

Do we have sheep and goat pox in Canada?

No. These diseases are not present in Canada and have never been recorded in Canada. Sheep and goat pox occur in Africa, the Middle East, central Asia (including southern Russia and western China) and the Indian subcontinent. The geographic distribution of these diseases has been relatively stable.

Is there a human health risk associated with sheep and goat pox?

No. There is no evidence that sheep and goat pox viruses infect humans.

How are sheep and goat pox transmitted and spread?

These viruses are spread mainly through direct contact between animals and inhalation of aerosolized particles containing the virus. Infected animals shed the virus in all secretions and excretions as well as in scabs from skin lesions. Transmission often occurs by direct contact when animals are herded together at watering places, yards, and markets. Contamination of such sites is significant in the spread of the disease because the virus is relatively resistant and can persist in the environment. Disease is spread to new areas mainly through the movement of infected animals.

What are the clinical signs?

Sheep and goat pox varies from mild to severe cases. The course of the disease is similar in sheep and goats. A classic infection develops as follows:

• Initial signs include fever, discharge from the nose and eyes, excess salivation, depression, loss of appetite, and reluctance to move.
• Within a few days, pox lesions develop on the skin, and are most obvious in areas where the hair is shortest, such as the mouth, ears, genitals, udder, nostrils, and eyelids. The skin lesions are red bumps that exude pus. Lesions also develop in the gastrointestinal tract, trachea and lungs.
• Over a period of two weeks, the skin lesions change from red blister-like lesions to white nodules, eventually forming scabs. The lesions heal slowly and leave scars.
• Death may result at any stage of the disease, but peak mortality usually occurs about two weeks after the development of lesions. Mortality can be as high as 50 per cent in adults and 100 per cent in young animals.

How are these diseases diagnosed?

Sheep and goat pox are suspected based on the above clinical signs. Laboratory tests to isolate and identify the virus are necessary to confirm the diagnosis.

Are there any treatments?

There are no specific treatments for these diseases.

What is being done to prevent sheep and goat pox from entering Canada?

Sheep and goat pox are reportable diseases in Canada under the Health of Animals Act. This means that all suspected cases must be reported to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). All reported suspect cases are immediately investigated by inspectors from the Agency. The CFIA imposes strict regulations on the import of animals and animal products from countries where sheep and goat pox are known to occur. These regulations are enforced through CFIA port-of-entry inspections.

Canada’s emergency response strategy in the event of an outbreak of a foreign animal disease is to eradicate the disease and re-establish the country’s disease-free status as quickly as possible. In an effort to eradicate sheep and goat pox, the CFIA would employ its "stamping out" policy, which would include:

• the humane destruction of all infected and exposed animals;
• surveillance and tracing of potentially infected or exposed animals;
• strict quarantine and animal movement controls;
• strict decontamination of infected premises; and
• zoning to define infected and disease-free areas.

How to get more information?

Contact your Canadian Food Inspection Agency Area Office:

You can find your local Canadian Food Inspection Agency District Office on the CFIA Web site or by consulting the blue pages of your local phone directory.

September 2003
P0321E-03