A caprine pneumonia outbreak associated with caprine herpesvirus and Pasteurella haemolytica respiratory infections

Abstract

In a field disease outbreak, 60 female goats died over a 2–3 week period. Necropsies of seven of these does revealed that six had an acute exudative necrotising broncho-pneumonia, and moderate to high numbers of Pasteurella haemolytica were isolated from their lungs. Caprine herpesvirus, identified as Bovid herpesvirus type 6, was isolated from the lungs of two of these does, including one with pneumonia, and from nasal swabs of in-contact goats. Clinical disease was only observed in does, and deaths began 3 weeks after the introduction of a mob of goat hoggets from another farm.