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Sheep

Watery mouth disease in neonatal lambs: a systematic literature review

02 March 2020
Clinical
23 mins read
02 March 2020
Volume 25 · Issue 2
Figure 2. Clinical signs associated with watery mouth disease; a) and b) two lambs with signs of increased salivation around the mouth; c) a lamb with right-sided abdominal distension associated with abdominal tympany.
Figure 2. Clinical signs associated with watery mouth disease; a) and b) two lambs with signs of increased salivation around the mouth; c) a lamb with right-sided abdominal distension associated with abdominal tympany.

Abstract

Watery mouth disease is considered to be a significant cause of neonatal mortality in lambs. The clinical signs are strongly associated with an endotoxaemia produced as a result of the lysis of Gram-negative bacteria. It has been associated with mass antibiosis to neonatal lambs at birth, a practice which is now untenable. It can be prevented in many cases through the timely administration of good quality colostrum and a hygienic birth environment. However, despite this, much remains unknown about the specific aetiopathogenesis. Alternative strategies for prevention, treatment and control are required, particularly when colostrum quality is poor, or delivery is absent, and where unhygienic conditions predominate.

The mortality and morbidity of neonatal lambs is a cause of poor welfare for affected cases and results in the reduced production and economic profitability of farms. Worldwide, on average, 15% of lambs die in the neonatal period, with this rate remaining unchanged for the past 40 years (Dwyer et al, 2016). After birth, the neonate enters a new and hostile environment compared with that in utero and in particular must meet the challenge presented by infectious organisms which rapidly become important causes of mortality for neonatal lambs.

In recent surveys, infectious disease accounted for 10% of neonatal deaths in Wales, UK (Hybu Cig Cymru – Meat Promotion Wales, 2011) and 36% in Norway (Holmoy et al, 2017), with both surveys reporting the majority of deaths within 48 hours of birth. Arguably, the most important infectious disease syndrome reported in this very early period is an endotoxaemia associated with undefined pathotypes of Escherichia coli, colloquially known as watery mouth disease (WM) on account of one of the clinical signs seen — drooling saliva from the mouth.

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neonatal mortality
watery mouth disease
colostrum
sheep