Salmonellosis in sheep and zinc oxide dosing

Authors: Towers NR, Smith BL
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 34, Issue 3, pp 37-38, Mar 1986
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant, Sheep
Subject Terms: Bacterial, Inflammation, Integument/skin/wool/hair/fur/feather, Disease/defect, Mycotoxicosis, Liver/hepatic disease, Fungal/yeast, Alimentary system/gastroenterology, Notifiable organisms/exotic disease, Photosensitivity, Toxicology, Infectious disease, Treatment/therapy, Trace elements, Minerals/elememts, Zoonosis, Public health
Article class: Correspondence

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Abstract: For several years we have been concerned with developing safe and effective methods of administering zinc to farm animals for the control of facial eczema. In none of our trial work involving repeated daily, weekly and fortnightly dosing of zinc oxide to sheep not vaccinated against salmonellosis has salmonellosis been encountered. Recently two reports have suggested that high doses of zinc oxide have played a part in the aetiology of two outbreaks of salmonellosis in sheep and we thank the authors of both papers for pointing out their field observations. In the first outbreak the sheep were subjected to exceptional stress (three days of mustering, yarding, drafting, tagging, weighing, bleeding, dosing and trucking). Even so it appeared that the “zinc dosed” and not the “nonzinc” group were affected by salmonellosis, but in exceptional circumstances. In the second outbreak it was suggested that a higher than recommended rate of zinc oxide may have been administered. In this outbreak there was no “yarded but non-zinc” dosed group reported with which to compare incidence rates for salmonellosis. We consider that the first of these cases especially indicates that there may be a salmonellosis risk associated with the combined effect of very high zinc dose rates and prolonged stress. Prolonged or repeated yarding increases the risk of a number of diseases and…

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