Recurrence of a hairy shaker disease outbreak on an Otago sheep farm

Authors: Harkness J, Orr MB
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 39, Issue 1, pp 34-35, Mar 1991
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant, Sheep
Subject Terms: Congenital disease, Viral, Nervous system/neurology, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Integument/skin/wool/hair/fur/feather
Article class: Correspondence

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Abstract: The affected farm near Dunedin runs 300-400 breeding ewes with a lambing percent usually around 115-118%. Hairy shaker disease had not been seen on the property until 1983, when there was a major outbreak. In March of that year, the farmer purchased ewes from a number of sources to bring his flock size up to about 400 ewes. As lambing approached, there were a few late abortions, and at lambing about 130 lambs died within a few days of birth, many of them being small and coarse-fleeced (hairy). Two hundred and seventy lambs survived, giving a lambing percentage of 68%. Many of the surviving lambs were hairy and in the next few months most of these developed scours or arthritis and were unthrifty. A diagnosis of hairy shaker disease was made on clinical grounds, and this was confirmed by…

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