[feldar]

I have a friend who has had a lot of problems with abortions this year in his sheep. He is a fairly big producer for our area, running about 500 plus ewes.
At first because he lambs from Feb tthrough to April, he thought Schmallenberg, but tests were negative for this and came back positive for enzootic abortion.
Problem is, he has run a closed flock since 2003 and only buys in his breeding rams. So any thoughts on where this has come from? he is as puzzled as we are.
All his replacement ewes are bred on farm and sent away to his own ground to grow on. Any he doesn't want and all ram lambs are cut and finished as stores straight to the butcher.
The vet is at a loss too. We thought maybe it could have come in with a neighbours sheep but there is a road between them and him. Would a fox carry it in with cleanings from a birth or could deer carry it?
The only other risk factor is human, from the vet carrying it in on boots and clothing or one of the lambing assistants, but wouldn't it have to be fairly fresh contamination for that to pass on?

[colliewoman]

My first though was deer, but I don't know if it is possible. I don't see why not though
That and walkers feet if he has footpaths going through his fields.
 

[SallyintNorth]

Sooo... why do he and his vet not think it came in with one of his breeding rams that he bought in? 

Otherwise, yes, a fox, a dog, or a bird could have carried infected cleansings from a neighbouring flock.

The good news is, there's a good vaccine for this disease.

[woollyval]

Have they tested for the obvious....toxoplasmosis? This is carried by cats and cats living in hay barns can spread it all around!

[robert waddell]

i would have went for the rams being infected as well

[feldar]

The literature on this disease does state that the rams do not carry the infection and that the ewes are infecting other ewes at lambing and i must admit the rams were my first thought but they are not supposed to carry it and they only run with the ewes for a period of time before being removed. The ewes carry the Chlamydia organism in the birthing fluids.
My next thought was infection by the vet who is more likely to have been on several farms in one day with the same boots on.
Not toxo, woolyval they did the tests for that and it came back positive only for enzootic

[SallyintNorth]

NADIS confirms that rams are not thought to carry the infection.  As well as stating that foxes and seagulls get blamed it suggests that orphan lambs could be carriers - many farmers do ring around to find a spare lamb when we've a bereaved mother and no spare lambs ourselves.

[Dougal]

I have a simple rule about taking in Orphan lambs, only wethers! Means that i have less chance of bring in disease. The good news about enzootic. they only abort once, there is a vaccine or altenatively don't vaccinate but lamb all your ewe lambs and if they will abort they will do so as ewe lambs when the loss to the flock is not so finacially painful.
As for where the disease came from, crows, foxes, dogs, strays? Youmentioned that the ewe lambs are wintered away from home, there could have been more chance of contact there?