Sheep measles
General description
- Sheep measles are the cystic stage of the dog tapeworm Taenia ovis.
- The cysts occur in the muscles of the sheep.
- Sheep measles do not cause any ill health to affected sheep but can cause economic loss due to carcase condemnation at slaughter.
Cause
- Sheep measles occurs when sheep ingest tapeworm eggs from contaminated pastures.
Clinical signs
- There are no clinical signs in live sheep.
- The cysts can calcify and have a ‘gritty’ feel.
- At slaughter infected carcasses may be trimmed or condemned.
Diagnosis
- Sheep measles is detected by examining the muscles after slaughter.
Treatment
- There is no effective treatment for sheep measles.
Prevention
- Sheep measles can be prevented through monthly dog worming with a wormer that controls tapeworm and by restricting dog access to raw sheep meat and offal.
- Frozen raw meat can be fed if held at or below -20℃ for two or more days beforehand.
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