Ceva Animal Health has launched its annual Assure Ewe diagnostic support scheme for Enzootic Abortion of Ewes (EAE) for sheep farmers experiencing abortions during lambing.
EAE costs the UK sheep industry up to £20 million a year (Milne et al., 2009) and remains a significant issue on sheep farms; it was one of the top three causes of ovine abortion in Great Britain in 2023 (Animal & Plant Health Agency, 2023). An investigation of UK flocks with EAE over four or more years demonstrated that failure to vaccinate was a consistent feature (Lima et al., 2019). Not surprisingly, vaccination for EAE falls within category one for sheep vaccination and is recommended under NOAH’s livestock vaccination guidelines.
Ceva’s Assure Ewe subsidised testing scheme enables farmers to test for EAE if they have experienced an abortion rate of over two percent in their flock or if two or more have aborted over two to three days, irrespective of the size of the flock. The scheme is available for flocks showing late-term abortion or ewes lambing at term with weakly or stillborn lambs. Up to six ewes can be sampled from flocks that do not vaccinate against EAE; these samples may be useful in flocks where an investigation during the outbreak was not possible, or to confirm the diagnosis in aborted ewes. Aborted ewes can be tested for Chlamydia abortus (Chlamydophila abortus), ideally from three weeks to three months after lambing. Ceva recommends that farmers record tag numbers and mark up aborted ewes so that they can be easily identified for screening at the end of lambing.
One of the issues that contributes to these levels of disease is the ability of the bacteria to lay latent in ewes until the next pregnancy. One infected sheep aborting, with the associated shedding of the bacteria, has the potential to infect multiple ewes that will abort at their next lambing.
Phillipa Page, BVSc, BSC, MRCVS, veterinary advisor at NADIS and consultant sheep veterinary surgeon at Flock Health Ltd, comments: “If your farming clients are experiencing abortions in their ewes, it is advisable that they identify the cause as quickly and effectively as possible to help prevent the rest of the ewes in the flock from becoming infected and an abortion storm during future lambings. The Assure Ewe testing scheme will help farmers obtain a diagnosis and formulate a plan to help protect their flock.”
For further information on EAE, the Assure Ewe scheme or Ceva Animal Health’s Cevac Chlamydia vaccine, please contact your local Ceva Animal Health account manager or visit the Cevac website.
