Social behaviour and transmission of lameness in a flock of ewes and lambs.
footrot
network based diffusion analysis
proximity sensor
sheep
social network
transmission
Journal
Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
Titre abrégé: Front Vet Sci
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 101666658
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2022
2022
Historique:
received:
24
08
2022
accepted:
17
11
2022
entrez:
19
12
2022
pubmed:
20
12
2022
medline:
20
12
2022
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Sheep have heterogenous social connections that influence transmission of some infectious diseases. Footrot is one of the top five globally important diseases of sheep, it is caused by High resolution proximity sensors were deployed on 40 ewes and their 54 lambs aged 5-27 days, in a flock with endemic footrot in Devon, UK for 13 days. Sheep locomotion was scored daily by using a 0-6 integer scale. Sheep were defined lame when their locomotion score (LS) was ≥2, and a case of lameness was defined as LS ≥2 for ≥2 days. Thirty-two sheep (19 ewes, 9 single, and 4 twin lambs) became lame during the study, while 14 (5 ewes, 5 single, and 4 twin lambs) were lame initially. These 46 sheep were from 29 family groups, 14 families had >1 lame sheep, and transmission from ewes to lambs was bidirectional. At least 15% of new cases of footrot were from within family transmission; the occurrence of lameness was higher in single than twin lambs. At least 4% of transmission was due to close contact across the flock. Most close contact occurred within families. Single and twin lambs spent 1.5 and 0.9 hours/day with their dams, respectively, and twin lambs spent 3.7 hours/day together. Non-family sheep spent only 0.03 hours/day in contact. Lame single lambs and ewes spent less time with non-family sheep, and lame twin lambs spent less time with family sheep. We conclude that most transmission of lameness is not attributable to close contact. However, in ewes with young lambs, some transmission occurs within families and is likely due to time spent in close contact, since single lambs spent more time with their dam than twin lambs and were more likely to become lame.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36532333
doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1027020
pmc: PMC9753574
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
1027020Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2022 Lewis, Price, Croft, Langford, Ozella, Cattuto and Green.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Author JL is a director of ActivInsights Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Références
J Mammal. 2016 Jun 9;97(3):663-688
pubmed: 29692469
J Comp Pathol. 1969 Apr;79(2):207-15
pubmed: 5813556
Aust Vet J. 1995 Apr;72(4):132-4
pubmed: 7646377
Epidemics. 2019 Mar;26:32-42
pubmed: 30528207
Biol Lett. 2019 Jul 26;15(7):20190227
pubmed: 31311483
PLoS One. 2010 Jul 15;5(7):e11596
pubmed: 20657651
Prev Vet Med. 2010 Dec 1;97(3-4):237-44
pubmed: 21035215
Prev Vet Med. 2021 Sep;194:105443
pubmed: 34352518
Behav Processes. 2016 Oct;131:53-8
pubmed: 27542918
Vet Microbiol. 2005 Jun 15;108(1-2):57-67
pubmed: 15917134
Prev Vet Med. 2013 Mar 1;108(4):294-303
pubmed: 23194893
Am J Primatol. 2011 Aug;73(8):834-44
pubmed: 21246592
Vet Microbiol. 2015 Aug 31;179(1-2):53-9
pubmed: 25953734
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 Jul 15;13(7):e0007565
pubmed: 31306425
Anaerobe. 2011 Apr;17(2):73-7
pubmed: 21397709
Prev Vet Med. 2010 Aug 1;96(1-2):93-103
pubmed: 20627343
Prev Vet Med. 2014 Jul 1;115(1-2):48-55
pubmed: 24703249
Sci Rep. 2014 Mar 26;4:4472
pubmed: 24667241
Vet J. 2009 May;180(2):189-94
pubmed: 18308594
Proc Biol Sci. 2015 Mar 22;282(1803):20142804
pubmed: 25673683
Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 8;9(1):14429
pubmed: 31594981
Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd. 2019 Jul;161(7):465-472
pubmed: 31298215