Late last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed a case of classical scrapie in a sheep at a slaughter facility in Oregon. Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system of small ruminants.
According to industry experts, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories is slated to conduct tissue-matching and parentage testing on the affected sheep and two additional animals accompanying the affected sheep.
Farm and Dairy reports that prior to this confirmation, the last case of classical scrapie was detected in a sheep sampled at slaughter in January 2021. This sheep was from a flock in Wisconsin and was attributed the flock of origin to Arkansas; it was not completely traceable due to lack of identification to flock of origin, according to the USDA.
Scrapie is typically contracted during pregnancy and newborn lamb periods, which is why locating the flock of origin is so essential to the investigation.
“The importance of official scrapie tags cannot be understated,” said Dr. Cindy Wolf, the American Sheep Industry Association’s Animal Health Council co-chair. “These tags have made trace back to the flock of origin possible in order to stop further spread,” added Roselle Busch, DVM and ASI Animal Health Council co-chair.
APHIS said it expects minimal impact on international trade. Most countries restrict live animal exports only from affected flocks or premises, and products such as wool remain unaffected.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture is asking the state’s sheep and goat producers to take four steps:
- Keep official identification current. Sheep and goats need official ID before they leave the premises where they were born, so animals can be traced if a case is found.
- Watch for signs. Rubbing or scratching against fences and posts, tremors, an unsteady or high-stepping walk, changes in behavior, and weight loss in an animal that is still eating well.
- Call your veterinarian right away if you see those signs. Oregon law requires veterinarians to notify ODA by phone as soon as they suspect scrapie, before any lab testing. You can also call ODA’s disease reporting line directly at 503-986-4711.
- Ask your veterinarian about breeding for scrapie resistance. Some sheep carry genetics that make them highly resistant to classical scrapie, and breeding for those traits protects a flock over time.
