Key resource
Factsheets
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
- Joint-ill is a disease of young lambs causing severe welfare problems, ill thrift, and death
- The disease often impacts between 1 – 2% of lambs in a flock, but up to 50% has been reported
- A recent survey suggests that joint-ill in lambs affects 64% of UK sheep farms
- The bacteria Streptococcus dysgalactiae is the most common cause of joint-ill in lambs less than one month old, although other bacteria have been described
- To ensure you are using the correct treatment and control for your farm, it is advised to ask your vet to collect samples to confirm which bacteria is causing the problem on your farm. Knowing the specific cause on your farm will allow you and your vet to design specific measures for your flock
- The sources of infection and routes of transmission for some infections are poorly defined
- Ensuring good lamb colostrum intakes, good ewe and farm hygiene practices, as well as dipping lambs’ navels in iodine are all general measures advised for the control of joint-ill
- Use of whole flock prophylactic antibiotic treatment (ie treating most or all lambs) is not a sustainable or recommended control strategy for joint-ill
- Future for control for joint-ill due to Streptococcus dysgalactiae could include a combination of optimising colostrum quality, quantity and delivery with hygiene measures, and an effective vaccine
