Disease surveillance: Mortalities in Angora goats
By Dr Mackie Hobson BSc(Agric),BVSc

1. Procedures and Protocols

Mohair SA has a disease surveillance monitoring system in place where producers can get post-mortems (PM) conducted to determine the cause of any Angora goat death on their farms. These PM’s are conducted by the Mohair SA vet or the farmer’s local vet at no cost to the producer.

This information helps to:

1. Monitor trends and causes of deaths on individual farms and within the Angora goat industry in South Africa
2. Enable the dissemination of information to other producers.
3. Improve the management and welfare of Angora goats within the industry.

The number of PM’s conducted is reflected in the graph below. This reflects the number of investigations into deaths and does not reflect the number of mortalities.

The diagnosis made on these PMs has been grouped into disease syndromes:

• Clostridium
• Roundworms
• Coccidiosis
• Pneumonia
• Poisoning
• Other diseases

The table reflects the % of diagnoses (not number of mortalities).

Clostridium diseases and roundworms account for the majority of deaths.

Clostridia's cause of death has been in general decline (until 2022, when it spiked).

Under better conditions (increased rainfall), roundworm cases become more prevalent, and there is less congregation around feeding troughs, possibly resulting in reduced coccidian cases.

Roundworms remain one of the biggest health threats to Angora goats, especially between weaning and their first winter.

Pneumonia cases occur on a regular basis but are often secondary to underlying factors.

What clostridiums are being detected?

On Histopathology diagnosis the following clostridium bacteria have been diagnosed during this period:

• Clostridium perfringens Type A 

 https://www.angoras.co.za/article/clostridium-perfringens-type-a#34

• Clostridium perfringens Type B

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/clostridium-perfringens-type-b#110

• Clostridium Perfringens Type C

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/clostridium-perfringens-c-necrotic-enteritis#439

• Clostridium perfringens Type D

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/clostrdium-perfringens-type-d#256

• Clostridium Tetani

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/tetanus-klem-in-die-kaak-in-angora-goats#231

Roundworms and Coccidiosis

Roundworms and their consequences are the biggest threat to the health of the Angora goat.

• Lymphocytic-Plasmacytic-Enteritis (LPE)

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/lymphocytic-plasmacytic-enteritis-lpe-in-angora-goats#391

• The impact of brown stomach worm and coccidiosis

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/the-impact-of-brown-stomach-worm-and-coccidiosis-on-angora-kids#299

• Survival rates determined by Albumin level

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/albumin-a-predictor-of-survival-rates-in-angora-goat-kids

Pneumonia

The majority of cases involve Manneheimia haemolytica, serotypes unknown

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/pneumonia#36

Poisoning

• The majority of cases involve cardiac glycosides/ bufadienolides

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/krimpsiekte-cardiac-glycosides#126

• Geeldikkop

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/geeldikkop-tribulus-terrestris#168

Other poisonings include:

• Datura 

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/datura-stinkblaar-poisoning-in-kids#353

• Ganskweek

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/ganskweek-lasiospermum-bipinnatum#166

• Ivermectin

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/ivermectin-toxicity#223

• Levamizole

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/levamizole-toxicity#225

• Organophosphate

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/organophosphate-containing-dip#167

• Prussic acid

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/prussic-acid-poisoning-geilsiekte#153

Other causes of mortality have include:

• Acidosis

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/the-importance-of-fibre-when-feeding-angora-goats#207

• Bladder stones/urolithiasis

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/bladder-stones#170

• Bloat

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/bloat-in-angora-goats#250

• Cerebral Gliosis, spongiosis

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/cerebral-gliosis-and-spongiosis-in-angora-goats#474

• Cryptosporidiosis

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/cryptosporidiosis-in-angora-goats#398

• Heartwater

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/heartwater#31

• Meningoencephalitis

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/meningoencephalitis-in-kids#403

• E.Coli

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/escherichia-coli-ecoli#175

• Polioencephalomalacia

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/polioencephalomalacia-vit-b1-deficiency-in-angora-goats#417

• Paralysis tick

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/paralysis-tick-bosluisverlamming#249

• Twisted gut

https://www.angoras.co.za/article/twisted-gut-draaiderm-rooiderm#152

Advisory:

From these cases, kids and young goats must be vaccinated with a multi-clostridia vaccine and vaccinated against Pasteurella.

Faecal roundworm and coccidia checks are vital, especially in kids and young goats.