I would like to share the following information pertaining to CL from the National Goat Handbook. And there is a vaccination for CL available, however the effect of such vaccination is controversial.(posted 8952 days ago)
10. Caseous Lymphadenitis Caseous lymphadenitis, also called pseudotuberculosis or merely ''abscesses'' has been referred to as the curse of the sheep and goat industry throughout the world. It is considered by some to be the major disease problem of dairy goats in the United States. The causative agent, Corynebacterium ovis, also called C. pseudotuberculosis, was first described in 1894 from the same disease in sheep. It is a small rod-shaped bacterium which is colored blue (Gram +) by the common differential stain used in bacteriology. C. ovis grows readily on sheep blood agar and other bacteriological media enriched with serum. The organism forms small, dry, white to yellow colonies which are initially very tiny but grow to a pin-head size in about 48 hours. If an abscess has not ruptured and is lanced in a sterile fashion, pure cultures of C. ovis are commonly obtained from the pus.
11 The pus is thick, often dry, and greenish-white in color. Its consistency is best likened to toothpaste or putty. The abscesses formed by C. ovis are usually associated with lymph glands and may be ''external'' where they handily break to the outside or internal where they are not at all visible. In the goat the external abscesses of C. ovis are most often found around the head and neck, frequently below the ear and behind the jaw. They are initially small but invariably grow larger. Because the goat often manages to put a thick connective tissue wall around them, they do not readily rupture until they reach the size of walnuts or larger.
12 Internal lymph gland involvement often affects the mediastinal (between lungs), gastrohepatic (between stomach and liver) and mesenteric (intestinal suspensory) areas. Interference with organ function in these vital areas produces unthrifty and weakened animals which are frequently afflicted with difficult breathing and a chronic cough.
13 Much of our knowledge of caseous lymphadenitis comes from the experience of Australian workers with the disease in sheep. They found that environment contamination with C. ovis was common in afflicted herds and that the widespread distribution of abscesses in the species could be related to contamination of shearing wounds. The distribution of most external abscesses about the neck and head suggests that goats are most commonly infected via ingestion of the organism. Frequently goats are exposed as kids but abscesses don't become evident until the animals are at least a year of age. The disease is insidious in its development.
14 To minimize environment contamination, encapsulated abscesses should be drained before they rupture. The hair should be clipped away around the abscess and its surface disinfected with tincture of iodine or other suitable antiseptic. The abscess should be incised vertically to promote drainage and pus should be squeezed out and collected for destruction by incineration or exposure to strong disinfectant solutions. Since C. ovis has been associated with infections in man, care should be taken to avoid direct exposure to the pus.
15 Following drainage, the affected goat should be isolated from other goats until healing is well-progressed. The wound should be irrigated initially and on a daily basis with an antiseptic solution such as chlorhexidine (''Nolvasan'') diluted 1:10 in hydrogen peroxide. Intramuscular application of penicillin - streptomycin on a daily basis for at least 3 days can minimize complications and continued shedding of the organism. Because of the presence of veins, nerves, arteries, esophagus, and glands in the throat region, abscesses in this area may require professional assistance in lancing. ''Throatlatch'' abscesses are especially serious and endanger the life of the affected individual.
16 Once established in a herd, caseous lymphadenitis is difficult to eliminate. Even goats in which abscesses are properly lanced and treated will often have recurrences, and environmental contamination leads to infection of kids. To remove caseous lymphadenitis as a herd problem, it is best to cull chronically affected goats. Kids should be separated from infected does at birth, given colostrum from clean does, and raised in a clean area on ''clean'' milk or replacer. Some experienced goat people have recommended the administration of bacterins made from C. ovis isolates from the herd in question but this practice remains controversial since no clearly definitive scientific studies have been made. Dr. Sam Guss, the eminent goat veterinarian, recommends initial application of an autogenous bacterin at 3 weeks of age, a second dose at 5 weeks of age, and booster doses at 3 to 6 month intervals thereafter. Lastly, the importance of cleaning and disinfecting premises before repopulation must be emphasized.
17 A bacterin is a young broth culture of C. ovis which has been inactivated with a dilute formalin solution. In this way the organism and its exotoxin are destroyed while the constituents which serve to stimulate the immune response are still active. Bacterins in theory should cause previously unexposed animals to more effectively resist natural infection or infected animals to more readily purge themselves of infection. The difficulty with C. ovis is that infected goats seem to have the ability to wall-off the organism temporarily but mobilize an immune response inadequate to effectively destroy it. Accordingly, recurrent abscessation is common.
18 Bacteria other than C. ovis may be responsible for abscessation as a result of contamination of lacerations or punctures. These are usually associated with poor sanitation. Corynebacterium pyogenes is frequently responsible for abscesses containing yellowish pus of a mayonnaise consistency. Streptococci often produce a watery discharge while staphylococci cause a creamy exudate. Although the nature of the pus can give clues to the cause of a particular abscess, only laboratory cultural methods can give definite information. Commercial bacterins against C. pyogenes and Pasteurella species are available and have been used prophylactically against pneumonia (which often accompanies the stress of shipping) and even against caseous lymphadenitis. Varying degrees of success have accompanied their use but, again, their real value is not well-established.