Proportional mortality: A study of 152 goats submitted for necropsy from 13 goat herds in Quebec, with a special focus on caseous lymphadenitis

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine the main causes of mortality, with a special focus on caseous lymphadenits as a cause of death or wasting in caprine herds from Quebec. Goats (n = 152) from 13 herds were submitted for necropsy; the cause of mortality, and the presence, location, and cause of abscesses (if present) were recorded. Proportional mortalities were distributed as: Clostridium perfringens type D enterotoxemia (17.1%), pneumonia (13.8%), paratuberculosis (10.5%), listeriosis (6.6%), pregnancy toxemia (5.3%), caprine arthritis-encephalitis (4.6%), and caseous lymphadenitis (3.9%). Caseous lymphadenitis was diagnosed in 24.3% of the submitted goats, but was not a major cause of wasting or mortality. Abscesses were localized internally in 54.1% of the cases. Paratuberculosis was diagnosed in 29 goats (16 as cause of death) and was considered a major cause of wasting and/or mortality.

Introduction

In North America, and especially in Canada, the causes of death and their relative importance in goats are not well-documented. Studies of goat mortality, often with emphasis on some specific causes of death, have been conducted in Mexico and in Oregon, USA (1–3). Information on several potentially lethal diseases of goats can also be found in the main textbooks on small ruminant medicine but their prevalence remains poorly documented (4–6). In North America, the prevalence and severity of diseases may vary greatly as Mexico, Oregon, and different regions of Canada do not necessarily share the same pathogens, herd management, and environmental factors.

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA), caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, is a common disease in North America which mainly affects sheep and goats and leads to abscessation in lymph nodes, skin, and internal organs. In Canada, vaccination against CLA in goats ended in 2006, after the withdrawal of the only vaccine approved for this species. Off-label vaccination of dairy goats with sheep vaccines has not proved efficacious and is advised, by the manufacturer, not to be used in goats because of safety issues. For these reasons, vaccination against CLA has decreased in Quebec. Since withdrawal of the vaccine, several goat farmers have reported an increase in abscess development and subsequent culling [La Société des Éleveurs de Chèvres Laitières de Race du Québec (SECLRQ), personal communication, 2008].

The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes of mortality in goats in some Quebec herds over a 1-year period, to report the proportion of necropsied goats with CLA, and establish CLA’s role in the mortality of those animals.

Materials and methods

Herds and animals

This study was conducted from June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010 and included a convenience sample of 13 goat herds (10 dairy and 3 meat), all but 1 located within a radius of 70 km from the Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire’s diagnostic laboratory in St-Hyacinthe, Quebec. Herd size varied from 19 to 618 adult animals (with a mean of 238 goats), for a total adult dairy goat and meat goat inventory of 3103 and 187 animals, respectively. Producers were invited to submit adults and post-weaning animals (2 months or older) for necropsy that were found dead or had been euthanized for humane reasons (moribund state, pain, inability to stand, eat, or drink). Animals culled for low productivity or other non-life-threatening conditions were not included in the study. Submitted goats were classified into 5 groups depending on their physiologic (lactation) status and gender, to reflect the segregation of animals in herds: weaning to mating (group 1), mating to first kidding (group 2), first lactation (group 3), 2 lactations and more (group 4), and males (group 5).

Diagnostic procedures

A complete necropsy following a standardized protocol was performed on all submitted goats. Identification (e.g., tattoo, tag), gender, weight, estimated body condition (cachectic, poor, moderate, good, obese), and number and location of abscesses, if present, were recorded for each animal. Location of abscesses was classified into “internal” (organs, thoracic and abdominal cavities, lymph nodes not easily palpable during routine clinical examination, such as lumbar and medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes) and “external” (skin, mammary gland, testis, and lymph nodes easily palpable during routine clinical examination, such as mandibular and parotid lymph nodes). Samples of brain, pituitary gland, thyroid glands, lungs, heart, liver, spleen, rumen, abomasum, ileum, colon, adrenal glands, kidneys, skeletal muscles, carpal synovial membrane, mammary glands or testis and any other relevant organs and tissues were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin, cut at 5 μm, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin-phloxine-saffron (HEPS) for routine light microscopic examination. Gram stain was used to detect bacteria in inflammatory lesions such as abscesses, pneumonia, endocarditis, and arthritis. To confirm a paratuberculosis diagnosis, sections of ileum were stained by the Ziehl-Neelsen method in all cases of granulomatous ileitis/mesenteric lymphadenitis. Samples of lung, liver, and ileum were in all cases submitted for routine aerobic bacteriology (inoculation on 5% blood agar medium); additional specimens for bacteriology (e.g., swab of abscess or synovial fluid) or feces for parasitology were processed when relevant. When multiple abscesses were present, swabs from pooled internal abscesses and pooled external abscesses were taken.

The diagnosis of Clostridium perfringens type D enterotoxemia was based on clinical signs and/or lesions consistent with this disease, and supported by a direct smear and anaerobic culture of 2 intestinal segments, usually the ileum and ascending colon (or any other segment with gross lesions). Criteria used for the smear were an abundant, predominantly Gram-positive flora with large numbers of clostridial forms and spores. For anaerobic culture, there had to be a heavy growth of C. perfringens (3+ or 4+ on a semi-quantitative scale); then, all colonies consistent with C. perfringens were sent for PCR detection of alpha, beta, and epsilon toxin genes following a published method (7). Clostridium perfringens type D was considered to be present when only alpha and epsilon toxin genes were detected. In all cases suspected on the basis of clinical signs and/or gross lesions, semi-quantitative evaluation of glucose with a urine test strip (Chemstrip 9; Roche Diagnostics, Laval, Québec) was done on urine or, when urine was not present, on aqueous humor; high concentration of glucose in these fluids was used as additional supportive evidence. Caprine arthritis-encephalitis diagnosis was based on typical lesions (lymphoplasmacytic arthritis/periarthritis and mastitis); serology was not performed. Encephalitic listeriosis was diagnosed following identification of typical neurologic lesions at microscopic examination in association with detection of the bacteria by culture of the affected brain area and/or Gram stain.

Results

Submissions

Overall, 152 goats (110 dead and 42 in a moribund state) from 13 herds were submitted for necropsy: 140 dairy goats (92.1%) and 12 meat goats (7.9%). Most submitted animals were females (143, 94.1%), and most (94 animals, 61.8%) belonged to group 4. The number of submitted animals from groups 1, 2, 3, and 5 were 22, 8, 17, and 9, respectively. Two female goats could not be assigned to a group since their history, prior to submission, was incomplete. Alpine, Saanen, and LaMancha were the most commonly submitted dairy goat breeds, while Boer was the most commonly submitted meat goat breed. Of the 152 submitted animals, 47 had a good body condition, while 35, 28, 24, and 7 had obese, moderate, poor, and cachectic body conditions, respectively. Body condition was not estimated in 11 cases.

Abscesses and caseous lymphadenitis

Of the 152 goats submitted for necropsy, 54 (35.5%) had at least 1 abscess. Almost half the males (44.4%) and females of group 4 (41.5%) had abscesses. Specifically, the causative bacterium of CLA, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, was isolated from 37 of the 54 (68.5%) goats with abscesses. Overall, CLA was the most frequent disease diagnosed in our study and affected 24.3% of the submitted animals; its distribution among the groups is shown in Table 1. Eleven of the 13 participating farms (84.6%) had at least 1 animal affected by the disease. The abscesses on affected animals were “internal only” in 54.1% of the animals, while “external only” and “internal and external” accounted for 32.4% and 13.5%, respectively. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis positive internal abscesses were mostly seen in the medial retropharyngeal lymph node, lungs, and mediastinal lymph nodes, while external abscesses were located mainly in lateral retropharyngeal lymph nodes, parotid lymph nodes, and subcutaneous tissues (multiple sites). The bacterial agents isolated from the abscesses in the 17 animals that were negative for C. pseudotuberculosis were Trueperella (Arcanobacterium) pyogenes in 6 cases, Pasteurella multocida in 1 case, and an unidentified bacterium or no bacterium in 10 cases. However, anaerobic bacteriology was not performed on abscess swabs.

Table 1.

Distribution of abscesses that were negative and positive for Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, according to gender and lactation group, in 54 goats submitted for necropsy. Group 1: weaning to mating. Group 2: mating to first kidding. Group 3: first lactation. Group 4: 2 lactations and more. Group 5: males of all ages

Gender	Groups (and total submitted)	C. pseudotuberculosis positive abscesses			C. pseudotuberculosis negative abscesses			Total
		Internal	External	Both	Internal	External	Both
Females	1 (n = 22)	1	1	—	2	—	—	4
	2 (n = 8)	—	—	—	—	1	—	1
	3 (n = 17)	3	2	—	—	1	—	6
	4 (n = 94)	14	9	5	4	5	2	39
Males	5 (n = 9)	2	—	—	1	1	—	4
	Total	20	12	5	7	8	2	54

Of the 37 goats diagnosed with CLA, only 9 showed emaciation with a poor or cachectic body condition. Eight of these latter 9 animals were also diagnosed with a chronic wasting disease such as paratuberculosis or caprine arthritis-encephalitis.

Overall, CLA was identified as the cause of death in 6 goats (3 of group 4, and 1 in each of groups 1, 3, and 5), representing 3.9% of the submissions and 16.2% of the animals diagnosed with this disease. Internal abscesses were noted in all 6 goats. The locations of C. pseudotuberculosis positive abscesses judged to be the cause of death were: vertebral canal (euthanasia due to non-ambulatory state), cerebellum (euthanasia due to non-ambulatory state) (Figure 1), liver (death due to liver failure), lungs (death due to respiratory failure), retropharyngeal lymph node and thorax (death due to respiratory failure and/or inanition), and retropharyngeal lymph node (death due to respiratory failure and/or inanition) (Figure 2).

Figure 1.

Cerebellar abscess in a 2-month-old goat with caseous lymphadenitis.

Figure 2.

Large and focally ruptured retropharyngeal abscess (asterisk) with yellow purulent content (arrow) in a 4-year-old goat with caseous lymphadenitis.

Causes of mortality

Death in the 152 goats submitted for necropsy was attributed to 40 different causes. The most frequent causes of mortality were, in decreasing order: C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia (17.1% of the submitted animals), pneumonia (13.8%), paratuberculosis (10.5%), listeriosis (6.6%), pregnancy toxemia (5.3%), caprine arthritis-encephalitis (4.6%), and caseous lymphadenitis (3.9%). Table 2 shows the 8 most frequent causes of mortality, which accounted for 102 of 152 animals (67.1%), and their distribution amongst groups and participating farms. The cause of death remained undetermined in 8 cases (5.3%).

Table 2.

Eight most frequent causes/categories of death in 152 goats submitted for necropsy, and their distribution among the 13 participating farms. Group 1: weaning to mating. Group 2: mating to first kidding. Group 3: first lactation. Group 4: 2 lactations and more. Group 5: males of all ages

Gender			Females			Males	Total	Number of farms affecteda
Groups (and total submitted)	1 (n = 22)	2 (n = 8)	3 (n = 17)	4 (n = 94)	N/A (n = 2)	5 (n = 9)
C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia	0 (0.0%)	4 (15.4%)	6 (23.1%)	15 (57.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.8%)	26 (17.1%)	6 (46.2%)
Pneumonia	10 (47.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)	8 (38.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (9.5%)	21 (13.8%)	7 (53.8%)
Paratuberculosis	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (6.3%)	14 (87.5%)	1 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (29)b (10.5%)	8 (61.5%)
Encephalitic listeriosis	0 (0.0%)	2 (20.0%)	4 (40.0%)	3 (30.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.6%)	4 (30.8%)
Pregnancy toxemia	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.3%)	5 (38.5%)
Caprine arthritis-encephalitis	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.6%)	6 (46.2%)
Caseous lymphadenitis	1 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (16.7%)	3 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (16.7%)	6 (37)c (3.9%)	5 (38.5%)
Undetermined cause of death	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (12.5%)	7 (87.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.3%)	5 (38.5%)
Total	11 (10.8%)	6 (5.9%)	14 (13.7%)	65 (63.7%)	2 (2.0%)	4 (3.9%)	102 (67.1%)	N/A

N/A — not available.

^aIn which at least 1 animal died (or was euthanized for humane reasons) of the particular condition, out of 13 farms.

^bParatuberculosis was diagnosed in 29 goats, but was the cause of death in 16 of them.

^cCaseous lymphadenitis was diagnosed in 37 goats, but was the cause of death in 6 of them.

The other causes of mortality, which were diagnosed less frequently (1 to 4 times each for a total of 50 animals), were: endometritis and mastitis (4 of each), nutritional myopathy, vaginal/uterine laceration with secondary peritonitis (3 of each), retained fetus with secondary toxemia, osteomyelitis, strangulation, cachexia, congestive heart failure, hemonchosis, diarrhea of multiples causes, hepatopathy (2 of each), dermatitis with secondary toxemia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, intestinal volvulus, obstructive urethral calculus with secondary urinary bladder rupture, coxofemoral luxation, compressive myelopathy (malformation), ulcerative enteritis, interstitial nephritis, pulmonary congestion and edema of unknown cause, ectopic mammary tissue with severe secondary lymphangiectasia, abomasal tympany, lumbosacral subluxation, polioencephalo-malacia, intestinal coccidiosis, pulmonary carcinoma, pituitary abscess, dental malocclusion with secondary inanition, and purulent arthritis (1 of each).

Of the 26 animals diagnosed with C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia, 8 died rapidly or suddenly without clinical signs. Nine goats had diarrhea a few hours (maximum 1 d) before dying rapidly. In 19 cases, there was a fibrinohemorrhagic enteritis and/or colitis, with mucosal necrosis in 3 of these cases. In 2 cases, the colon contents were abundant and liquid but there were no mucosal lesions. In the remaining 5 cases, no changes were noted in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Cardiac lesions (excess pericardial fluid and/or epicardial petechiation) were observed in 10 animals. In all cases, other potential causes of death were not found. A high concentration of glucose in urine or aqueous humor (3+ or more on urine test strip) was seen in approximately 50% of cases of C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia. Bacterial bronchopneumonia due to Mannheimia haemolytica or P. multocida was mainly seen in goats with pneumonia, without lesions suggestive of highly pathogenic Mycoplasma species. Paratuberculosis was diagnosed in 29 goats and was considered the main cause of death or euthanasia in more than half of them (16 goats). All 16 goats were cachectic or had a poor body condition. Pregnancy toxemia usually affected does in good to obese body condition and pregnant with 2 to 4 kids.

Discussion

The goats in our study represented about 10.6% of the total goat population in Quebec in 2006 (dairy and meat goats) (8). The main cause of mortality was C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia (17.1%), affecting mainly goats in groups 3 and 4. There are little North American data on the prevalence of this disease and its role in goat mortality. Studies on the causes of death in goats reported that enteritis was responsible for 20% of deaths in Mexico (2) and that nonparasitic gastrointestinal disease was the cause in 16.1% of all deaths in Oregon state (3). Moderate to high levels of glucose were detected in the urine or aqueous humor of goats suspected of having died from C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia approximately 50% of the time. Although not specific for C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia, glycosuria is usually a helpful tool for diagnosis, but its absence cannot rule out the disease (9). Measurement of glucose in aqueous humor has not been investigated as a potential ancillary test for diagnosis of C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia, but it has been evaluated as an indicator of antemortem serum glucose levels in cattle, dogs, and cats. There is a correlation between concentrations of glucose in aqueous humor and serum in the first 24 h postmortem, but thereafter it decreases rapidly in the ocular fluid (10). In C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia, epsilon toxin has been detected in aqueous humor, with inconsistent results (11,12).

Pneumonia was the second most frequent cause of mortality in our study, with 21 goats affected (13.8%), a proportion consistent with recent literature in which pneumonia is often considered one of the most important causes of death in goats. It is noteworthy that mortality due to pneumonia in this study affected especially group 1 and group 4 females, which were mainly affected by bacterial bronchopneumonia (usually P. multocida or M. haemolytica), possibly due to a weaker immune response in younger and older animals. Two studies in Mexico, in which causes of mortality were investigated by necropsy, found pneumonia to be responsible for the death of goats in 18% and 55%. Goats were affected from 46 to 90 d and from 1 to 3 y of age, respectively (1,2). Pulmonary pasteurellosis (M. haemolytica or P. multocida) was incriminated as the cause of death in 4.8% of goats submitted for necropsy in Oregon and on which parasitologic evaluation was performed, as reported by a study dealing with causes of mortality in goats (3). This disease is not usually fatal (< 10% mortality) but is one of the most frequent bacterial infections found in goats, and is present in up to 20% of the goats at necropsy (4). When present in a flock, however, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri or subsp. mycoides is known to cause 40% to 100% mortality in the herd (4–6,13).

Paratuberculosis was the second most frequently diagnosed disease in our study after CLA, with 29 affected goats (females from groups 3 and 4), representing 19.1% of the submitted animals. It accounted for 10.5% of the mortality. The data on paratuberculosis in this study show that the disease may be widespread in Quebec goat herds. However, there are scant data in the North American literature on its prevalence on farms and its relative role in goat mortality. A 2009 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) study showed that paratuberculosis was suspected or confirmed in 1.7% of 633 participating goat farms with 10 animals or more during the previous 3 y (14). Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis DNA has been detected in the milk from bulk tanks from 3 of 3 herds in Mexico, and in the milk of 8 of 8 goats from different herds (15). Another source reported a morbidity rate of 5% (4). Enteritis accounted for 20% of all deaths in goats in a study in Mexico (2) and nonparasitic gastrointestinal disease was responsible for death in 16.1% of all goats on which fecal examination was performed in a study in Oregon (3). However, enteritis in the Mexico study affected primarily goats < 1 y of age; this is not suggestive of paratuberculosis, which usually affects animals 1 y of age or older. Paratuberculosis causes cachexia in affected subjects. In this study, all animals which died from this disease showed signs of wasting and/or emaciation. Poor body condition in goats affected by this disease was most of the time related to loss of muscle mass rather than loss of body fat, as previously reported (16).

Encephalitic listeriosis accounted for 6.6% of the mortalities in this study. Several authors consider Listeria monocytogenes to be the most frequent cause of bacterial infection affecting the central nervous system of goats (4–6) and goats seem to be more susceptible than cattle or sheep (4). Two short reports indicate mortality rates of 5% and 25% of the animals, respectively, within an affected herd during an outbreak of listeriosis (17,18). Seven of 62 goats (11.3%) submitted for necropsy at the University of Oregon and on which parasitology was done, died of neurologic disorder with no attribution to specific diseases (3).

Little is known about the prevalence and case fatality rate of pregnancy toxemia in goat herds in North America. Most of the literature emphasizes the predisposing factors (obesity, multiple fetuses) and reports that ewes are usually more affected than does (4,19). In this study, pregnancy toxemia was the fifth most frequent cause of death, with 5.3% of the mortalities. Affected does were usually in good to obese body condition and pregnant with 2 to 4 kids.

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis infection is highly prevalent in countries in which intensive dairy goat industries exist, such as Canada, France, Norway, and the United States. In those countries, a seroprevalence of 65% or more was established (20). In Quebec, 87.5% of dairy goats from 28 herds and 74.7% of meat goats from 9 herds were seropositive for the disease; in Ontario, this percentage reached 90% of the dairy goats in 20 herds (21,22). In the United States, individual seroprevalences of 31% (1175 goats out of 3790 from 28 states) and 81% (896 goats out of 1106 from 24 states), and a herd seroprevalence of 73% (143 herds out of 196 from 28 states which had at least 1 goat seropositive) were established in 2 studies (23,24). Also, in 2009 the disease was suspected or confirmed in 4.8% of goat farms with 10 animals or more during the previous 3 y (14). In our study, caprine arthritis-encephalitis was responsible for 4.6% of all deaths. The 7 goats that succumbed to this disease were either non-ambulatory or cachectic and were all group 4 females.

The proportion of animals with CLA in our study was 24.3%, making it the principal disease diagnosed. At the herd level, 84.6% had at least 1 goat affected by the disease. In 2009 in the United States, CLA was suspected or confirmed in 21.5% of 633 goat farms with 10 animals or more during the previous 3 y (14). A survey carried out in the United States between December 1977 and July 1978 reported that external abscesses were detected in 8.1% of the goats examined on farms (201 participating herds). Of these herds, 63% (127/201) had at least 1 animal with at least 1 external abscess (25). Recent literature on small ruminants reveals prevalence or seroprevalence of 42.4% to 94% (goats and/or sheep) (4,26,27).

Caseous lymphadenitis was diagnosed in 68.5% of the 54 goats with at least 1 abscess, a proportion consistent with a 1979 survey in the United States, in which 71% of the swabs from external abscesses from goats were C. pseudotuberculosis positive (25). Seventeen goats in our study had C. pseudotuberculosis negative abscesses; in 10 of them the abscess was either sterile or contaminated. Some of these abscesses could have been caused by C. pseudotuberculosis, since bacteria cannot always be isolated from chronic lesions and since contamination can mask the primary bacterial agent. For these reasons, it is likely that the importance of CLA could have been slightly underestimated in this study.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis positive abscesses were located internally in 54.1% of the cases. These results contrast with those of several authors who indicate that goats are usually affected by external abscesses only (4,5,28). External abscesses were most often detected in the “jaw and neck” region, specifically in the mandibular and parotid lymph nodes, as also reported by a survey performed in goats from the United States between 1977 and 1978 (25). Other authors have also indicated that lymph nodes in the head region, as well as the subcutaneous tissues are the most frequent sites for abscess development (26).

Females of group 4 and males were most often diagnosed with CLA (19.5% and 22.2%, respectively) compared with younger animals, which can be attributed to the long incubation period of the disease (2 to 6 months or longer) (5,29). However, it is important to note that CLA does not affect exclusively older animals, as young females from group 1 were also diagnosed with the disease. Animals from 2 to 9 y of age were the ones most subject to abscesses (external) in a United States survey conducted in the 1970s. Does and bucks were affected in 8.1% and 8.4% of cases, respectively (25).

Few animals with CLA showed evidence of emaciation/wasting (9 out of 37). Furthermore, 8 of the 9 goats with poor body condition were also affected by another chronic wasting disease (e.g., paratuberculosis, caprine arthritis-encephalitis), making it impossible to conclude which disease had caused the wasting. Several authors still consider CLA to be a cause of the fading-goat syndrome (4,30), while others consider it seldom associated with wasting (29).

Caseous lymphadenitis causes mortality by organ dysfunction and by starvation or respiratory distress when abscesses become large enough to interfere with deglutition or respiration (29,31). Death of submitted goats due to CLA was not frequent (3.9% of the 152 animals) in this study but involved internal abscesses large enough to interfere with normal organ function, deglutition or respiration. Comparative data on the relative role of CLA in goat mortality could not be found in recent North American literature.

In conclusion, the main causes of mortality in goats in this study were, in decreasing order: C. perfringens type D enterotoxemia, pneumonia, paratuberculosis, encephalitic listeriosis, pregnancy toxemia, caprine arthritis-encephalitis, and CLA. Caseous lymphadenitis was regularly seen in goats submitted for necropsy, as predicted by the high prevalence of the disease reported in current literature. However, this disease was not associated with chronic wasting or high case fatality rate. Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis positive abscesses in necropsied goats were mainly seen in internal lymph nodes or organs, as opposed to data reported in the literature. Although mainly affecting adult animals, caseous lymphadenitis was also diagnosed in kids. Unexpectedly, paratuberculosis was also one of the most common diseases diagnosed in our study and, in contrast to CLA, the demonstration of its association with poor body condition and high mortality shows the importance of this condition. The latter observations indicate that the development and implementation of preventive measures to control this disease in goat herds would be highly relevant in the future.