Clinical investigations in a goat herd with outbreaks of listeriosis.

The majority of 50 nonpregnant dairy goats in a herd showed acute symptoms of disease for 1–2 days after a sudden change in weather conditions, feeding regime and management. In 17 of the does the condition progressed with symptoms of septicaemia with depression, fever, inappetence and hypogalactia for a period of up to 5 weeks. Only 1 of these 17 animals died. Three weeks after the first symptoms were seen, 7 other animals showed typical symptoms of listeric encephalitis. All but 1 recovered within 2 weeks. Treatment with penicillin seemed to have good effect against both these disease forms. The does with symptoms of septicaemia had significantly higher antibody titres against Listeria monocytogenes than the animals with encephalitis and the remainder.