Caseous lymphadenitis in small ruminants: An overview on reproductive implications

Abstract

Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) is a chronic infectious disease of sheep and goat caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (C. pseudotuberculosis). This disease is characterised by the formation of abscesses in lymph nodes and visceral organs. However, it might be involved in reproductive disorders such as orchitic, abortion, and stillbirth. Current knowledge on the complications regarding reproductive system induced by CLA indicates that thees changes were observed in the gonads, seminal secretions, cytokines (IL-1β and IL-6) as well as hormonal concentration which overall impaired the reproductive performance of small ruminants. Despite the importance of CLA in small ruminants, reasonable information regarding reproductive pathology caused by this disease has not been provided. In this review, we present the pathogenicity characteristics of the bacterium, disease and its virulence effects on the histology, cytokine production, semen attributes and reproductive hormone profiles. Furthermore, we discuss an update on the isolation of the bacterium from different reproductive organs of bucks and does.