Archive Case #237: Caprine Contagious Agalactia

Clinical Clues

1. In a dairy-goat herd, a lactating doe suddenly gives much less milk and resists milking.
2. Her udder is hot and painful; the milk becomes watery with small clots.
3. Over the same weeks, some herd mates develop swollen joints, while others have conjunctivitis.
4. The mammary, joint and ocular signs occur across different goats rather than all in one animal.
5. PCR on milk from the affected doe detects Mycoplasma agalactiae; routine mastitis causes alone do not explain the herd pattern.
6. The compatible outbreak and organism-specific result support caprine contagious agalactia.

Diagnosis

Caprine Contagious Agalactia

The herd-level mastitis, arthritis and ocular pattern raises contagious agalactia; Mycoplasma agalactiae detected in affected milk supports the exact diagnosis. Ordinary bacterial mastitis does not explain the joint and eye cases, while caprine arthritis encephalitis or isolated infectious keratoconjunctivitis would not explain this organism-specific milk result. Remember: Contagious agalactia can show different signs in different goats; sample affected milk or joints and identify the organism before naming the outbreak.

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.