Archive Case #58: Ovine Contagious Ecthyma

Clinical Clues

1. A young lamb is examined for crusting lesions around the lips and nostrils.
2. The farmer reports several lambs in the group have developed similar sores after marking.
3. The lesions are proliferative and painful rather than purely erosive.
4. Despite the mouth lesions, the lamb remains reasonably bright.
5. The pattern is consistent with a contagious parapoxvirus infection of sheep.
6. Contagious ecthyma (orf) commonly produces scabby proliferative lesions around the mouth of lambs and can spread rapidly through a flock.

Diagnosis

Ovine Contagious Ecthyma

This case is most consistent with Ovine Contagious Ecthyma because the lamb has classic proliferative crusting lesions around the mouth with flock spread. The most important clues are the age group, lesion distribution, and contagious pattern, which strongly support orf.

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.