THE DISTRIBUTION OF PASTEURELLA-HAEMOLYTICA SEROTYPES AMONG CATTLE, SHEEP, AND GOATS IN SOUTH-AFRICA AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH DISEASE

Over an 8-year period (September 1986 to March 1994), a total of 497 o rgan specimens from sheep and goats and 96 from cattle, were received for the isolation of Pasteurella haemolytica. They were collected in s even geographical areas in South Africa (as it existed before the Apri l 1994 elections). These areas include the eastern Cape, Transvaal (ne w name: Gauteng), Namibia, Orange Free State (new name: Free State), N atal (new name: KwaZulu-Natal), western Cape and the northern Cape. Th is investigation does not represent the statistical incidence of the o rganism from each region, only the distribution of serotypes isolated from organ specimens submitted from diseased animals in these regions. Pasteurella haemolytica serotype 6 was the most prevalent type isolat ed from sheep and goats, but was followed closely by types 9 and 2. Fr om cattle, P. haemolytica serotype 1 comprised 39% of the isolates. In sheep and goats, the majority of serotypes were associated with pneum onia, followed by gangrenous mastitis (''blue udder'') and septicaemia . The situation in cattle was similar regarding the incidence of pneum onia followed by septicaemia. Up to 33% of the isolates from cattle an d sheep specimens were non-typeable.