Morel’s disease is a specific lymphadenitis of sheep and goats caused by
Staphylococcus aureus subsp. anaerobius. It is characterized by abscesses formation
near the lymph nodes: mandibular, parotid and lateral retropharyngeal, followed
by superficial cervical, subiliac and popliteal lymph nodes. In the flock, morbidity
rate is high and disease affects mainly young animals up to 5–6 months of
age. Morel’s disease is prevailing in some African and Asian countries. There
are also reports on the outbreaks in European countries, including Poland. The
economic losses include carcasses condemnation, decline in milk production,
and weight gain, also reduced value of skins due to scarring. The total costs
of Morel’s disease are complemented with drugs and labor expenses needed
to treat superficial abscesses. Losses are increased when the affected lymph
nodes are in critical area, as jaw, crural region and udder, negatively affecting
chewing and locomotion. Contagious, chronic and generally subclinical nature
of the disease and inefficiency of drug therapy, together with lack of vaccines,
make the control of Morel’s disease quite difficult