Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP):

A Producers Guide to Prevention, Management and Control

What is OPP?
OPP is a viral disease that primarily affects sheep and is found throughout the US with over 25% of sheep
infected. Sheep infected with the OPP virus may not show clinical signs until 2-4 years of age, which can
be very problematic to producers. Therefore, implementing control strategies and maintaining good
biosecurity is imperative.
What are the clinical signs of sheep infected by the OPP virus?

Poor body condition despite normal appetite

Increased respiratory rate/effort
Coughing
Lethargy/Fever
Firm, enlarged udder known as hardbag shortly after lambing
Udders usually produce normal milk, but in lower quantities. Therefore, producers may notice
lambs that appear hungry, especially if ewes have twins/triplets
Lameness associated with arthritis of the hock and/or knee
Neurologic signs of head tilt and/or circling

How does OPP affect the flock?

Economic losses associated with OPP are mainly due to subclinically infected animals rather than
clinically infected animals. Infected animals may have decreased milk production, which may lead to a
high proportion of animals that are culled prematurely. Therefore, many production losses go unnoticed
which makes overall severity of OPP in a flock difficult to determine.
How is this disease transmitted?
Transmission can occur by a variety of methods, including through nursing, aerosol, contact with nasal
discharge, fomites, and (rarely) intrauterine infection. The primary method is through ingestion of
infected colostrum, which makes lambs especially susceptible to infection.
How is OPP diagnosed?
There are multiple methods for diagnosis:

Agar

Gel Immunodiffusion Test (AGID)

Immunosorbent Assay (cELISA)
Histopathology of mammary tissue
Necropsy
Enzyme-Linked

The AGID test has been used in eradication programs, but the cELISA test provides a direct
quantification of serum antibodies to the OPP virus, while AGID does not. Blood samples are needed for
both of these tests. Lambs should not be tested until after six months of age due to the tests detecting
circulating antibodies to the virus and colostrum can interfere. The cELISA test is more sensitive than the
AGID test at identifying true positive animals. A necropsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. Your
veterinarian can help choose the appropriate tests to run for your flock.

How is OPP treated?

Currently, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for OPP. Antibiotics may be used to treat any
secondary bacterial infections, and good management practices should be used to increase animal health
and well-being in the face of disease.
Prevention, Control and Eradication
Eradication of OPP from a flock is possible and is dependent upon the producers goals, economics and
farm management. Eradication can take many years and methods may include the following:
A. Annual or biannual testing of animals and culling or isolation of sero-positive animals from the flock
Test all animal over 6 months of age with cELISA and/or AGID antibody test
Isolation of unaffected flocks from infected sheep, while being mindful of people/equipment that
enter and leave the farm (biosecurity).
B. Separation of lambs soon as possible after birth from positive or suspect ewes
Prevent ewe from licking lambs after birth and provide lambs with colostrum from sero-negative
ewes, heat-treated colostrum from sero-positive/suspect ewes or milk replacer
For more information on OPP, please contact your veterinarian or consult the following resources:

Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP):

A Producers Guide to Prevention, Management and Control
What is OPP?
OPP is a viral disease that primarily affects sheep. Goats also are susceptible and similar viruses such as
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis virus (CAEv) are more associated with these species. OPP is unique
because sheep may not show clinical signs until they are older (between the ages of 2-4 yrs.). This can be
problematic to producers and therefore, implementing control strategies and maintaining good biosecurity
is imperative.
How does OPP affect individuals?
Sheep will typically begin to show subtle clinical signs of poor body condition and may seem thinner than
normal, but usually will have a completely normal appetite. Other signs may include:
Increased respiratory rate/effort with or without coughing
Lethargy
Fever
Firm, enlarged udder known as hardbag shortly after lambing. Udders usually produce normal
milk, but in lower quantities. Therefore, producers may notice lambs that appear hungry,
especially if ewes have twins/triplets
Lameness associated with arthritis of the hock and/or knee
Neurologic signs of head tilt and/or circling
How does OPP affect the flock?
Economic losses associated with OPP are mainly due to subclinically infected animals rather than
clinically infected animals (Gerstner, 2015). Flocks that have OPP infected animals may have decreased
milk production with a high proportion of animals that are culled prematurely. Therefore, many
production losses go unnoticed which makes overall severity of OPP in a flock difficult to determine.
OPP is found throughout the United States with more than 25% of the sheep infected (Wolf, 2010).
How is this disease transmitted?
OPP is transmitted by a variety of methods, including through nursing, aerosol, contact with nasal
discharge, fomites, and (rarely) intrauterine infection. The primary method is through ingestion of
infected colostrum, which makes lambs especially susceptible to infection.
How is OPP diagnosed?
There are multiple methods for diagnosis, including Agar Gel Immunodiffusion Test (AGID), cELISA,
histopathology of mammary tissue and necropsy. The AGID test has been used in eradication programs,
but the cELISA test provides a direct quantification of serum antibodies to the OPP virus, while AGID
does not. Blood samples are needed for both of these tests. It is recommended that since animals can
acquire this virus through infected colostrum, lambs should not be tested until after six months of age due
to the test detecting circulating antibody to the virus. The cELISA test is more sensitive than the AGID
test (identifying true positive animals). A necropsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. Characteristic
lesions include swollen discolored lungs, microscopic abnormalities associated with hardbag in the
udders, and enlarged thoracic lymph nodes.

How is OPP treated?

Currently, there is no specific treatment for OPP. Antibiotics may be used to treat any secondary bacterial
infections, and good management practices should be used to increase animal health and well-being in the
face of disease.
Prevention, Control and Eradication
Eradication of OPP from a flock is possible and is dependent upon the producers goals, economics and
how the farm is managed. Eradication can take many years to occur and methods may include removal of
all positive animals during certain time intervals or having strict colostral/lambing that promptly separates
lambs from infected ewes at birth.
Eradication Strategies may include:
A. Annual or biannual testing of animals and culling or isolation of seropositive animals from the flock
Test all animal over 6 months of age with cELISA and/or AGID antibody test
Isolation of unaffected flocks from infected sheep, while being mindful of people and equipment
that enter and leave the farm (biosecurity).
B. Separation of lambs soon as possible after birth from seropositive or suspect ewes
Prevent ewe from licking lambs after birth and provide lambs with colostrum from seronegative
ewes or heat-treated colostrum from seropositive or suspect ewes and raised on milk from
seronegative ewes, heat-treated milk from seropositive ewes, or milk replacer
For more information on OPP, please contact your veterinarian or consult the following resources:

LITERATURE CITED
Gerstner, S., Adamovicz, J., Duncan, J., Laegreid, W., Marshall, K., Logan, J., & Schumaker, B. (2015).
Prevalence of and risk factors associated with ovine progressive pneumonia in Wyoming sheep flocks.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 247(8), 932-937
Leymaster, K., Chitko-McKown, C., & Heaton, M. (n.d.). Incidence of infection in 39-month-old ewes
with TMEM154 diplotypes "1 1," "1 3," and "3 3" after natural exposure to ovine progressive pneumonia
virus. Journal of Animal Science, 93(1), 41-45.
Wolf, C. (2010). Ovine Progressive Pneumonia General Fact Sheet. OPP Concerned Sheep Breeders
Society. Retrieved from <http://www.oppsociety.org/About_OPP_files/OPP_General_Fact_Sheet.pdf>
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. (2003). Ovine Progressive Pneumonia: Awareness,
Management and Seroprevalence. Veterinary Services Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health.
Retrieved from <https://ahdc.vet.cornell.edu/docs/OvineProgressivePneumonia.pdf>