Eperythrozoonosis in sheep - Agriculture Western Australia. This parasite infects the red blood cells of sheep and infected cells are removed from the bloodstream by the sheep's spleen. With heavy infections, sheep can become severely anaemic and this is the main effect of the disease. Figure 1 Likely distribution of farms with E. ovis infection Signs of infection Infected sheep have pale or yellow gums and may pass dark red urine.
Infected animals lag behind the mob when driven.
Severely affected sheep may die although the number of deaths during an outbreak is usually low. The outbreak can last for 14 to 28 days. Once infected, sheep probably stay infected for life. This feature of the disease may affect the long term production of a flock. Some sheep rapidly clear the parasite from their bloodstream but the infection can flare up again when they are stressed.