Economic significance Cheesy gland causes losses to individual sheep producers and to the sheep meat industry. Wool producers incur the greatest losses caused by cheesy gland. In addition to the 20 per cent of the average flock that develop cheesy gland, about a further 10 per cent of the flock become infected with the bacterium but do not develop abscesses. The wool production of these sheep is also reduced. On average, sheep lose between 4 and 7 per cent of their clean wool production in the year they are infected.
Losses also occur at the abattoir.
The largest cost to the abattoir is the cost of inspecting for this disease. Cheesy gland in goats can be fatal and affected goats in milking herds need to be culled. The disease is found in all the world's major sheep production areas. This bacterium causes the abscesses or 'boils' seen in slaughtered sheep. In most cases, cheesy gland is only seen by farmers when sheep are killed on the farm.