looping ill
Noun An acute viral disease affecting the nervous system of sheep. The disease is characterized by neurological symptoms and is transmitted by the tick species Ixodes ricinus.
The term "looping ill" is used specifically in veterinary and agricultural contexts to refer to this tick-borne viral infection in sheep and other ruminants. * The farmer quarantined the flock after confirming a case of looping ill. * Looping ill can cause significant economic losses in sheep farming.
- The term is often used in scientific literature and veterinary reports. It is a technical, domain-specific term.
- While primarily affecting sheep, the virus can also infect other animals, including goats, cattle, and deer, and in rare cases, humans.
- Louping ill virus (LIV): The specific name of the virus that causes the disease.
- Tick-borne encephalitis: "Looping ill" is considered a form of tick-borne encephalitis specific to animals in the British Isles and parts of Europe.
- Ovine encephalomyelitis (a more general medical term for inflammation of the brain and spinal cord in sheep).
"Looping ill" has only one specific meaning as defined above. It is not used in general English outside this veterinary context. The name derives from the Scottish word "loup," meaning "to leap," describing the uncoordinated, leaping gait exhibited by infected animals.
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an acute viral disease of the nervous system in sheep; can be transmitted by Ixodes ricinus
