Suppurative thyroiditis is a potentially fatal but rare bacterial disease. The thyroid is normally very resistant to infection, this is mainly due to a relatively high amount of iodine in the tissue as well as its high vascularity and lymphatic drainage. Pyriform sinus fistulae and hematogenous route serves as a portal for entry of most systemic bacterial infection to the thyroid. A 2 year-old Yankasa ewe was presented with complaint of anorexia, weakness and a swelling 4-5cm around the ventral neck region near the larynx. Swelling was identified as abscesses. The cut section of both glands contained a thick creamy purulent exudate from which Staphylococcus aureus was isolated. Microscopically there was necrosis of the thyroid follicular cells and accumulation of neutrophils, macrophages in the thyroid gland.

The thyroid hormones influence all major metabolic pathways, with regards to lipid metabolism. In this report fatty degeneration of hepatocytes was seen in the liver and this could be due to decreased level of the thyroid hormones as a result of a state of primary hypofunction of the gland. Most of the published literature on acute suppurative thyroiditis are related to humans. Hence we present the first report of bilateral thyroiditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus in Ovine species.

Dr Daniel Yoksa has completed his Masters in 2021 at the age of 32 years from the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. He is a Lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. He has 5 publications that have been read and cited. He is currently looking for a Supervisor with a fully funded grant for his PhD.