LOUPING ILL

also called Leaping Ill, viral disease mainly of sheep, causing inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. It is transmitted by bites of the castor-bean tick, species Ixodes ricinus. The disease is most common in northern England and Scotland and is called louping (or leaping) ill because infected sheep leap about. Other mammals, including humans, are susceptible, as are woodland birds. There is no specific treatment, but vaccines confer immunity.