Department:
Agriculture
Clostridial diseases
A.J.
Olivier
Clostridial diseases
Clostridial diseases
are caused by bacteria that occur widely in naturein soil, sewage, water and
in the gut of animals. They cause a wide range of signs and effects. Whenever
animals die after being sick for a short time or are suddenly found dead these
diseases should be suspected.
Factors
that can lead to disease
Changes from poor to good
food: animals that are placed on lush green pastures after the winter or are
suddenly fed rich feeds, such as maize, are at risk
Lack of care with
procedures such as castration, tail docking, wound cleaning and treatment as
well as helping animals to lamb or calve can lead to disease
Stress: any abnormal
situation, such as sheep lambing in small camps, is dangerous
Animals eating carcasses
or old bones, or drinking water, or eating feed contaminated by dead animals
SUDDEN
DEATH WITH OR WITHOUT GUT SIGNS
Common names of diseases in
this category are pulpy kidney (bloednier), enterotoxaemia (rooiderm),
lamb dysentery (bloedpens)
Animals
affected
Sheep, goats and cattle
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Signs in live animals
Animals that suffer from
these diseases are usually found dead without showing any signs
Some animals may show
signs of stomach pain, depression, watery grey or bloody diarrhoea, weakness
and even nervous signs such as convulsion (fits) or paralysis
Mostly young animals are
affected, but older animals may also become sick and die
Signs
in dead animals
Gas-filled red intestines
(note that animals that have been dead for a while may show similar signs)
Soft, pale kidneys (pulpy
kidney)
Often
follows
Changes in nutrition,
stressful times or procedures, deworming
Prevented
by
Care with change in feed,
good management, vaccination
SWOLLEN
LEGS, HEADS AND SUDDEN DEATH
Common names of diseases in
this category are blackquarter (sponssiekte), swollen head (dikkop),
malignant oedema
Animals
affected
Cattle, sheep and goats
Signs
in live animals
Animals are usually found
dead without signs
The part of the body
affected may be very swollen. When the area is touched it feels spongy and is
filled with gas bubbles
Other signs are
lameness, depression and swellings as a result of fluid under the skin (oedema)
Signs
in dead animals
Parts of the body are
swollen
Affected muscle has a
streaky dark red, greyish-red to yellow and black colour and is filled with gas
bubbles
Wounds from fighting
Often
follows
Lack of care with
procedures such as castration, difficulty in lambing or calving, wounds from
fighting
Prevented
by
Good wound management,
vaccination
NERVOUS
SIGNS
The toxins produced by
clostridial bacteria cause the disease signs. Diseases included are tetanus and
botulism
Tetanus
Animals
affected
Horses, sheep, goats,
cattle and dogs
Signs
in live animals
The disease develops
within 1 to 3 weeks after a wound or a procedure not performed correctly
The third eyelid moves
across the eye
The animal becomes
increasingly stiff and walks with difficulty. This leads to paralysis, with
spasms of the legs, head and neck
Death occurs within 1 to
3 days
Signs
in dead animals
Infected or neglected
wounds
Often
follows
A wound or a procedure not
performed correctly (e.g. castration)
Prevented
by
Good wound management,
vaccination
Botulism (lamsiekte)
Animals
affected
Cattle, sheep, goats,
chickens, horses and donkeys
Signs
in live animals
Animals do not have a
temperature and may be partially or totally paralysed
The tongue may hang out
of the mouth but the animals will still try to eat. Because they cannot
swallow, water given carelessly in the mouth may get into the lungs
Cattle may die suddenly.
Animals die of pneumonia or they stop breathing because of the paralysis
Sheep may have an arched back, with a drooping head and
neck
Often
follows
Contaminated feed and water
(dead rats and birds in the feed or water), pica (animals chewing or licking
bones or rocks, especially during the dry season and in areas where there is a
phosphorus deficiency of the soil), feeding chicken litter
Prevented
by
Phosphorus supplementation
in licks, clean feed and water, vaccination, removing carcasses from the veld
DISEASES WITH SIMILAR SIGNS
Clostridial diseases can be
confused with one another, as well as with anthrax, toxic plant poisoning,
snakebites, poisoning with chemicals, rabies, three-day stiffsickness,
redwater, heartwater, infection of the brain, tick paralysis, twin lamb disease
(domsiekte) and tapeworm cysts in the brain
DIAGNOSIS
To determine the disease a
postmortem should be done, and this may involve laboratory testing to identify
the bacteria and toxin. Samples must be collected as soon as possible after
death. Ask your animal health technician or state veterinarian to collect the
samples and send them to the laboratory
TREATMENT
Because these diseases
start suddenly with few signs, treatment is nearly always too late to cure the
animal. Supportive treatment and antibiotics, such as penicillin, may help in
early cases. Treatment of tetanus and botulism is difficult, with poor results.
In the early stages, treatment with a substance called antitoxin against the
disease may save the animal, but it has to be given as soon as signs are
noticed and is not always on hand at times when it may be needed.
PREVENTION
Vaccination against the diseases is the best and most practical way to prevent
animal losses. Consult your animal health technician or state veterinarian
regarding a vaccination programme
Good management will prevent many of these diseases
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For further
information contact your animal health technician, state or private
veterinarian |
This
publication is available on the web: www.nda.agric.za/publications
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Information provided
by |
2001
Compiled
by Directorate Communication, Department of Agriculture
in cooperation with
ARC-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute
Printed
and published by Department of Agriculture
and obtainable from Resource Centre, Directorate Communication
Private Bag X144, Pretoria 0001, South Africa