Clostridial abomasitis in calves: Case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Infections by Clostridium perfringens type A are perhaps the most common causes of clostridial hemorrhagic enteritis in neonatal ruminants. Affected calves exhibit tympany, hemorrhagic abomasitis, and abomasal ulceration. Gram-positive bacilli are often found on affected mucosa and in submucosa. Aspects of etiology beyond the infecting organism are little understood, but probably include dietary issues, perhaps relating to overfeeding, feeding of barely thawed or contaminated colostrum, or conditions which effect decreased gut motility. Fatal hemorrhagic enteritis in a cloned gaur calf is illustrative of the syndrome. The calf developed pasty yellow and bloody diarrhea, and the abdomen became distended and painful. In spite of intensive therapy, the calf died approximately 48 h after birth. At necropsy, the distended abomasum contained clotted milk and bloody fluid, and the abomasal and omasal walls were thickened and hemorrhagic. The proximal duodenum was hemorrhagic and emphysematous, and microscopic examination revealed Gram-positive rods in association with acute, necrotizing, hemorrhagic mucosal inflammation. Isolates of C. perfringens from this calf were PCR positive for cpb2, the gene encoding beta2 toxin. This finding is of unknown significance; only 14.3% (8/56) of isolates from other calves with the syndrome have been cpb2 positive, and only 50% of cpb2 positive bovine isolates express CPB2. The most prominent needs to further our understanding of this problem are consistent experimental reproduction of the disease, elucidation of virulence attributes, and development and application of prevention and control strategies.

Rethinking the role of alpha toxin in Clostridium perfringens-associated enteric diseases: a review on bovine necro-haemorrhagic enteritis

“…Furthermore, the causative role of C. perfringens type A in clostridial abomasitis was confirmed when intraruminal administration of C. perfringens type A to neonatal calves induced clinical signs similar to naturally acquired disease [ 10 ]. Almost exclusively toxinotype A strains are isolated from animals diagnosed with either necro-haemorrhagic enteritis [ 11 – 14 ] or clostridial abomasitis [ 10 , 15 , 16 ]. However, the involvement of this toxinotype and its toxin(s) was and still is heavily debated.…”

Clostridium Perfringens Toxins Involved in Mammalian Veterinary Diseases

“…C. perfringens type A has been and is still frequently blamed for enteritis, abomasitis and/or enterotoxemia in cattle [28–32], horses [33–39], goats [40–43] and pigs [44, 45]. However, the role of this microorganism in natural diseases of these species remains controversial and poorly documented [46].…”

“…Toxinotype E is an occasional cause of hemorrhagic enteritis and sudden death in beef calves [32, 160]. Type E disease has rarely been described in sheep and goats [43].…”

“…Over the past decade CPB2 has been associated with enteric diseases in a wide range of animals (Tables 3 and 4) including swine [65, 162, 167–170], cattle [28, 32, 171–174], horses [33, 35–39], sheep and goats [175, 176], and wild animals such as deer [177] and bears [178, 179]. The clinical signs observed in CPB2-mediated enteric diseases range from pasty to watery diarrhea with blood in feces, abdominal pain, and loss of body condition.…”

“…Based on the reported findings related to the pathology of C. perfringens encoding CPB2-related enteritis seen in food producing and wild animals [28, 32, 33, 35, 81, 169, 171, 175, 177, 178], the gross pathology is characterized by hemorrhage and necrosis of the small and large intestines. Other prominent gross pathologic lesions include swollen, hemorrhagic mesenteric lymph nodes, as well as thickened and congested abomasal walls.…”