Clostridial diseases diagnosed in cattle from the South of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A forty-year survey (1978-2018) and a brief review of the literature

Abstract

Clostridial diseases are important causes of livestock losses in the southern Rio Grande do Sul. Since 1978 annual surveys conducted at the “Laboratório Regional de Diagnóstico” of the “Universidade Federal de Pelotas” (LRD-UFPel) have shown that clostridial diseases represent 10.40% of the bacterial diseases diagnosed in cattle and 1.65% of all diseases diagnosis in cattle over a 40-year period. The purpose of this study is to review the clinical, epidemiological and pathological aspects of the clostridial diseases diagnosed in cattle from January 1978 to December 2018 at the LRD-UFPel in the hopes that it will constitute a useful guide for field veterinary practitioners and interested farmers. We assessed and review the necropsy protocols of 6,736 cattle; these necropsies were performed either by LRD-UFPel faculty or by field veterinary practitioners; 111 outbreaks (1.65%) were diagnosed as clostridial disease, distributed as follows: 35 outbreaks of tetanus, 34 of blackleg, 23 of bacillary hemoglobinuria, 11 of malignant edema (gas gangrene), and eight of botulism. Approximately 904, from a total of 42,480 cattle at risk, died in these outbreaks.

Tetanus in a male mix breed horse from Jataí Municipality, Goiás: Case report

“…Considering the horse susceptibility to the disease, it is of great relevance, the education of horses' owners regarding the disease once active immunization is a crucial tool of prevention (Ribeiro et al, 2018). Santos et al (2019) reinforced this tool as the preferred Research, Society and Development, v. 9, n. 7, e784974378, 2020 (CC BY 4.0) | ISSN 2525-3409 | DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v9i7.4378 method of control. In the reported case, the animal did not receive vaccine against tetanus, but the instruction and recommendation was passed to the owner, to make sure that other animals would get vaccinated and so the occurrence of the disease do not happen again.…”

“…Considering the economic relevance of horses, farmers have to be aware of diseases that can affect these animals and so, be able to require animal care when needed. According to Santos et al (2019), among the group of diseases that affect horses, clostridiosis are important causes of livestock losses. These authors refer to clostridiosis as several diseases caused by bacteria of the Clostridium genus or by their toxins.…”

“…To Santos et al (2019), the outbreak occurrence is associated to poor hygiene of facilities used during animal handling that leads to the contamination of the skin and through a port of entry, causes the disease to develop. Usually, the bacteria or spores enter the organism through a perforating or cutting wound, contaminated by soil or faeces containing them.…”

“…According to Ribeiro et al (2018), the prognosis is reserved, existing a variation according to the time of evolution and intensity of clinical signs. It is essential to maintain adequate control and prophylaxis, being immunization through first doses plus an annual vaccination schedule the most appropriated method of control, mainly in areas where there is a high incidence of the disease (Santos et al, 2019). Therefore, as a manner of a better understanding of diseases that affect horses farms in tropical areas, this paper aimed to report a case of tetanus in a horse attended in a rural property located in the city of Jataí, Goiás, Brazil.…”

“…The action of C. tetani toxins in the motor neuron causing spasticity through the inhibition of neurotransmitter release.Source:Santos et al (2019) …”