Signs and diagnosis of clostridiosis in cattle, treatment and prevention

Clostridiosis is a bacterial infection in cattle. Against the background of its infection with pathogens (clostridia), skin, intestinal diseases, as well as tetanus and bradzot develop. The danger of acute bovine clostridiosis lies in the rapid development of symptoms that lead to the death of animals. The chronic course of the disease reduces milk production and undermines the calves' immunity. Clostridia quickly penetrate the environment and have a high survival rate.

Epizootological characteristics

A favorable environment for the development of clostridiosis is humidity and temperature +35 degrees. Pathogens often colonize chernozem soil. The disease is transmitted by the oral, fecal or through skin lesions. By the method of infection with bacteria, feed and traumatic clostridiosis are distinguished.

Causative agents of diseases

Clostridia are bacteria that form spores. They belong to anaerobic microorganisms that do not need oxygen for development. The dividing vegetative cells of Clostridia are rod-like. Spore cells are formed inside. They sleep as long as the bacteria get enough nourishment from the environment - carbon and nitrogen.

When nutrient resources are depleted, the vegetative cells of Clostridia die off and bacteria survive as spores. Under favorable conditions, they begin their vital activity again. There are two types of clostridia:

• pathogenic - enter the body, take root, multiply, cause food infections;
• conditionally pathogenic - live and accumulate in the body, feed, cause food poisoning with a decrease in immunity due to other diseases.

The common property of both types of bacteria is to produce and release toxins into the environment. Cattle diseases developing against the background of clostridiosis:

• botulism;
• tetanus;
• emkar;
• malignant edema;
• anaerobic enterotoxemia.

In first-calf heifers with clostridiosis, necrotizing mastitis develops. The disease is accompanied by the death of tissues, the formation of bubbles with liquid and general poisoning of the body through the blood. Cattle are infected with Clostridia through water, feed, soil and manure. In animals, bacteria are concentrated in the intestines and mucous membranes. They also enter the bloodstream through wounds.

The mechanism of the infectious process

Spores of pathogenic Clostridia enter the intestines of the animal and begin to form vegetative cells. In the process, the bacteria release waste products - toxins that cause poisoning. Poisonous substances also enter the bloodstream and poison the liver, kidneys, nerve and muscle fibers. As a result, acute clostridiosis develops. Conditionally pathogenic bacteria are present in the intestinal microflora and develop in the case of suppression of beneficial microorganisms, for example, after antibiotic treatment.

Clostridia are found in animal feces. Contaminated manure is used to fertilize the soil on which crops are grown for feed or cattle grazed. So Clostridiosis is transmitted from sick cows to healthy ones. Bacteria are found in hay and silage when harvesting rules are violated. Protein-fed animals are susceptible to clostridiosis.

Also, animal proteins contribute to the development of the disease. The spread of Clostridia is a big problem for agriculture, as it causes a chronic course of the disease in dairy cows.

Key features

Common symptoms of clostridiosis in cows:

• lack of appetite;
• refusal of water;
• lethargy;
• diarrhea;
• manure mixed with blood;
• convulsions;
• loss of balance.

Take a look also

Signs and who is the causative agent of colibacillosis in calves, treatment and prevention

Signs indicating the type of bacteria and the disease it causes:

• the animal does not see well, cannot swallow food or water, liquid pours out through the nose, saliva flows - botulism;
• muscles are hardened, sweat is profuse - tetanus;
• swelling, rapid breathing and pulse - malignant edema;
• hot and cold swelling under the skin, crunchy when squeezed, the animal staggers when walking - emkar.

Anaerobic enterotoxemia often develops in calves with clostridiosis. Disease symptoms:

• temperature rise up to +42 degrees;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• muscle contraction;
• rapid heartbeat and breathing.

Calves tolerate emphysematous carbuncle or emkar without edema, but the temperature rises in young and adult animals. The rest of the forms proceed without heat. Chronic clostridiosis is a disease with mild symptoms:

• poor appetite;
• lapping water with tongue;
• wrinkled dull coat;
• non-healing ulcers on the tail and hooves;
• lack of sucking reflex in calves.

Due to the high mortality rate among first-calf heifers and newborns, clostridiosis is causing great damage to dairy farms.

Diagnostics

Infection with Clostridia is established by laboratory tests. Examination of tissue, faeces, and blood samples helps differentiate toxin poisoning from various types of bacteria from diseases with similar symptoms:

With the help of endoscopy, yellow plaques are found on the intestinal walls. They indicate pseudomembranous colitis, which also develops with infection with anaerobic bacteria and clostridiosis. The laboratory examines the water and feed that was given to the cows to determine the source of the infection.

Clostridiosis is established after the death of the animal during autopsy. The disease causes the following changes in tissues and organs:

• bloating, crunching of subcutaneous tissue;
• muscle inflammation;
• release of foamy fluid when pressed.

Enterotoxemia is characterized by:

• accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity;
• thickening of the intestinal walls;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• hepatic, renal hemorrhage.

Gray, like cooked meat, muscles and dark thick blood are signs of tetanus or botulism.

Treatment of cattle for clostridiosis

At the first signs of illness, animals are isolated and transferred to a special regime:

• lead to a separate stall;
• changing the litter often;
• do not feed for two days;
• from the third day they feed in small portions of light food;
• leave water in the drinking bowl and change it often;
• wash the intestines.

The room in which the cows with clostridiosis were kept is disinfected with halogen agents that destroy anaerobic bacteria - with iodine, bromine or chlorine. Drug therapy necessarily includes treatment with antibiotics that are effective against clostridia:

• "Ampicillin";
• "Amoxicillin";
• Chlortetracycline;
• "Biomycin";
• Bitsillin-5;
• "Sulfadimethoxin";
• "Benzylpenicillin";
• "Metronidazole".

Take a look also

Causes of diarrhea with blood in a calf and how to treat it at home

Drugs for concomitant diseases are prescribed after the test results and diagnosis:

• botulism - the introduction of anti-botulinum serum on the first day after the onset of the disease, enemas with a solution of bicarbonate of soda - 30 grams per 15 liters of water, sodium chloride droppers 2 liters twice a day. When exhausted, a 40% glucose solution is also injected, and caffeine is used to stimulate the heart. The mucous membrane of the mouth is washed with a solution of potassium permanganate;
• tetanus - administration of a serum dose of 80 thousand AU and symptomatic therapy with chloral hydrate, laxatives and sedatives;
• malignant edema - opening and cleansing of swollen skin areas with hydrogen peroxide, injections of a 4% solution of "Norsulfazole" intramuscularly, intravenous administration of camphor serum and saline;
• emkar - you can stop the rapid development of the disease with the help of antibiotics. Especially effective is "Penicillin", which is administered 3 times a day. Dead tissue is surgically removed, drained and disinfected;
• anaerobic enterotoxemia - treatment with antibacterial drugs is combined with the administration of serum and probiotics.

In the event of an outbreak of clostridiosis, the farm is closed for quarantine, it is prohibited to export sick animals and import healthy ones. The autopsy of the dead livestock is carried out in separate rooms of the burial ground, and then the bodies and samples are burned.

Death probability

The survival rate for clostridiosis is:

• adult cows - 25%;
• calves - 10%.

There are also animals that carry bacteria that do not show symptoms of the disease.

Preventive actions

There is a vaccine against clostridiosis that forms immunity in animals in 21 days. Cattle of any age are vaccinated. Contraindication is the last month of pregnancy and the rehabilitation period after sterilization. Prevention of the spread of the disease includes:

• maintaining cleanliness in the premises for keeping cattle;
• disinfection every month;
• feeding with quality feed from trusted manufacturers;
• mandatory inclusion of roughage in the diet;
• reducing the proportion of protein in the diet;
• study of the epizootic situation and the location of cattle burial grounds in the region when choosing a pasture;
• regular cleaning of animal hooves.

At the first symptoms of clostridiosis, the animal should be isolated and a veterinarian should be called. Botulism and emphysematous carbuncle develop rapidly and cause massive cattle mortality. Domestic and European farmers fight clostridiosis using probiotics with bacteria that suppress the activity of anaerobes. The main way to prevent the disease is disinfection of premises.

Before using halogen products, you need to remove manure, litter and wash the floor with a disinfectant solution.Clostridia accumulate in deep layers of dirt, into which antiseptics do not penetrate.

The addition of antibiotics to the feed to kill anaerobic bacteria is considered a preventive measure against clostridiosis. But due to the emergence of resistant strains and the detection of drug residues in meat, this method of combating the disease is not effective. Young animals that eat food with antibacterial drugs have reduced immunity. As a result, antibodies are not produced after vaccination.

Animals that are kept in stalls and fed mainly with concentrates are predisposed to an infectious disease. As a result, the cattle's metabolism and intestinal microflora are disturbed. A balanced diet that includes concentrated, coarse and succulent food will help prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria.