Emphysematous abomasitis in one month old lambs Hein Snyman BVSc DVSc Anatomic Pathology Resident Department of Pathobiology Ontario Veterinary College University of Guelph

Signalment One month old lambs (n=3) Male Rideau Arcott

History Novice small scale operation Farmer away on the weekend Returned to find 3 lambs dead Acute death within last 36 hours Growing well

Gross findings Good body condition Fibrinous peritonitis & serosal petechiae Abomasal mucosal haemorrhage, necrosis and ulceration Exuberant autolysis of the kidney and liver

Gram + Rods

Ancillary diagnostics Faecal flotation – NAD Bacterial culture: 4 + Clostridium perfringens 3 + Mannheimia haemolytica Clostridial Fluorescent antibody test (FAT) Clostridium septicum www.vet.uga.edu

Diagnosis Mdx - Emphysematous, necrotizing and suppurative abomasitis, trans mural, regionally extensive, acute. Edx - Clostridial gangrenous abomasitis/Braxy Etiology – Clostridium septicum & C. perfringens

Braxy Highly fatal Acute to peracute Treatment rarely successful NW Europe Norway, Denmark, North Germany, Iceland and the Faroe islands – Bradsot UK, Ireland, North America and Australia

Braxy Low prevalence Cold winters Overwintering on summer pasture Autumn, early to mid winter North America – early spring

Braxy Severe oedema, necrosis and gangrenous inflammation of the mucosa of the abomasum C. septicum, C. novyi, C. perfringens type A & C

Braxy Good condition 6 to 18 months Morbidity up to 50 % Calves Abomasal ulcers

Pathogenesis Poorly understood Mucosal invasion and proliferation without any predisposing lesion Coarse and frozen vegetation Toxin production Abomasal canula – Glucose & VFA’s Centrifugal emphysematous lesions Ellis T.M., Rowe J.B. and Lloyd J.M. (1983). Acute abomasitis due to Clostridium septicum infection in experimental sheep. Aust. Vet. J. 60, 308-309.

Prevention Immunoprophylaxis Toxoid/Bacterin No vaccination protocol No Clostridial vaccines

References Coetzer J.A.W., Tustin R.C. Infectious diseases of livestock, 2nd Edition, Volume Three, Section Five: Bacterial diseases, 183 Clostidium septicum infections, pg. 1869-1873. Ellis T.M., Rowe J.B. and Lloyd J.M. (1983). Acute abomasitis due to Clostridium septicum infection in experimental sheep. Aust. Vet. J. 60, 308-309. Eustis S.L. and Bergeland M.E. (1981). Suppurative abomasitis associated with Clostridium septicum infection. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 178, 732-734. Songer JG. (1996). Clostridial enteric diseases of domestic animals. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 9, 216-234.