Clostridial disease in cattle

Abstract

Clostridial disease affects cattle across the UK throughout the year but particularly in the grazing season. All clostridial disease occurs when conditions in the muscles or organs become anaerobic allowing for bacterial proliferation and toxin production. The most common pathogenic clostridium is Clostridium chauvoei which causes blackleg and has both skeletal and cardiac forms. Clostridium perfringens is the second most commonly identified clostridia with type A causing enterotoxaemia and type D causing pulpy kidney. Clostridium novyi is the third most common clostridia — type B causes black disease and type D causes bacillary haemoglobinuria. Cattle are most at risk during the grazing season meaning that control and prevention of disease should be particularly targeted at this time of year. The cost of vaccination is so low compared with the cost of losing even one animal that an appropriate protocol should be implemented on all farms.