Volume: 2, 2023
2nd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: A003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL2.A003
Published online: 19 April 2023
ICDSUPL, 2, A003 (2023)
Hemorrhagic enterotoxemia of lambs – still a valid problem in sheep breeding
Artur Ciszewski1*, Maciej Batorski1, Łukasz Jarosz1, Wojciech Łopuszyński2, Zbigniew Grądzki1
1 Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
2 Department of Pathomorphology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author: artur.ciszewski@up.lublin.pl
Abstract
Hemorrhagic enterotoxemia in lambs is an acute, hemorrhagic enteritis, which is one of the most important factors causing deaths in the first days of animal life. The microorganism responsible for the development of this disease is Clostridium perfringens – an anaerobic gram positive (G+) bacillus that is a commensal of the digestive tract of healthy animals, also commonly found in the soil. Its special feature is the ability to form endospores, which makes it a microorganism that is very resistant to unfavorable conditions of the external environment and to a large part of disinfectants. It has the ability to produce α, β and ε enterotoxins, of which the α toxin is the most important in the pathogenesis. Its action consists in damaging the intestinal epithelium, which leads to the development of hemorrhagic inflammatory changes on the surface of the mucosa, to ulceration and intestinal necrosis. Lambs become infected by the oral route, mainly by suckling milk from udder teats contaminated with faeces containing bacteria. The course of the disease in infected lambs is hyperacute, acute or chronic. In the hyperacute course, the animals die without showing any signs of disease before death, in the acute course there is pain in the abdominal cavity, apathy, lack of appetite and intense diarrhea with an admixture of blood leading to rapid dehydration and death. The chronic course is characterized by reluctance to take food and abdominal pain, mortality is then much lower, but it occurs most often in older animals. Haemorrhagic enterotoxemia in sheep continues to cause many problems in sheep farming.
How to cite
A. Ciszewski, M. Batorski, Ł. Jarosz, W. Łopuszyński, Z. Grądzki, 2023. Hemorrhagic enterotoxemia of lambs – still a valid problem in sheep breeding. In: 2nd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL2.A003