Enterotoxemia in Neonatal Calves

Haemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome in Dairy Cattle: Possible Role of Clostridium perfringens Type A in the Disease Complex

“…Actually, it is not known if C. perfringens type A is capable by itself to cause HBS or if it needs some pre‐disposing factors. The presence of high concentration of carbohydrates and proteins in the bowel of calves, lambs and young swine may act as pre‐disposing factors to induce enterotoxaemia by C. perfringens type B and C (Niilo, 1980, 1986; Fleming, 1985; Michelsen, 1996; Radostits et al., 1999; Maddox et al., 2000). A similar mechanism could be responsible for the disease in adult dairy cattle when a ruminal acidosis develop as it happens for the ingestion of large amount of simple carbohydrates and/or reduced amount of fibre (Maddox et al., 2000).…”

Membrane NADPH Oxidase Activity and Cell Size in Bovine Neonatal and Adult Neutrophils

“…Newborn bovine PMN generate significantly reduced amounts of 0 2 -compared with adult PMN when stimulated with the phorbol esters or with the synthetic diacylglycerol analogue l ,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (1 [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. This impaired 02-response of newborn calf PMN may be due to abnormalities at any one of several levels of the activation and signal transduction process.…”

“…Conflicting reports exist on the state of activity of the respiratory burst of PMN from human newborns, and data documenting either comparable (10, 1 I), diminished (12), or increased (13,14) production of 0 2 -by newborn PMN stimulated with various agonists have been reported. Elevated morbidity and mortality resulting from opportunistic bacterial infections are also common in newborn calves (15,16) and, as in man, are likely due to immaturity of immunologic and cellular mechanisms of defense. As for human neonatal PMN, studies of newborn calf PMN have revealed functional abnormalities such as enhanced shape change responses to complement fragments (17), and decreased ability to generate 02-in response to direct PKC agonists ( 17-1 9).…”

Differentiation of Gastrointestinal Diseases of Calves

“…perfringens C. perfringens types A, B, C, and D can all cause diarrhea in calves, but type C is most common. 28 Diarrhea occurs in calves less than 2 j weeks of age, but sudden death before clinical signs of enteritis are seen is more likely. 37,73 The production of enterotoxins causes necrosis of the small intestine and hemorrhagic diarrhea.…”

“…37,73 The production of enterotoxins causes necrosis of the small intestine and hemorrhagic diarrhea. 28 Clostridial organisms can be cultured· from intestinal tissue samples, but the significance of a positive culture can be difficult to interpret, as these organisms can be present in the gut normally and then proliferate following death. Histologic examination of sections of the gut can be helpful.…”