History: Goat, 5 years, female.
Diagnosis: Abomasum: Abomasitis, severe, acute, diffuse, haemorrhagic and necrotizing
Description: The mucosa of the abomasum is extremely reddened and covered with multifocal to coalescent haemorrhages and necroses. The abomasum contains only minimal amounts of reddish fluid. Macroscopically, lesions resemble Braxy-like clostridial abomasitis.
Comments: The goat died suddenly without previous clinical signs. Additional finding at necropsy was severe, acute, segmental, haemorrhagic and necrotizing enteritis of the proximal small intestine. Histopathology revealed an extensive submucosal edema and transmural predominantly neutrophilic infiltration of the abomasum.
Braxy, caused by Clostridium septicum, is associated with an acute abomasitis with mucosal edema, haemorrhages and necroses, causing rapid death. In the present case, only high numbers of Clostridium perfringens Type A bacteria were isolated.
Picture: Angele Breithaupt, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Author: Jenny Fürstenau, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany