THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PRESENCE OF HELICOBACTER-PYLORI, CLOSTRIDIUM-PERFRINGENS TYPE-A, CAMPYLOBACTER SPP, OR FUNGI AND FATAL ABOMASAL ULCERS IN UNWEANED BEEF-CALVES

A case-control study involving 30 unweaned beef calves was conducted t o determine whether specific species of bacteria or fungi were associa ted with fatal abomasal ulcer formation. Special microbiological and h istological techniques were used to detect Clostridium perfringens typ e A, Helicobacter pylori, or Campylobacter spp. It has been speculated that these bacteria are potential ulcerogenic agents of unweaned beef calves. Calves were recruited for the study at necropsy, with those d ying of either a perforating or a hemorrhagic ulcer representing the c ases, and calves of a similar age dying of a disease unrelated to the abomasum representing the controls. Helicobacter pylori was not visual ized in or cultured from any of the abomasal tissue samples, Clostridi um perfringens type A was isolated from 78.6% of the cases and 75% of the controls. These isolates were further dichotomized into ''heavy'' and ''light'' growth; no significant association was found between ulc ers and the amount of growth, A light growth of Campylobacter spp, was recovered from 3 cases and 3 controls. There was no compelling eviden ce to suggest that Clostridium perfringens type A, Helicobacter pylori , or Campylobacter spp, were involved in ulcer formation.