Study of bovine enterotoxaemia in Belgium: II. Epizootiology, clinical signs and pathology

Bovine enterotoxaemia is an ill-defined clinical syndrom with various descr iptions in the existing literature. This study describes 78 cases of so-cal led "bovine enterotoxaemia" in Belgian Blue cattle, in an attempt to better define the clinical signs and the lesions at necropsy. Most of the calves were suckling beef calves from 2 to 4 months of age. The environmental circ umstances of occurrence of the disease were studied and better defined, The clinical signs were a sudden death with no other sign or colics sometimes followed by nervous disorders, However even in the latter cases the death w as very rapid, The lesions were a necro-haemorrhagic enteritis of the jejun o-ileum and sometimes of the colon, Other organs looked macroscopically hea lthy. These cases of "bovine enterotoxaemia" of Belgian Blue cattle differ from most descriptions present in the literature, emphasizing the possible importance of the cattle breed. The identification of the infectious aetiol ogical agent, if any, will be the subject of further studies.