Emphysematous carbuncle: causative agent and symptoms of emkar, treatment of cattle

Clostridia bacteria are dangerous microorganisms that survive in an anoxic environment. They cause the development of emphysematous carbuncle, or emkara, in cows. The disease is treated with antibiotics, but recovered animals remain carriers of pathogens. Cattle become infected through water, feed and manure of sick relatives. Emkar is one of the diseases that are causing major damage to farms.

What is a disease

Emphysematous carbuncle is an infectious disease with a short incubation period. Symptoms appear 1-3 days after the pathogen enters the animal's body.The bacterium synthesizes toxins that cause muscle swelling, fluid release and gas formation in the tissues. The condition is accompanied by fever. A characteristic sign of emkar is a crunch when pressing on the inflammation focus. The skin in places of edema first becomes hot, and then cold and hard.

Emphysematous carbuncle is more common in cattle and rare in sheep, goats. Cows aged from three months to four years are predisposed to the disease. Bulls are susceptible to disease-causing bacteria between one and two years of age.

Calves fed with mother's milk for fifteen days after birth have strong immunity. But young weaned early are also at risk.

Developed musculature predisposes to the development of emkar. Therefore, the disease is dangerous for farms raising livestock in the meat industry. The disease also develops with a decrease in immunity or during the period of acclimatization of foreign breed cows delivered from a foreign nursery.

Emphysematous carbuncle was isolated as a separate disease in the second half of the nineteenth century. Prior to that, his symptoms were considered a manifestation of anthrax. Emkar is not tied to geography, but has a seasonal expression. Outbreaks of the disease are observed in the summer-autumn period.

Causes of emkar

Emphysematous carbuncle occurs for the following reasons:

• unsanitary conditions for cows;
• grazing in areas with a dangerous or unknown epizootic situation;
• animals drinking water from swampy waters;
• getting into food or water the manure of sick animals;
• early weaning of calves from their mothers.

The causative agent of the disease - rod bacterium clostridia - refers to pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms. It is present in the intestinal microflora, and with normal immunity, its vital activity is suppressed by beneficial microorganisms.

But with a decrease in immunity or a violation of microflora, living conditions become favorable for the growth of vegetative cells and the development of clostridia.

When conditions change back to unfavorable and accumulate around a large number of waste products, bacteria form spores. Vegetative cells gradually die off. Spores withstand arctic cold, exposure to chemicals, and survive in a vacuum.

Clostridia get into the intestines of cattle when eating plants on pastures that have been fertilized with the manure of sick animals. From the digestive tract, they spread through the organs and enter the muscles. Weakening of general immunity, due to another infectious disease, or local, as a result of a blow, brings spores out of hibernation.A favorable factor for the development of clostridia and the occurrence of emkar is a large amount of glycogen in the muscles of beef cows.

The trigger for the emergence of a focus of infection is also the wound of a cow during a walk or in a fight with relatives.

Forms and symptoms of the disease

Common signs of emkar:

• apathy;
• loss of appetite or refusal to eat.

During the incubation period, blood vessels and tissues in the muscles and skin are destroyed. The poison released by the bacteria accumulates. After a day or two, in rare cases on the fifth day, symptoms of one of the three forms of emkar appear.

Acute Current

Signs:

• body temperature 41-42 degrees;
• noticeable swelling in places with developed muscles - on the croup, hips, neck, chest, sometimes there is swelling of the mucous membrane of the mouth and pharynx;
• enlarged lymph nodes.

In acute emcar, edema or carbuncle is poured in 8-10 hours. Hot to the touch, the affected area becomes colder and hardens. When pressed, a crunch is heard - crepitus. A cow with carbuncles on its legs and rump is lame.

Super-sharp

Symptoms:

• fever;
• sepsis.

Superacute form of emkara occurs in a septic form without the formation of carbuncles, is rare and only in calves under three months of age.

Atypical

Symptoms:

• general depression;
• muscle inflammation.

Atypical or abortive emcarr proceeds without hardening of the edema. A mild form of the disease is typical for older cows.

Diagnosis

Emkar is diagnosed using a veterinary examination of animals, laboratory research of biomaterial and autopsy.

Diagnostic method	Description
Veterinary examination	The method is used in the acute course of the disease to differentiate from anthrax . With peptic ulcer disease, there is no crepitus. blood and liver tissue. On the basis of biological material, a suspension is prepared, which is administered to guinea pigs. Confirmation is their death in 18-48 hours. and subcutaneous tissue. Muscle tissue emits gas bubbles and a putrid odor.The liver and spleen may be enlarged in the acute form. In other cases, no changes in internal organs are observed.

When confirming the diagnosis by laboratory method, an autopsy is not performed to avoid the spread of Clostridium.

Treatment measures

Treatment of emphysematous carbuncle is effective at the first symptoms. The atypical form resolves within two days.

Animals are injected intramuscularly with one of the antibiotics:

• "Penicillin";
• "Biomycin";
• "Dibiomycin";
• Amioxicillin;
• Cefepim;
• Ceftriaxone.

Solutions for external use:

• Lizol;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• carbolic acid;
• potassium permanganate.

The dosage of drugs for emphysematous carbuncle is prescribed by a veterinarian. Self-selection of drugs can aggravate the condition of the animal.

Prevention

It is important to recognize the symptoms of emkar at an early stage in order to preserve the livestock. Sick cows are transferred to a separate room. The rest of the animals are vaccinated. The farm is closed for quarantine and disinfection. The planned slaughter is cancelled. The bodies of dead animals are burned in cattle cemeteries.

How to avoid an outbreak:

• vaccinate every six months;
• purchased animals should be quarantined for two weeks, separately from the herd;
• disinfect stalls during summer grazing;
• study the area when choosing a pasture, the epizootic situation;
• do not graze the herd near cattle burial grounds, in wetlands;
• examine the skin of cows, keep the hooves clean.

Meat and milk of sick cows is prohibited for sale. Timely vaccination, control of appetite and physical activity of animals will help to avoid the spread of clostridium and emcara.

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