title: Therapeutic management of botulism in dairy cattle.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the successful recovery of few dairy cattle from botulism in response to a modified therapeutic strategy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy four naturally-occurring clinical cases of bovine botulism encountered during the period of 2012-2014 which were confirmed by mouse lethality test became material for this study. Affected animals were made into three groups based on the treatment modifications made during the course of study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the modified therapeutic regimen, 17 animals recovered after 7-10 days of treatment. Clinical recovery took 2-30 days. Animals which were not given intravenous fluid and calcium recovered uneventfully. Cattle which were already treated with intravenous fluids, calcium borogluconate, and antibiotics did not recover. They were either died or slaughtered for salvage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In cattle with botulism, administration of Vitamin AD3E and activated charcoal aid the clinical recovery. Besides, strictly avoiding anti-clostridial antibiotics, fluid therapy, and calcium therapy may facilitate the clinical recovery. Upon fluid administration, the pulmonary congestion existed in the ailing cattle might have worsened the anoxia. Administration of antibiotics like penicillin, aminoglycosides, and tetracyclines further worsen the neuronal paralysis by increasing the availability of botulinum neurotoxin. Cattle in early botulism have fair chances of recovery with the modified therapy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Livestock and Fisheries Management, ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Patna, Bihar, India.
authors.forename: S Jegaveera
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pandian
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal- 637 002, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal- 637 002, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vijayakumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal- 637 002, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Balasubramaniam
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Tirunelveli- 627 001, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sukumar
keywords: botulism; cattle; neurotoxin; paralysis; therapy