title: Clostridium botulinum type D/C intoxication in a dairy cow stock in Saxony-Anhalt (Germany)--report on an innovative diagnostic approach.
abstract: Botulism in cattle is a rare but serious disease. In Germany there is no obligation to report botulism in animals and therefore a precise morbidity rate is not available. In this manuscript we describe an outbreak of Clostridium (C.) botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) intoxication in a Saxony-Anhalt dairy cow stock of 286 Holstein-Friesian cows and offspring in spring/summer 2009 and its diagnostic approach. 122 animals showed clinical signs of BoNT intoxication. 115 of the affected animals (40.2% of the herd) independent of age died or had to be euthanized. Therapeutic attempts failed in almost all diseased cows, only four calves and three heifers recovered. Diagnostic samples of several animals (n = 4) (liver, ruminal and intestinal contents) and feed (n = 6) were tested for BoNT genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). BoNT gene type D was found in several (n = 8) organ samples. The PCR results allowed a preselection of samples for BoNT that were then tested by the mouse bioassay. Thus, the number of mice being inoculated in the mouse bioassay could be reduced. The mouse bioassay turned out positive (wasp-waist) in three preselected organ samples and the neutralization test of one sample with type-specific antitoxin confirmed the presence of BoNT type D. We succeeded in isolating a C. botulinum strain from a liver sample which was typed as a D/C mosaic strain by sequence analysis of the toxin gene. However, the source of the BoNT intoxication could not be traced back.
authors.forename: Janine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dlabola
authors.forename: Emad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hashish
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pauly
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kubisiak
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Behm
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heseler
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schliephake
authors.forename: Lothar H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Wieler
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neubauer
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Seyboldt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001906:Botulism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D047969:Clostridium botulinum type D / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D003612:Dairying; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D051379:Mice; D013744:Tetanus Toxin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D013744:Tetanus Toxin