Braxy

Last updated

Braxy is an infectious disease which causes sudden death in sheep. It is caused by the bacterium Clostridium septicum .

Braxy generally occurs in winter, when sheep eat frosted root crops, [1] or frosted grass. [2] The frozen feed damages the mucosa (lining) of the abomasum, allowing C. septicum to enter, causing abomasitis and a fatal bacteremia. [3]

Young sheep not protected with a vaccine are most commonly affected. If sheep are not found dead, signs include abdominal pain and recumbency. [2] There is no treatment, [1] and sheep usually die within 36 hours of the onset of signs. [4] The carcass of sheep which died of braxy will often decompose more rapidly than expected. [1]

Historically, the mutton of affected sheep was also referred to as braxy. [5]

A vaccine against braxy was developed at the Moredun Research Institute in Scotland. [6]

Braxy has been reported in Europe (particularly in Iceland, Norway and the UK), Australia and the United States. [7]

Related Research Articles

Bluetongue disease Viral disease in animals

Bluetongue disease is a noncontagious, insect-borne, viral disease of ruminants, mainly sheep and less frequently cattle, yaks, goats, buffalo, deer, dromedaries, and antelope. It is caused by Bluetongue virus (BTV). The virus is transmitted by the midges Culicoides imicola, Culicoides variipennis, and other culicoids.

Orf (disease) Human disease

Orf is a farmyard pox, a type of zoonosis. It causes small pustules in the skin of primarily sheep and goats, but can also occur on the hands of humans. A pale halo forms around a red centre. It may persist for several weeks before crusting and then either resolves or leaves a hard lump. There is usually only one lesion, but there may be many, and they are not painful. Sometimes there are swollen lymph glands.

Epiglottitis Inflammation of the epiglottis

Epiglottitis is the inflammation of the epiglottis—the flap at the base of the tongue that prevents food entering the trachea (windpipe). Symptoms are usually rapid in onset and include trouble swallowing which can result in drooling, changes to the voice, fever, and an increased breathing rate. As the epiglottis is in the upper airway, swelling can interfere with breathing. People may lean forward in an effort to open the airway. As the condition worsens stridor and bluish skin may occur.

Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA), also known as ovine pulmonary adenomatosis, or jaagsiekte, is a chronic and contagious disease of the lungs of sheep and goats. OPA is caused by a retrovirus called jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV).

Gas gangrene Human bacterial infection

Gas gangrene is a bacterial infection that produces tissue gas in gangrene. This deadly form of gangrene usually is caused by Clostridium perfringens bacteria. About 1,000 cases of gas gangrene are reported yearly in the United States.

Blackleg (disease) Bacterial disease of animals

Blackleg, black quarter, quarter evil, or quarter ill is an infectious bacterial disease most commonly caused by Clostridium chauvoei, a Gram-positive bacterial species. It is seen in livestock all over the world, usually affecting cattle, sheep, and goats. It has been seen occasionally in farmed bison and deer. The acute nature of the disease makes successful treatment difficult, and the efficacy of the commonly used vaccine is disputed.

Anaplasmosis Medical condition

Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease affecting ruminants, dogs, and horses, and is caused by Anaplasma bacteria. Anaplasmosis is an infectious but not contagious disease. Anaplasmosis can be transmitted through mechanical and biological vector processes. Anaplasmosis can also be referred to as "yellow bag" or "yellow fever" because the infected animal can develop a jaundiced look. Other signs of infection include weight loss, diarrhea, paleness of the skin, aggressive behavior, and high fever.

Equine viral arteritis (EVA) is a disease of horses caused by a virus of the species Alphaarterivirus equid, an RNA virus. It is the only species in the genus Alphaarterivirus, and that is the only genus in the Equarterivirinae subfamily. The virus which causes EVA was first isolated in 1953, but the disease has afflicted equine animals worldwide for centuries. It has been more common in some breeds of horses in the United States, but there is no breed "immunity". In the UK, it is a notifiable disease. There is no known human hazard.

Louping ill Animal disease

Louping-ill is an acute viral disease primarily of sheep that is characterized by a biphasic fever, depression, ataxia, muscular incoordination, tremors, posterior paralysis, coma, and death. Louping-ill is a tick-transmitted disease whose occurrence is closely related to the distribution of the primary vector, the sheep tick Ixodes ricinus. It also causes disease in red grouse, and can affect humans. The name 'louping-ill' is derived from an old Scottish word describing the effect of the disease in sheep whereby they 'loup' or spring into the air.

Swine vesicular disease (SVD) is an acute, contagious viral disease of swine caused by swine vesicular disease virus, an Enterovirus. It is characterized by fever and vesicles with subsequent ulcers in the mouth and on the snout, feet, and teats. The pathogen is relatively resistant to heat, and can persist for a long time in salted, dried, and smoked meat products. Swine vesicular disease does not cause economically important disease, but is important due to its similarity to foot-and-mouth disease.

<i>Clostridium tetani</i> Common soil bacterium and the causative agent of tetanus

Clostridium tetani is a common soil bacterium and the causative agent of tetanus. Vegetative cells of C. tetani are usually rod-shaped and up to 2.5 μm long, but they become enlarged and tennis racket- or drumstick-shaped when forming spores. C. tetani spores are extremely hardy and can be found globally in soil or in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. If inoculated into a wound, C. tetani can grow and produce a potent toxin, tetanospasmin, which interferes with motor neurons, causing tetanus. The toxin's action can be prevented with tetanus toxoid vaccines, which are often administered to children worldwide.

<i>Clostridium septicum</i> Species of bacterium

Clostridium septicum is a gram positive, spore forming, obligate anaerobic bacterium.

A clostridial vaccine is a vaccine for sheep and cattle that protects against diseases caused by toxins produced by an infection with one or more Clostridium bacteria. Clostridial vaccines are often administered to pregnant ewes a few weeks before they are due to give birth, in order to give passive immunity to their lambs. Clostridial bacteria multiply rapidly in infected sheep, and produce large amounts of toxin which can cause the sheep to die within hours.

Abomasitis is a relatively rare ruminant disease characterized by inflammation of abomasum in young calves, lambs, and goat kids. It occurs with gastroenteritis, but can also be a side effect of other diseases. However, it is seldom diagnosed as a separate condition.

Caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAE) is a viral disease of goats caused by a lentivirus called caprine arthritis encephalitis virus. The disease is found worldwide.

Colitis X, equine colitis X or peracute toxemic colitis is a catchall term for various fatal forms of acute or peracute colitis found in horses, but particularly a fulminant colitis where clinical signs include sudden onset of severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, shock, and dehydration. Death is common, with 90% to 100% mortality, usually in less than 24 hours. The causative factor may be Clostridium difficile, but it also may be caused by other intestinal pathogens. Horses under stress appear to be more susceptible to developing colitis X, and like the condition pseudomembranous colitis in humans, an association with prior antibiotic use also exists. Immediate and aggressive treatment can sometimes save the horse, but even in such cases, 75% mortality is considered a best-case scenario.

The Moredun Research Institute is a scientific research institution based at the Pentlands Science Park, in the Bush Estate area of Midlothian, Scotland. It conducts research into diseases of farm livestock and the promotion of animal health and welfare.

John Russell Greig Scottish veterinarian

John McDougal Russell Greig CBE FRSE MRCVS was a Scottish veterinarian who was Director of the Moredun Research Institute from 1930 to 1954. He is noted for the development of several important animal vaccines: Enzootic abortion in ewes; Braxy and Louping ill. His work on milk effectively created "clean milk" for the first time in Britain.

Clostridium colinum is a Gram-positive, anaerobic and spore-forming bacterium from the genus Clostridium which has been isolated from a chicken. Clostridium colinum can cause ulcerative enteritis in chicken.

Beef cattle vaccination in Australia

Vaccinations for cattle involves the process of applying subcutaneous injections of biological microorganisms in a weakened state to help the immune system develop protection by providing active acquirement of immunity to a particular disease. Cattle are bovine livestock and are thus very susceptible to diseases. Vaccinations for cattle are widely used in the livestock industries of the Australian agriculture sector by farmers to prevent harmful and deadly diseases from infecting their livestock, avoiding any economical or biological harm. Farmed livestock industries account for 45% of the gross value of Australian agricultural output, beef cattle being the largest farmed livestock nationally with around 26.2 million head of cattle nationwide. The beef industry within Australia generates a gross value of approximately $8 billion AUD in beef exports and a total gross value of $11.4 billion in farm production (2017–18). Thus, vaccinations play a vital role in protecting, sustaining and growing the beef cattle industry in the Australian agriculture sector.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Scott, PR (2015). "Digestive system: Braxy". Sheep medicine (2nd ed.). CRC Press. p. 137. ISBN   9781498700153.
  2. 1 2 Winter, AC (2012). "Chapter 10: Sudden death: Main clostridial diseases". A handbook for the sheep clinician (7th ed.). Wallingford: CABI. pp. 92–93. ISBN   9781845939939.
  3. Songer, JG (2010). "Chapter 12: Histotoxic Clostridia". In Gyles, CL; Prescott, JF; Songer, JG; Thoen, CO (eds.). Pathogenesis of bacterial infections in animals (4th ed.). Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 203–209. ISBN   978-0-8138-1237-3.
  4. Prescott, JF; Menzies, PI; Fraser, RS (2016). "Chapter 17: Clostridial abomasitis". In Uzal, FA; Songer, JG; Prescott, JF; Popoff, MR (eds.). Clostridial diseases of animals. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 205–220. ISBN   9781118728307.
  5. Wood, James, ed. (1907). "Braxy"  . The Nuttall Encyclopædia . London and New York: Frederick Warne.
  6. "Phone call reveals link to Moredun's past". Moredun Magazine (6): 1. 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  7. Songer, JG (1998). "Clostridial diseases of small ruminants". Veterinary Research. 29 (3–4): 219–32. PMID   9689739.