Clostridium perfringens type A enterotoxaemia in pigs: a report of five cases

Enterotoxaemia caused by Clostridium perfringens type A in five intensively managed pigs is reported. The condition was precipitated by constipative digestive disturbance. Diarrhoea was not observed in the five animals before death.

Uterine involvement in guineapig salmonellosis

Of 334 mature breeding guineapigs, 53 (15.9%) died in a disease outbreak involving Salmonella typhimurium serotypes 1, 4, 5 and 12 : i : 1,2. The uterus was consistently involved. Nine other Salmonella-free mature female guineapigs when inoculated with a pure isolate from the outbreak, using the subcutaneous, intramuscular or per os route, succumbed to salmonellosis, reproducing signs and lesions observed during the outbreak. Abortion was not recorded during the outbreak despite many pregnant sows being affected. The isolate was sensitive to gentamicin, tetracycline, ampicillin and cefuroxime but resistant to co-trimoxazole, erythromycin and penicillin.

An epizootic infection of Citrobacter freundii in a guineapig colony: short communication

An epizootic infection of Citrobacter freundii in a guineapig colony is reported. From 1300 guineapigs maintained in a colony, a total of 115 guineapigs died. Lesions found postmortem were suggestive of acute pneumonia and enteritis. Citrobacter freundii was consistently isolated from necropsy specimens of lung, liver, spleen and intestines of the animals. The source of infection was not ascertained.

Heartwater infection (cowdriosis) in a sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekei) in Nigeria

Cowdria ruminantium was isolated from a natural infection of heartwater in a captive sitatunga (Tragelaphus spekei) which died after a short illness in Jos Zoo, Nigeria. The isolate killed laboratory mice in a shorter period of time than did isolates of C. ruminantium recovered from natural cases in cattle. This is the first confirmed case of heartwater in a captive wild ruminant in Nigeria, where the disease is endemic.