Tyzzer's Disease

Description

Tyzzer's disease is an acute, highly fatal bacterial infection that is seen in a wide range of animals. It most commonly affects foals and laboratory animals as well as dogs, cats and calves. Foals are usually affected individually in sporadic cases whereas outbreaks of disease occur in rodents and rabbits. The bacteria that causes the disease is Clostridium piliforme, a gram negative spore-forming intracellular bacterium.

The aetiology of the disease is poorly understood. Infection most likely results from oral exposure; possible mechanisms include ingestion of spore-forming faeces or contact with carrier animals.

Clinical signs

The disease in rabbits and rodents is usually characterised by an unkempt coat, depression and fatal diarrhoea. The disease in foals is an acute septicaemia hepatitis and foals between one and six weeks of age are affected. Clinical signs include depression, loss of suckle reflex, severe icterus, neurological signs, pyrexia and diarrhoea. Foals may be found dead with no preceding clinical signs.

Pathology

Grossly, hepatomegaly is present with multifocal white-grey areas of necrosis. The hepatic lymph nodes are often hyperplastic. On cut section the liver displays loss of normal architecture.

• initial intestinal lesions can be hard to find at post mortem examination

See Tyzzer's Disease - Rabbit