Abstract
From July, 1978 to April, 1979, gangrenous mastitis caused by Clostridium perfringens was observed in six Holstein cows on five dairy farms. It was noticed a few days after parturition by the manifestation of marked congestion, edema, discoloration, heat and hard swelling.
The bacterial count of C. perfringens ranged from 107 to 108 per gram of mammary tissue and from 102 to 106 per gram of heart, liver, spleen, and kidney tissue.
Gram-positive, anaerobic bacilli were isolated from the mammary and other tissues and identified as C. perfringens by biological and cultural findings. They belonged to type A as demonstrated by the toxin-antitoxin reaction test and showed weak production of α-toxin in vitro.
