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 10
7 to 10
8 per gram of mammary tissue and from 10
2 to 10
6 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.
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