Botulism in cattle associated with osteophagy in the State of Acre, Brazil

ABSTRACT

Background: Botulism is a non-febrile intoxication resulting from the ingestion of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxinsmanifested by partial or complete flaccid paralysis of the musculature of locomotion, swallowing and respiration. Theobjective of this study was to report the first case of botulinum intoxication associated with osteopathy in the state of Acre,as well as to alert breeders and veterinarians to the incidence of this disease in cattle farming.Case The present report is an outbreak of botulism in the municipality of Acrelândia, in the state of Acre, which resultedin the death of 16 Nelore beef cattle in approximately 30 days. The affected animals were females in reproductive phasemaintained under extensive breeding system. The main clinical signs presented were weakness in the pelvic limbs, prostration, recumbency and death in less than 48 h. Only one animal, with similar symptomatology, was found alive and submitted to emergency therapeutic measures, but without success. During the necropsy of this bovine, no significant changeswere found, only related to the decubitus and agony time, except for fragments of long bones visualized in the reticulum.Samples of bone particles, ruminal contents, reticulum, rumen and intestine fragments were collected for the detection ofbotulinum toxins by the mouse bioassay method, as well as brain and brain stem for differential diagnosis of rabies andbovine spongiform encephalopathy by direct immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The sampleswere sent to the Laboratory of General Bacteriology of the Biological Institute, São Paulo, Brazil, and all the analyzespresented negative results.Discussion: One of the main risk factors for the occurrence of botulinum...