OTHER CLOSTRIDIAL DISEASES

Clostridium spp. bacteria are the cause of several deadly equine diseases:

• Tetanus. Tetanus develops when Clostridium tetani bacteria infect a wound—often a puncture that heals over and provides an anaerobic environment or a dirty wound with necrotic tissue. C. tetani affects the nerves that control the skeletal muscles, causing spasms and stiffness that can spread throughout the body. Tetanus is easily preventable with a vaccine.

• Equine grass sickness (equine dysautonomia). A disease marked by dramatic and often-fatal loss of motility in the gastrointestinal tract, equine grass sickness is not well understood, but it is believed that it may result from ingestion of a Clostridium botulinum toxin while grazing. The disease is most prevalent in the United Kingdom, but a few isolated cases have been identified in the United States.

• Clostridial enterocolitis. Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens have been implicated in this gastrointestinal disorder that can cause bloody diarrhea, lethargy, fever and colic. Toxins produced by these bacteria can damage and destroy the mucosal lining of the intestines. The disease is often fatal, even with intensive treatment.

• Clostridial myonecrosis (gas gangrene). This severe wound infection develops when clostridial bacteria enter a puncture wound. The dramatic swelling is hot and painful to the touch, and the skin may “crackle” when touched as a result of gas forming under the skin. Gas gangrene is disfiguring and potentially life threatening without prompt, aggressive treatment.