Hemorrhagic Septicemia

12.4.9 Hemorrhagic Septicemia Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) is also called “septicemic pasteurellosis.” It is an acute, infectious disease, which mostly affects cattle and buffalo. Buffalo seem most easily affected and young animals die very quickly. HS really affects the whole body, including difficulty in breathing.

HS is caused by a bacteria, Pasteurella multocida. This bacteria lives in the throat of animals that have had the disease and recovered. The bacteria are then spread in the saliva and nasal droplets of the animal. The organism of HS produces a toxin that travels throughout the body and causes severe illness.

Animals that have just traveled a long distance, or are stressed and weak for some other reason are susceptible to HS. It is also called “Shipping Fever” since it often occurs shortly after animals have been shipped under difficult conditions.

Symptoms:

- Sudden death.

- High fever (104-107 degree F).

- Swollen throat (sometimes the entire head may appear swollen).

- Difficulty breathing and swallowing.

- Saliva dripping from mouth.

- Stomach may be swollen due to difficulty in breathing.

- Diarrhea sometimes with blood.

Diagnosis: Diagnosis is based on symptoms and a history of no vaccination against HS. Sometimes HS is very difficult to distinguish from anthrax. However, in anthrax, black blood is often seen coming from the mouth, nose or anus, and the spleen may be enlarged on post mortem examination.

Often, more than one animal is affected since the disease is very contagious and can spread throughout an entire village.

Examine the dead animal: Often there are little spots of bleeding under the skin, on the intestines and in the heart. A yellow, sticky fluid is often seen in the tissues of the swollen throat. This same fluid may be seen around the heart, lungs, and intestines. A blood smear should be taken from the blood in the heart or the spleen and examined in the laboratory.

Treatment: In some outbreaks of HS, treatment may be unsuccessful. Tetracycline injections in high doses might work, especially if given early in the course of the disease. If tetracycline is not available, then use any other antibiotic you may have.

Vaccination/Control: It is important to immediately separate sick animals from healthy animals. It is also important to keep susceptible animals separated from animals that may be carrying these bacteria in their body. (For this reason, it is often recommended to kill animals that have recovered from HS.)

Many government veterinary services provide vaccines against HS (there are several HS vaccines available). It usually takes at least one week from the moment of giving the vaccine to protect the animal. Therefore, it is best to vaccinate beforehand and not wait until an outbreak begins.

An AHA should carefully explain to farmers that the vaccination requires 2-4 weeks to protect the animal. A farmer will then understand that if their animals die within the week after vaccination, it is because the vaccine had not yet started to work.