Prevalence of cardiac lesions in cases of bovine clostridial myositis

Abstract ObjectiveThe aim of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of cardiac lesions in cases of clostridial myositis. Clostridial myositis (blackleg) is a common cause of death in cattle and is caused by the bacterium Clostridium chauvoei. The characteristic lesions include hemorrhage, necrosis, edema, and emphysema within skeletal muscle and, less commonly, the heart.ResultsOf the 37 cases of blackleg identified, 26 animals (70.3%) had cardiac lesions, including 4 (10.8%) which had only cardiac involvement without skeletal muscle lesions. Cardiac lesions were characterized as necrotizing myocarditis (n=21), fibrinous to fibrinosuppurative pericarditis, epicarditis, or endocarditis (n=24), or both (n=19). These data demonstrate that, in cases of bovine clostridial myositis, cardiac lesions are common, while heart involvement in the absence of skeletal muscle lesions is uncommon.