Volume 22 • Issue 01 • 2018
Sarcina Abomasitis
and Cryptosporidiosis
in a One Week Old
Bonsmara Calf
Dr Rick Last – BVSc, M.Med.Vet (Pathology)
Specialist Veterinary Pathologist
Multiple young calves had presented with
inappetence, lethargy and had died. This
one week old calf was presented for clinical
examination at the referring vet who observed
severe dehydration, dyspnea and marked
leukocytosis on blood smear. The faecal wet prep
and faecal flotation revealed no abnormalities.
Figure 1:
opened rumen to
reveal fragments
of clotted milk and
discoloured fluid
content with a few
wooden twigs
Figure 3: higher magnification to demonstrate the tetrad
structure of the Sarcina like bacteria
Small intestinal pathology was characterized by
severe villous atrophy with heavy colonization
of the surface enterocytes by Cryptosporidium
species (Figure 4).
The calf was euthanased and submitted or post
mortal examination. Post-mortem examination
was characterized by low body weight, severe
dehydration, evidence of rumen indigestion with
clotted milk and malodorous grey discolored
fluid in the rumen (Figure 1).
Figure 4: numerous spherical cryptosporidia evident colonizing
the stubby atrophied villi
In addition, there was a moderate catarrhal
enteritis.The stand out features on histological
examination were a marked lymphocytic
abomasitis with associated transmural edema
and colonization of the mucosal surface by large
tetrads of bacteria resembling Sarcina species
(Figures 2 and 3)
Figure 2.
Figure 2
Rumen: numerous
numerous Sarcina
Sarcina like bact eria
like bacteria
composed of large
composed of
tetrads of coccoid
large tetrads of
organisms evident
coccoid organisms
colonizing the
evident colonizing
rumen mucosa
the rumen
(arrows)
mucosa
Sarcina-like bacteria are emerging as an important
cause of abomasitis (empyema)/abomasal
emphysema and bloat, hemorrhage and ulcers in
calves, lambs and kids. These bacteria are known
commensals of the stomach of monogastrics and
likely normal inhabitants of the rumen. They
have been associated with gastric signs in many
species and have been linked to gastric dilatation
in dogs and horses. Organisms are usually only
demonstrable in histological sections (very
difficult to culture), as tetrads of gram positive
cocci in groups of 4 to 20.
This condition is predominantly a problem of
bottle fed calves i.e. dairy calves or orphan beef
calves, so this case is unusual in that these were
range beef calves. However, vlei areas were
identified within the camps that were overstocked,
and this may have been a contributing factor to
the rumen indigestion and subsequent Sarcina
overgrowth in the abomasum. The concurrent
intestinal cryptosporidiosis would have been
a significant contributing factor to the clinical
syndrome observed in these calves.
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