Determination of Clostridium botulinum toxins in dairy cows with abomasal displacement.

Summary A new form of bovine Clostridium botulinum toxicity was described as visceral botulism. Long-lasting absorption of very low quantities of botulinum toxin may interfere with neurological control of intestinal physiology instead of acute or subacute lethal effects. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of C. botulinum toxins and their types in abomasal content and serum of dairy cows diagnosed with abomasal displacement. Abomasum displacement was confirmed in 17 cows by laparoscopic examination and abomasal content and serum samples were collected during surgical correction. The mouse toxicity and neutralization bioassay was used to detect and identify the C. botulinum toxins in samples. Clostridium botulinum toxin type C was detected in 2 of abomasums contents and in 1 of sera. The toxin detected animals were fed with silage. Although the identification ratio (17.6%) of C. botulinum type C toxin in this study seems so farther to correlate AD with C. botulinum toxins; we are of the opinion that C. botulinum toxins, especially type C, may be associated with AD because AD is considered to be a multifactorial disease.