Common bacterial infections

Anthrax

All

Bacillus anthracis

Cutaneous form—painful skin swelling. Inhalant form difficulty breathing, ataxia, weakness and death

Botulism

All

Clostridium botulinum

Muscle paralysis, difficulty in swallowing and chewing. Weakness, recumbents, often death

Brucellosis

All

Brucella spp.

abortions, potential human infection

Caseous lymphadenitis

Sheep and goats

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

External and internal abscesses, weight loss

Circling disease

Cows, sheep, goats

Listeria monocytogenes

Fever, anorexia, begin pressing head against objects, progressing to ataxia and circling in one direction, can be fatal

Contagious equine metritis

Equine

Haemophilus equigenitalis

Disease seen in mares, purulent discharge from the Vulcan, spread by stallions

Contagious mastitis

Cows

Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae

Infection of the mammary gland that can be transmitted

between cattle during milking

E. coli diarrhea

All

Escherichia

Usually young animals less than two weeks old—severe

diarrhea, dehydration, anorexia, fever, may cause death

(the same organism is one of the causes of coliform mastitis)

Enzootic pneumonia of pigs

Pigs

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

Often affects young pigs, dry cough, can be chronic,

poor weight gain

Erysipelas

Swine

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae

Acute form can cause sudden death, high fevers, reddened skin progressing to a diamond appearance, arthritis

Foot rot

Cows, sheep, goats

Fusobacterium necrophorum

Deep infection between the claws of the hoof, foul odor discharge, lameness

Greasy pig disease

Swine

Staphylococcus hyicus

Reddened skin, anorexia, fever early in disease,

thickened skin with purulent discharge

Johne’s Disease

Cows, sheep, goats

Mycobacterium paratuberculosis

Chronic diarrhea, weight loss, anorexia, death

Kennel cough

Canine

Bordetella bronchiseptica

Can be secondary to viral infection, causes a dry

hacking cough, anorexia

Leptospirosis

All

Leptospirosis sp.

Abortions, fever, anemia, jaundice, renal damage

Lockjaw

Horses, cows, sheep, goats

Clostridium tetani

Spasms of muscles—jaws held shut tightly, sawhorse

stance, stiffness, progressing to recumbency and

eventually death

Lyme disease

All

Borrelia burgdorferi

Spread by ticks, primarily arthritis, can be chronic and

intermittent, may also show lethargy, anorexia

Otitis externa

Dogs, cats

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Infection of external ear canal, also urinary tract infections

Pinkeye

Cows

Moraxella bovis

Increased tear production, inflamed conjunctiva, cloudy cornea, pain to eye in bright light

Pneumonia

Bovine

Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida

Respiratory infection, fever, labored breathing

Pneumonia

Equine

Rhodococcus equi

Usually affects young horses, fever, nasal discharge,

respiratory difficulty, lung damage and inflammation

may spread to joints

Rain scald

Horses, cows, sheep, goats

Dermatophilus congolensis

Crusting of skin at base of hairs, often on the top of the

back, most common

Salmonellosis

All

Salmonella sp.

Severe diarrhea, often with blood, high fever, anorexia,

dehydration, weakness, may cause death

Strangles

Equine

Streptococcus equi

Usually affects young horses, anorexia, fever, nasal

discharge, swollen lymph nodes

Swine dystentery

Swine

Treponema hyodysenteriae

Diarrhea, often with blood and mucus, dehydration, weakness, anorexia, may cause death

TEME

Cows

Histophilus somni

Fever, severe depression, hind limb paralysis when it invades the spinal cord, may cause death

Wooden tongue

Cows, sheep

Actinobacillus lignieresii

Severe inflammation of the tongue and local lymph nodes (in sheep usually does not affect tongue)