Käser L, Huber R, Häsler S, Kittl S, Vidondo B, Posthaus H, Cvitas I
Institute of Animal Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern.
Cantonal Veterinary Office, Bern.
Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd. 2025 Jan;167(1):44-52. doi: 10.17236/sat00442.
Blackleg is an acute, lethal, infectious disease caused by Clostridium chauvoei. It affects mainly cattle and is characterized by severe necrohemorrhagic myositis and myocarditis. While the disease has caused substantial economic losses in the past, the number of diseased cattle has been decreasing in the last 30 years. Subsequently, the status of blackleg has been officially changed in Switzerland and the disease is no longer reportable since 2022. Considering the potential persistence of C. chauvoei spores in the environment, blackleg may however still be prevalent in certain areas of the Canton of Bern, an important and large agricultural region of Switzerland. In this study, we evaluated both the spatio-temporal distribution of blackleg from 1992-2023 and the currently implemented prophylactic measurements used by veterinarians in the risk areas of the Canton of Bern. Our results show that most of the cases occurred in areas still defined as risk areas by the Cantonal Veterinary Office, however some occurred in areas no longer listed as risk areas since 2020. In parallel, veterinarians reported suspected cases in recent years as well as a decreased acceptance of vaccination by farmers in risk areas. The combination of lack of blackleg monitoring, reduced disease awareness, decreasing willingness of farmers to vaccinate and the long environmental persistence of C. chauvoei spores represent a risk for reoccurrence of the disease. Veterinarians practicing in once affected areas, in the Canton of Bern and elsewhere in Switzerland, should be aware of this and act accordingly once blackleg outbreaks are suspected.
黑腿病是由产气荚膜梭菌引起的一种急性、致死性传染病。它主要影响牛，其特征是严重的坏死性出血性肌炎和心肌炎。虽然过去这种疾病造成了巨大的经济损失，但在过去30年里患病牛的数量一直在减少。随后，瑞士已正式更改黑腿病的状况，自2022年起该病不再需要上报。然而，考虑到产气荚膜梭菌孢子可能在环境中持续存在，黑腿病在瑞士重要的大型农业地区伯尔尼州的某些地区可能仍然流行。在本研究中，我们评估了1992年至2023年黑腿病的时空分布以及伯尔尼州风险地区兽医目前实施的预防措施。我们的结果表明，大多数病例发生在州兽医办公室仍定义为风险区域的地区，然而，一些病例发生在自2020年起不再列为风险区域的地区。与此同时，兽医报告了近年来的疑似病例以及风险地区农民对疫苗接种的接受度下降。缺乏黑腿病监测、疾病意识降低、农民接种疫苗的意愿下降以及产气荚膜梭菌孢子在环境中的长期持久性共同构成了该病复发的风险。在伯尔尼州及瑞士其他地方曾受影响地区执业的兽医应意识到这一点，并在怀疑有黑腿病爆发时采取相应行动。
