Suppurative abomasitis associated with Clostridium septicum infection.

A 1-week-old calf and two 1-month-old lambs from different farms in eastern South Dakota had severe abomasitis characterized by diffuse suppurative inflammation, edema, and emphysema. Clostridium septicum in the abomasal wall of each was identified by immunofluorescence and isolation. The lesions and microbiologic findings established the disease as braxy, a condition infrequently reported in the United States and thought to affect sheep only.