Ulcerative lymphangitis and coronet lesions in an Israeli dairy herd infected with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

An Israeli dairy herd which had experienced a severe outbreak of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in 1991 suffered a second outbreak in 1998, the first time since the disease was first recorded in Israel in 1986 that any herd had had a repeat outbreak. Between July and November 1998, 24 animals were affected. Initially, calves and heifers developed coronet and cutaneous limb lesions, and in total, 33 cutaneous lesions, half of which were located on the carpus, tarsus or distal limb, were recorded. The coronet lesions were associated with severe lameness. Thereafter, typical cutaneous body lesions appeared, mainly in cows. Ulcerative lymphangitis developed in four cases, all heifers. None of the affected animals showed any systemic clinical signs, their milk production was not affected, and no fever was recorded. In contrast with previous outbreaks in cattle in Israel, all the strains of Cpseudotuberculosis that were isolated were nitrate reductase-positive.