Definition

Noun: A specific disease affecting cattle and sheep, characterized by the absorption of bacterial toxins from the intestines into the bloodstream, often causing sudden illness or death.

Usage

This is a veterinary and scientific term. It is used to name a specific pathological condition in ruminant animals. - The term is typically used in a medical or agricultural context. - It functions as a countable noun (e.g., an outbreak of enterotoxemia).

Examples

• The veterinarian diagnosed the sudden lamb deaths as enterotoxemia.
• Vaccination is a common preventive measure against enterotoxemia in sheep flocks.
• The absorption of the toxin from the gut is the primary cause of enterotoxemia.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be specified by the bacterial type, such as , commonly known as "overeating disease" in lambs.
• It is often discussed in the context of herd health management and preventive veterinary medicine.

Variants and Related Words

• Enterotoxemic (adjective): Relating to or affected by enterotoxemia.
  • The sheep showed enterotoxemic symptoms.
• Enterotoxin (noun): The specific toxin produced in the intestines that causes the disease.
  • The bacteria release a potent enterotoxin.

Synonyms

• Overeating disease (a common name for one form of the disease in lambs)
• Pulpy kidney disease (another common name for the same condition)

Notes on Meaning

This word has a single, highly specific meaning in veterinary pathology. It does not apply to humans or other animal species in standard usage. The condition is directly linked to the presence and absorption of bacterial enterotoxins.

Noun

1. a disease of cattle and sheep that is attributed to toxins absorbed from the intestines