colitoxicosis

Toxemia caused by absorption of Escherichia coli toxin from the intestine; it affects newborn animals within the first week of life and pigs after weaning. Older animals are affected from other sites such as mammary gland or uterus. The common syndrome, especially in calves, is collapse with circulatory failure, hypothermia and death within about 6 hours. In weanling pigs the outstanding feature is edema of the eyelids and other sites. A high morbidity and mortality are usual in a group of pigs which also show incoordination, weakness and paralysis. The course of the disease is about 24 hours. See  also mastitis–metritis–agalactia, coliform mastitis.