Diagnostic overview of Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS): A veterinary review

Abstract

Haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) is an acute, highly fatal septicemic disease of cattle and buffaloes caused by Pasteurella multocida. The disease is widely distributed in Asia and Africa and remains one of the most economically important bacterial diseases of bovines. Rapid diagnosis is essential because outbreaks are often associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially in buffaloes. Clinical diagnosis based on fever, respiratory distress, and characteristic edema is useful during outbreaks, but laboratory confirmation is necessary for definitive diagnosis. Conventional diagnostic methods include microscopy, bacterial isolation, and biochemical characterization, while modern approaches such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, multiplex PCR, and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) provide rapid and highly sensitive detection. Serological techniques including ELISA and indirect hemagglutination tests are also employed for surveillance and epidemiological investigations. This review summarizes the etiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, sample collection procedures, conventional and molecular diagnostic methods, differential diagnosis, and future perspectives in the diagnosis of HS.