Forty-nine goats die in Yeoncheon as authorities issue botulism warning

A botulism outbreak killed 49 of the 60 goats at a farm in Yeoncheon County, South Korea, prompting authorities to issue a warning about the disease.

The Northern Gyeonggi Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory said it confirmed botulism as the cause after the farm reported that more than 10 goats had died on the 20th of the previous month. Tests detected botulinum toxin.

Botulism occurs when animals consume feed or water contaminated with the neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum. It is not classified as a contagious livestock disease, but the amount of toxin consumed can cause animals to lose the ability to stand, become paralysed or die.

When toxin levels are high, animals may die before clear symptoms appear. The disease was first identified in cattle in South Korea in 1999. Large outbreaks in about 20 farms in Pocheon and Yeoncheon between 2011 and 2012 killed more than 400 animals, with sporadic cases reported since then.