Causal Association between Enterotoxaemia and Its Determinants in Small Ruminants

G. Selvaraju

Abstract: An epidemiological study was undertaken to assess the measures of causal association between enterotoxaemia and its determinants in north-west agroclimatic zone of Tamil Nadu. Study population of 155 animals from 14 different enterotoxaemia outbreak flocks were taken with respect to the exposed determinants such as feeding of carbohydrate rich diet, overcrowding and endoparastic infestation. Relative risk, odds ratio and attributable fraction were 5.53, 11.0 and 0.82 for feeding of carbohydrate rich diet, 1.14, 1.20 and 0.12 for overcrowding and 2.42, 4.03 and 0.59 for endoparastic infestations, respectively. Above results indicates that all the determinants under the study were causally associated with the occurrence of enterotoxaemia outbreak in this region.

Keywords: Enterotoxaemia, Causal association, Agroclimatic zone, Small ruminants