black disease
noun Veterinary Pathology.
an acute, usually fatal disease of sheep caused by general intoxication from Clostridium novyi, an anaerobic organism that multiplies in parts of the liver damaged by the common liver fluke.
Origin of black disease
First recorded in 1910–15
Words nearby black disease
black currant,
black death,
black diamond,
black diet,
black disc,
black disease,
black dog,
black duck,
black dwarf,
black earth,
black economy
British Dictionary definitions for black disease
black disease
noun
vet science
an infectious necrotic hepatitis in sheep and occasionally cattle caused by to toxins produced by infection with species of Clostridial . Secondary to liver fluke infestation, the disease is characterized by sudden death. So-called because of the black discolouration of subcutaneous tissues due to congestion and haemorrhage seen at post-mortem