In the outbreak described here, the introduction of protein salt associated with the primary diet of the lambs created a highly fermentable substrate, predisposing to bacterial multiplication, which culminated in the development of the emphysematous abomasitis observed in the necropsied animals and possibly caused the additional deaths.
Histopathology was a reliable, simple and effective method for the diagnosis of emphysematous abomasitis caused by the Sarcina genus of bacteria because these bacteria have a unique morphology, making it possible to distinguish them from other etiologic agents.