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Archive Case #235: Bovine Actinobacillosis

Cattle veterinary case - Easy - October 24, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. A cow suddenly eats less and drools while trying to take up coarse forage.
  2. The tongue is painful and enlarged, so moving feed around the mouth is difficult.
  3. Palpation finds a firm, thickened tongue that protrudes and retracts poorly.
  4. Small nodules and ulcers are visible along the affected tongue tissue.
  5. The lesion is centred in soft tissue, and culture from the affected tongue identifies Actinobacillus lignieresii rather than a fixed jaw-bone process.
  6. This classic wooden-tongue pattern supports bovine actinobacillosis rather than bony lumpy jaw.

Diagnosis

Bovine Actinobacillosis

The painful firm tongue, soft-tissue nodules and lesion culture support bovine actinobacillosis, often called wooden tongue. Actinomycosis causes a distinct bony lumpy-jaw pattern; a focal foreign-body abscess could imitate part of the examination but would not explain the culture result. Remember: Wooden tongue centres on painful, firm soft tissue; localise the swelling before confusing actinobacillosis with actinomycosis of the jaw bone.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this cattle case supports the provided diagnosis, Bovine Actinobacillosis, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: A cow suddenly eats less and drools while trying to take up coarse forage.
  2. Clue 2: The tongue is painful and enlarged, so moving feed around the mouth is difficult.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: Palpation finds a firm, thickened tongue that protrudes and retracts poorly.
  2. Clue 4: Small nodules and ulcers are visible along the affected tongue tissue.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: The lesion is centred in soft tissue, and culture from the affected tongue identifies Actinobacillus lignieresii rather than a fixed jaw-bone process.
  2. Clue 6: This classic wooden-tongue pattern supports bovine actinobacillosis rather than bony lumpy jaw.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this cattle case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Bovine Actinobacillosis?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Bovine Actinobacillosis?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.