Black quarter (BQ) is an acute, endogenous, infectious bacterial disease that primarily affects the hind limb of ruminants. It is caused by Clostridium chauvoei, a small spindle, Gram-positive, anaerobic rod-shaped spore-forming organism that is motile through peritrichous flagella. It bears the name in honour of Auguste J.B. Chauveau the French veterinarian and bacteriologist (1827–1917). Severe toxaemia and gaseous oedema of the skeletal muscle are the hallmarks of this condition. Death rate is 100%; animals that are found alive can receive large doses of penicillin, but results are not good. Because it is a peracute infection, it is quite severe and short lived. This study reports a spontaneous outbreak of clostridial illness at the National Livestock Resources Research Centre, headquartered in Maruzi, Apac northern Uganda. Black quarter diagnosis included clinical history, ante-mortem and post-mortem clinical findings; histopathology and laboratory diagnosis. In order to control an outbreak of sporadic Clostridium chauvoei at the livestock research centre in Maruzi, northern Uganda; laboratory testing, observation of the disease's distinctive clinical indications, and the use of penicillin as an empirical treatment were used. Death was observed in 7 cases.

Keywords: Black quarter; Clostridium chauvoei; Septicaemia; Cattle; Maruzi Apac; Northern Uganda; Outbreak; Antibiotic therapy; Sudden death; Myonecrosis.