It is caused by a rod-shaped bacterium that is found in gastrointestinal tracts, soil and decaying plants such as silage, and can be transmitted through food such as milk, cheese and fresh fruit and vegetables. In its most acute form it can cause encephalitis or meningoencephalitis. Infected animals typically fall down and cannot get up. In foxes the disease is sometimes mistaken for rabies. Beneficial effects of vaccination have not been conclusively demonstrated.
Treatment involves massive doses of penicillin and other antibiotics.