Cerebrospinal nematodiasis in pheasants

Infection with larvae of Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon ascarid, was the cause of neurologic disease affecting young pheasants on a commercial pheasant ranch in Wisconsin. The disease was chronic and insidious, affecting 1% to 2% of the birds over a period of 2 years. Histologic lesions in the brain consisted of multifocal areas of necrosis and inflammation associated with Baylisascaris larvae. Onset of the disease at the farm correlated with introduction of chopped straw as bedding for the young birds. The straw was from a neighbor's barn and was contaminated with raccoon feces that contained B procyonis eggs. Cessation of use of the contaminated straw resulted in cessation of CNS disease in pheasants on the ranch.     

Cerebrospinal nematodiasis in prairie dogs from a research facility

Baylisascaris spp larvae were determined to cause CNS disease in 3 prairie dogs maintained at a research facility. Clinical signs consisted of ataxia, stumbling, and head tilt, which progressed to severe torticollis, paddling in lateral recumbency, and loss of the righting reflex. Gross lesions were not found at necropsy. Microscopically, the cerebellar white matter and medulla oblongata were most severely affected and had numerous sections of large ascarid larvae. Our findings indicated that natural infections of Baylisacaris spp larvae can cause CNS disease in prairie dogs. Also, Baylisascaris spp larval infection should be considered in differential diagnoses of CNS disease in prairie dogs.     

Paratuberculosis in a large goat herd

Paratuberculosis was studied for three years in a large goat herd. Post mortem lesions were seen mainly in the ileum and mesenteric lymph nodes where caseation was often present. In three successive years the annual faecal excretor rate was 15, 9 and 13 per cent despite removal of positives. Faecal culture and an agar gel immunodiffusion test proved useful for detecting the disease in live goats, but complement fixation and tuberculin tests were of less value. The prospects of controlling the disease are discussed.     

Multiple anthelmintic resistance in a goat herd

Anthelmintic resistance was monitored over a 30 month period within a goat herd in eastern Virginia, USA. Resistance to ivermectin, levamisole and benzimidazole drugs was detected in Haemonchus contortus using the fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT). When levamisole use was discontinued for 1 year, susceptibility to levamisole appeared to return. Although a single treatment with fenbendazole was able to reduce fecal egg counts by only 50%, two doses administered in a 12 h interval increased efficacy to 92%, however, confidence intervals indicated that resistance was still present. When fecal egg counts were determined the following year after several treatment using this protocol, the efficacy of fenbendazole had fallen again to 57% reduction in fecal egg counts. The predominant genus present in cultured composite fecal samples was Haemonchus. Trichostrongylus, Cooperia and Teladorsagia were also present in smaller numbers.     

Copper toxicosis in a dairy goat herd

CASE DESCRIPTION: A closed herd of 400 mixed-breed dairy goats was examined because of a decrease in milk production and increase in mortality rate. Nine animals had died within a 1-month period. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Clinical signs were evident only in lactating goats and included anorexia and recumbency. In the most severely affected goats, signs progressed to neurologic abnormalities and death. Serum aspartate aminotransferase activity, gamma-glutamyltransferase activity, and total bilirubin concentration were high in clinically affected does, but no evidence of hemolysis was found. A diagnosis of copper toxicosis was made on the basis of high liver and kidney copper concentrations and histologic evidence of hepatic necrosis. Goats were found to have been fed a mineral mix containing 3,050 ppm copper for 9 months prior to the onset of copper toxicosis. Overall, there was no consistent relationship between serum hepatic enzyme activities, serum copper concentration, and liver copper concentration. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Clinically affected goats were treated with penicillamine, ammonium molybdate, sodium thiosulfate, and vitamin E. Penicillamine increased urine copper excretion in treated does versus untreated control animals. An increased incidence of infectious disease was identified in the herd 9 months later. Liver vitamin E concentration was low in 10 of the 12 goats that underwent necropsy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings suggested that penicillamine may be an effective treatment for goats with copper toxicosis. Production losses months after the diagnosis was made suggested that the intoxication had a prolonged animal welfare and economic impacts.     

Juvenile goiter in a goat herd in northwest Germany

A continuous increase in the circumference of the thyroid gland was observed in four goat kids (44.4%) of the breed of White German Goat between the third and fourth month in a herd comprising White German Goats and Coloured German Goats. Clinical, laboratory diagnostic and chemically analytical results have been obtained, illustrated and compared with the equivalent parameters from healthy control herds without pathological findings. The thyroidal secretion rate and the milk iodine content were highly significant reduced in the affected flock in comparison with the control group. The feed which was given to the affected group did not cover the nutritional requirement of pregnant, lactating and growing goats. At 40-50 mg/l, the nitrate content of the water was close to the tolerance of 50 mg/l. It can be deduced from the findings available that the case described above is a synergetic combination of a primary iodine deficiency, based on an inefficient iodine supply and of a secondary iodine deficiency resulting from a super elevated nitrate content of the drinking water.     

Identification and control of paratuberculosis in a large goat herd

Mycobacterium paratuberculosis infection was detected in 2 goats in 1974 and in 5 goats in 1975; 5 of which were from a single herd. The magnitude of the subsequent epizootic in the goat herd was not recognized until 1977, when results of bacteriologic culture of fecal and tissue specimens, antibody determinations (agar-gel immuno-diffusion test), and histopathologic studies became available. By 1984, paratuberculosis had been diagnosed in 124 goats. Nearly all the goats were being used in antiserum production and had been given Freund complete adjuvant and human antigens. From 1974 to 1986, herd size varied from 100 to 300. The yearly incidence of paratuberculosis decreased from 13.2% (27 of 204 goats) in 1977 to 0% in 108 goats in 1985. The prevalence was higher in does. In goats that arrived on the farm in 1975 and before, 49 of 121 (40.5%) does developed paratuberculosis vs 41 of 120 (34.2%) wethers. In goats arriving on the farm in 1976 and after, 25 of 274 (8.5%) does and 9 of 216 (4.1%) wethers developed paratuberculosis. The average incubation period was approximately 4 years from arrival on the farm in every year except 1978, regardless of whether the goat was born on the farm or was purchased elsewhere.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Caprine herpesvirus- 1 abortion storm in a goat herd in Quebec

Numerous abortions were reported on a Quebec goat farm, and caprine herpesvirus-1 (CapHV-1) was confirmed by PCR in several tissues from 3 aborted fetuses. This is the first report of CapHV-1 in Canada. Practitioners and diagnosticians must consider this disease when making a differential diagnosis for caprine abortion.     

Multispecific resistance of trichostrongyles to benzimidazoles in a goat herd in Germany

Anthelmintic resistance of nematodes to benzimidazoles and ivermectin was suspected from field observations in an Angora goat herd in northern Hesse. Larvae of the caprine trichostrongyle isolate were used for artificial infections of helminth-naive sheep. Groups of the lambs were treated with albendazole (3.8 mg/kg p.o.) or ivermectin (0.2 mg/kg s.c.) four weeks after infection or remained untreated as controls and were necropsied one week later. Albendazole reduced the mean faecal egg counts by 82% and the mean worm counts of Haemonchus contortus by 22%, Ostertagia circumcincta by 10% and Trichostrongylus colubriformis by 41% as compared with the controls. Ivermectin was 100% effective. This is the first report from Germany of multispecific resistance to benzimidazoles in a trichostrongyle population of goats.     

Evaluation of the gamma-interferon assay for eradication of tuberculosis in a goat herd

Objective To evaluate the usefulness of the gamma-interferon assay in the diagnosis of caprine tuberculosis in comparison with a single intradermal tuberculin test, and to obtain a group of animals free from this infection in a herd with a high prevalence.
Design An immunological study involving four serial comparative gamma-interferon and single intradermal tuberculin tests.
Animals A herd of 87 goats of Guadarrama breed.
Procedure Serial testing and segregation of animals.
Results We found that the number of infections detected by the gamma-interferon test was considerably greater than the number detected by the single intradermal tuberculin test. A group of 10 animals was negative to both tests in two consecutive rounds and three kids were negative in the last round of testing.
Conclusions Gamma-interferon assay is appropriate for diagnosis and eradication of tuberculosis in goats. This test is able to detect early Mycobacterium bovis infection. Avian reactors with simultaneous increased reaction to bovine PPD in the gamma-interferon assay (designated as avian^B reactors) should be considered test positive for M bovis . By serial testing with the gamma-interferon and the single intradermal tuberculin tests, and a policy of segregation of kids at birth, it is possible to achieve a group of animals test negative for tuberculosis from a herd of goats with high immunoreactivity to this infection.     

Carbamate poisoning in a dairy goat herd: Clinicopathological findings and therapeutic approach

Abstract

CASE HISTORY: Approximately 1 hour after the consumption of carnations from a nearby glasshouse 55 animals from a dairy goat herd exhibited signs of possible poisoning.

CLINICAL FINDINGS: Upon clinical examination affected animals exhibited signs of salivation, tympany, tachypnoea, polydipsia, urination, diarrhoea, bradycardia, miosis, tremor and convulsions. As poisoning from an acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting insecticide was suspected, treatment with atropine sulphate was initiated at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg bodyweight. The treatment was repeated for some animals that relapsed, and was effective in all cases, with the exception of one goat kid that died.

DIAGNOSIS: Necropsy of the goat kid showed pulmonary oedema and congestion of internal organs. Toxicological analysis of stomach contents and liver of the dead animal, as well as of the carnations, revealed high concentrations of carbamates.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Carbamate poisoning after consumption of polluted feedstuffs or glasshouse products can be fatal for dairy goats. Atropine sulphate, at 0.3 mg/kg, can be useful in treating this condition.     

Transfer of maternal passive immunity to kids in goat herd

The efficiency of tranfer of maternal immunity and its infuence on the kids' health was observed in a herd in which kids (n=20) had whole contact with the dam (n=13). The factors associated with dam, kid and human, which influence the efficiency of passive transfer were observed. It was estimated that the single-born kids reached higher serum gamma-globulin level (mean 23.14 g/dm3) than twin kids (mean 18.2 g/dm3) (p < 0.05). The gamma-globulin level was the highest in single-born kids at 48 h, and in twin kids in 24 h of life. The IgG class antibodies to herd-homologous strains of Pasteurella multocida and Escherichia coli were estimated using ELISA in sera, colostrum and milk whey samples of dams and sera of kids. It was found that maternal antibodies specific to these two facultative pathogens decreased in kids sera rapidly and the self humoral immune response occurred within the period of observation. Two kids delivered by goats with lowest hierarchic position in the herd showed failure of passive transfer, and died at the 10th and 12th weeks of life due to chronic infections induced by both above mentioned bacterial strains.