Lesions in the brains of three cattle resembling the lesions of enterotoxaemia in lambs

CASE HISTORY: A 3-month-old female Angus calf was found dead, and two adult Friesian dairy cows died soon after developing nervous signs.

PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: Grossly, bilateral and mostly symmetrical areas of haemorrhage were evident that mainly involved areas of grey matter in the brainstem from the level of the caudal colliculi to the thalamus and, in one, the internal capsule and caudate nucleus. In the occipital and caudal parietal cortex, there was extensive oedema of white matter. Histologically, in addition to haemorrhage, there was protein-rich oedema around arterioles and venules in the cerebrum, hippocampus, internal capsule, thalamus, midbrain, dorsal medulla, and central cerebellar and cerebellar folial white matter. The calf's brain had bilateral and symmetrical oedema and necrosis affecting several brainstem nuclei and the occipital grey matter overlying areas of oedema of the corona radiata.

DIAGNOSIS: Although the cause was not established, the perivascular lesions resembled those produced in calves by the intravenous administration of epsilon toxin.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: It is possible that epsilon toxin-induced enterotoxaemia occurs naturally in cattle, and where bilateral haemorrhage is recognised in the brains of cattle, small intestinal contents should be collected for analysis of epsilon toxin.     

Mortality in lambs due to enterotoxaemia associated with heavy infestations of Moniezia expansa

Abstract

Extract

Throughout the Hawke?s Bay area of the North Island of New Zealand Moniezia expansa, the common tapeworm of sheep, was extremely abundant in lambs at the end of 1955, following a milder and damper winter and earlier spring than is usual. The numbers of tapeworms were such that workers in the meat-freezing works remarked that they had never before seen so many. Examinations of pasture samples from properties where the lambs were severely infested revealed numbers of the oribatid mites, which are the intermediate hosts of Moniezia, far in excess of the numbers usually encountered. Paddocks at the Wallaceville Animal Research Station, from which pasture samples are examined each week throughout the year, were taken as standard.     

Spontaneous renal disease resembling hyperoxaluria in young lambs.

Five out of 60 purebred Suffolk lambs died when four to six weeks old with a nephrosis characterised by heavy deposits of crystals resembling calcium oxalate in the tubules. The source of oxalate was not clearly identified but may have resulted from oxalate-forming mould contamination of concentrates fed to both ewes and lambs.     

Mortality in lambs and cattle following the administration of phenothiazine

Ovine white liver disease is an economically important hepatic dysfunction which occurs in the wanner parts of New Zealand. Acute, chronic and recovered phases can be recognised clinically, histologically and biochemically. The condition is associated with severe ill-thrift and, in the acute phase, with photosensitivity. Acute and chronic cases show elevations of serumenzymes (GOT, GGT) and copper and, sometimes, bilirubin. WLD appears to affect only cobalt-deficient sheep, and we consider that it is either a metabolic consequence of vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, or a toxic hepatopathy against which adequate levels of dietary cobalt, or tissue vitamin B₁₂, are protective.     

Mortality in lambs and cattle following the administration of phenothiazine

Sir. — During the past 10 years pour-on insecticides for cattle louse control have largely superseded spray-on insecticides in New Zealand. Most pour-on formulations tested have proved highly effective. although within-trial eradication has not been reported^(1)(2)(3).     

Lesions in Brangus cattle with Chediak-Higashi syndrome

Hair, peripheral blood leukocytes, and other tissues from two related Brangus calves with phenotypic characteristics of Chediak-Higashi syndrome were examined by light and electron microscopy. Enlarged, pleomorphic, cytoplasmic granules, morphologically compatible with lysosomes, were seen in several neutrophils, many eosinophils, renal tubular epithelial cells, and Kupffer cells. Hair shafts of the calves showed irregular distribution and clumping of melanin granules. Severe infection and a possible hemorrhagic tendency were recognized. These Brangus calves represent the third breed of cattle affected with this genetic disease.     

Lesions in lambs experimentally infected with bovine respiratory syncytial virus

Respiratory syncytial virus was inoculated intratracheally into five 1-week-old lambs. Three of the lambs responded clinically with fever, hyperpnea, and listlessness. Pulmonary lesions consisted of multifocal areas of consolidation, with necrosis of individual epithelial cells of the airways and accumulation of necrotic debris, macrophages, and few neutrophils in terminal airways and alveoli. Pulmonary septa in affected areas were infiltrated with numerous macrophages and lymphocytes. Viral particles were seen as buds on epithelial cells and free in bronchioles and alveoli.     

Osseous lesions resembling vaccine-site sar comas in two cats

Extract

Lytic lesions with microscopic features similar to those of vaccine-site sarcomas were diagnosed in the distal femur of two young neutered male cats, one a 20-month-old Birman and the other an 18-month-old domestic short-hair (DSH). Radiographically, there was extensive destruction of trabecular and cortical bone in the metaphysis and/or epiphysis of the distal femur. The DSH cat also had angular deformity of the distal femur due to asymmetrical involvement of the physis. Histologically, the lesions in both cats consisted of dense, interwoven bundles of fibrous connective tissue, amongst which there were variable numbers of plump malignant mesenchymal cells, often with very large, hyperchromatic nuclei and irregularly shaped nucleoli. Several focal aggregates of small lymphocytes were present in both tumours. Although neither cat had apparently been vaccinated in the hindlimb it is possible that the tumours had been triggered by injection of some other irritant material.     

Bacteria in enteric lesions of cattle

Thirty-nine species of bacteria were isolated from or demonstrated in the abomasal and small and large intestinal mucosa of 23 adult cattle and 41 calves and identified. The bacteria isolated were related to the gross and microscopical lesions. Campylobacters, Clostridium perfringens type A, C sordellii, Actinobacillus lignieresii, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, Aeromonas hydrophila and Escherichia coli were all associated with specific lesions. The relationship of other bacteria such as Bacillus licheniformis, Branhamella catarrhalis and Bacteroides vulgatus to lesions in which they were found was discussed. It was concluded that some of the bacteria could be responsible for the lesions in which they were found. However, proof of this supposition could only be obtained by experimental infections of non-immune cattle with pure cultures.     

藏原羚肠毒血症的诊断

藏原羚（Procapara picticaudata）,俗称黄羊,是青藏高原及其周边地区特有的珍稀野生动物。2007年1月,青海省天峻县发生一起野生藏原羚肠毒血症,现报告如下。