A retrospective study of non-suppurative encephalitis in beef cattle from western Canada |
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| Authors: | Sergio Sánchez Edward G Clark Gary A Wobeser Eugene D Janzen Hélène Philibert |
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| Institution: | Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4 (Sánchez, Clark, Wobeser, Philibert); Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4 (Janzen). |
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| Abstract: | Non-suppurative encephalitis occurs sporadically in beef cattle in western Canada, leading to loss of animals. This retrospective study investigated the presence of viral, bacterial, and protozoal antigens or DNA in 37 western Canadian feedlot cattle with non-suppurative encephalitis for which a cause had not been identified. Cases were selected based on the age of the animal (> 7 months), and clinical history of recumbency and depression. The identification of rabies in 1 case stresses the importance of including this viral disease in the list of differential diagnoses. Because there was variation in the severity, distribution, and type of lesions, it is possible that there may be more than 1 cause, but failure to identify an infectious agent might also suggest that non-infectious agents could play a role. |
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