An epidemic of fatal posterior paralysis and sudden death in goats: a case report.
An epidemy of fatal posterior weakness was observed in Norwegian dairy goats with a spontaneous character (high fever, collapse, death). Clinical, postmortem, and histopathological findings indicated gastroenteritis, liver damage (necrotic foci), soft kidneys, pneumonia, and depletion of liver glycogen in goats up to 4 months of age. In older animals there was a prevalence of muscle degeneration. Indigenous goats did not exhibit any mortality, whereas the mortality rate in male crosses Norwegian X Tanzanian was 100%, regardless of their age. In young goats, the existence of a high mortality infectious syndrome with enterotoxaemia and fever is suspected, whereas older goats were probably exposed to a non-infectious myodegeneration.
Maselle
R M
RM
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro/Tansania.
Mbassa
G K
GK
Jiwa
S F
SF
Ndemanisho
E
E
D000818:Animals; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004064:Digestive System / Q000473:pathology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006041:Goats; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis; D010243:Paralysis / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013636:Tanzania