title: Brain lesions associated with clostridium perfringens type D epsilon toxin in a Holstein heifer calf.
abstract: A 6-month-old dairy heifer calf with no premonitory signs was acutely down after the morning feeding and could not rise. On presentation, the heifer was in right lateral recumbency and moribund with opisthotonus and left hind limb paddling. Following euthanasia, gross examination of the brain revealed multifocal loss of gray-white matter distinction and extensive petechiae throughout the brainstem. On histopathological examination, there was striking white matter edema and marked perivascular proteinaceous edema surrounding many arterioles and venules (microangiopathy), mainly in the white matter of the internal capsule, thalamus, midbrain, cerebellum, and cerebellar peduncles. The perivascular neuropil was strongly positive for Alzheimer precursor protein A4. Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin was detected in the intestinal contents. This is the first report of microangiopathy in postneonatal cattle associated with the detection of epsilon toxin in the intestinal contents.
authors: California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, West Health Sciences Drive, University of California-Davis, CA 95616, USA. amete@ucdavis.edu
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Mete
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Garcia
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Ortega
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Lane
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Scholes
authors: F A
authors: FA
authors: Uzal
mesh_terms: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D059345:Cerebral Small Vessel Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006652:Histological Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D019581:Neuropil / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C039811:Clostridium perfringens epsilon-toxin
keywords: APP; Alzheimer precursor protein; Clostridium perfringens; ETX; brain; cattle; enterotoxemia; epsilon toxin; microangiopathy