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

Abstract

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.

KEY WORDS:

• Cow
• cattle
• brain
• enterotoxaemia
• enterotoxemia
• epsilon
• Clostridium perfringens type D
• focal symmetrical encephalomalacia
• FSE

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Keith Thompson for gross and microscopic photography, Peter Anderson and Rob Ander from The Veterinary Centre Marlborough, and Chris Norton from Selwyn Rakaia Veterinary Services for submission of these cases to the laboratory.