Seizure disorders in 43 cattle

BACKGROUND: Large animals have a relatively high seizure threshold, and in most cases seizures are acquired. No published case series have described this syndrome in cattle. OBJECTIVES: To describe clinical findings and outcomes in cattle referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Turin (Italy) because of seizures. ANIMALS: Client‐owned cattle with documented evidence of seizures. METHODS: Medical records of cattle with episodes of seizures reported between January 2002 and February 2014 were reviewed. Evidence of seizures was identified based on the evaluation of seizure episodes by the referring veterinarian or 1 of the authors. Animals were recruited if physical and neurologic examinations were performed and if diagnostic laboratory test results were available. RESULTS: Forty‐three of 49 cases fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 8 months. Thirty‐one animals were male and 12 were female. Piedmontese breed accounted for 39/43 (91%) animals. Seizures were etiologically classified as reactive in 30 patients (70%) and secondary or structural in 13 (30%). Thirty‐six animals survived, 2 died naturally, and 5 were euthanized for reasons of animal welfare. The definitive cause of reactive seizures was diagnosed as hypomagnesemia (n = 2), hypocalcemia (n = 12), and hypomagnesemia‐hypocalcemia (n = 16). The cause of structural seizures was diagnosed as cerebrocortical necrosis (n = 8), inflammatory diseases (n = 4), and lead (Pb) intoxication (n = 1). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The study results indicate that seizures largely are reported in beef cattle and that the cause can be identified and successfully treated in most cases

Classical and Atypical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis and Diagnosis

Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (C-BSE) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle, detected in the United Kingdom and many other countries since the 1980s. The origin of C-BSE is uncertain, but epidemiological studies suggest that the source of this disease was cattle feed prepared from prion-infected animal tissues. To date, cattle populations have been monitored through passive and active surveillance programs. From 2004, two different forms of BSE termed as L-BSE, also known as bovine amyloidotic spongiform encephalopathy (BASE), and H-BSE have been discovered in Italy and France. All these atypical cases have been detected in animals over 8 years of age. To date, there is no comprehensive information about the origin of the atypical BSEs (sporadic vs. acquired). Moreover, there are only very limited data available, concerning the pathogenesis of both atypical forms, as compared to C-BSE. This chapter provides a well-organized overview of what is known about classical and atypical BSE. It will review information on the main epidemiological features, pathogenesis, and the criteria for the routine diagnosis based on rapid tests, histological, immunohistochemical, and Western blot examinations

Final results of project on feline spongiform encephalopathy

Feline spongiform encephalopathy (FSE) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy associated with the accumulation of an abnormal isoform of the prion protein (PrPsc) in the Central Nervous System. This research allowed to identify other neurological diseases affecting the Italian cat population

Isolation and molecular characterisation of Halicephalobus gingivalis in the brain of a horse in Piedmont, Italy

Background: A fatal case of meningoencephalitis was reported in a 13-year-old Koninklijk Warmbloed Paard Nederland stallion, suspected of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, in the Piedmont region of Italy. Clinical signs included right head tilt and circling, depression alternated with excitability, fever and lateral strabismus. Combined treatment consisting of dimethylsulfoxide, dexamethasone, sulphonamides and sedative was administered, but because of the poor conditions the horse was euthanatized and submitted for necropsy. Results: At post-mortem examination no skin lesions were observed, all organs appeared normal on gross evaluation and only head and blood samples were further investigated. Neuropathological findings consisted of granulomatous meningoencephalitis and larvae and adult females of Halicephalobus gingivalis were isolated and identified from the digested brain. Frozen brain was submitted to PCR amplification and 220 bp multiple sequence alignment was analysed by Bayesian phylogenetic analysis. Conclusions: Phylogenetic inference revealed that the isolate belongs to H. gingivalis Lineage 3. WN surveillance can help to deepen our knowledge of horse neurological disorders investigating their causes and incidence. Moreover, it can help to understand the geographic distribution of the H. gingivalis, to unravel epidemiological information, and to estimate risk for humans

Zoonoses Surveillance in Italy (2000-2009): Investigation on Animals with Neurological Symptoms

Zoonoses are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as \u201cThose diseases and infections naturally transmitted between vertebrae animals and man\u201d (WHO 1959) (Palmer et al., 1998). They may be caused by viruses, bacteria, including chlamidiae and rickettsiae, fungi, protozoa, helminths and arthropods (Krauss et al., 2003), and transmitted directly (through contact with skin, hair, eggs, blood or secretions) or indirectly (by insect vectors and ingestion of contaminated food). Currently, 1415 pathogens for humans have been identified and of these approximately 61% (868) are agents of zoonoses, some of which manifest with neurological signs; 132 agents are also associated with emerging zoonoses (Asjo et al., 2007; Matassa, 2007; Taylor et al. , 2001). Neurological zoonoses are widespread, especially in the developing countries where they are not even diagnosed in most cases. Emerging zoonoses of recently identified pathogens are Lyme disease, cryptosporidiosis, West Nile disease, transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, and possible variants of the avian influenza virus, which have found new favourable conditions for spreading. In contrast, re-emerging zoonoses are well-known diseases considered as eradicated in a given country but recur with an exponentially increasing incidence, such as tuberculosis, leptospirosis, rabies (Matassa, 2007)

Ruminant neurological disease: a retrospective cohort study

Between January 2006 and June 2016, 96 ruminants with neurological signs were donated to the Scottish Centre for Production Animal Health and Food Safety (SCPAHFS), University of Glasgow, by veterinarians in the field representing 5.4 per cent of all submissions. Forty-seven different neurological presenting signs were reported with 79 per cent of the donated patients presenting with abnormal gait. All cases presenting with abnormalities in more than 4 out of 10 neurological categories died or were euthanased on welfare grounds. Calves were significantly more likely to present with neurological disorders than adult cattle compared with the proportion of calves: cows in the Scottish cattle population and total case population donated to SCPAHFS. Lesions were most commonly localised to the spinal cord in sheep 47 per cent (16), the peripheral nervous system in cattle 45 per cent (28) and to the brain in the overall population 41 per cent (39). The most common aetiology of neurological pathologies observed was infectious or inflammatory 28 per cent (27). Definitive diagnoses could be reached in 84 per cent (81) of patients. When postmortem reports were available, they produced a diagnosis in 70 per cent (52) of cases and contradicted clinical diagnoses in 38 per cent (26) of cases. The most frequently diagnosed conditions in ruminants over the 10 years were spastic paresis, vertebral osteomyelitis and listeriosis

Detection of Invasive Borrelia burgdorferi Strains in North-Eastern Piedmont, Italy.

SummaryFollowing reports of human cases of Lyme borreliosis from the Ossola Valley, a mountainous area of Piemonte, north‐western Italy, the abundance and altitudinal distribution of ticks, and infection of these vectors with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato were evaluated. A total of 1662 host‐seeking Ixodes ricinus were collected by dragging from April to September 2011 at locations between 400 and 1450 m above sea level. Additional 104 I. ricinus were collected from 35 hunted wild animals (4 chamois, 8 roe deer, 23 red deer). Tick density, expressed as the number of ticks per 100 m2, resulted highly variable among different areas, ranging from 0 to 105 larvae and from 0 to 22 nymphs. A sample of 352 ticks (327 from dragging and 25 from wild animals) was screened by a PCR assay targeting a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of B. burgdorferi s.l. Positive samples were confirmed with a PCR assay specific for the 5S‐23S rRNA intergenic spacer region and sequenced. Four genospecies were found: B. afzelii (prevalence 4.0%), B. lusitaniae (4.0%), B. garinii (1.5%) and B. valaisiana (0.3%). Phylogenetic analysis based on the ospC gene showed that most of the Borrelia strains from pathogenic genospecies had the potential for human infection and for invasion of secondary body sites