Ruminant Top 15 Small Ruminant Diseases - Part 3 Flashcards
T/F: cases of polioencephalomalacia in small ruminants usually occurs sporadically or in outbreaks
true
what is the classic case presentation of acute polioencephalomalacia?
cortical blindness - normal PLR & absent menace
followed by recumbency, tonic-clonic seizures, & coma
what is the classic case presentation of sub-acute polioencephalomalacia?
anorexia, facial twitching, elevated head, stands apart from the group, cortical blindness, dorsomedial strabismus, ataxia, head pressing, opisthotonus, bruxism, & rarely progresses to recumbency & seizures
what are the 2 main etiologies of polioencephalomalacia in small ruminants?
- abnormal thiamine status (thiamine normally made by rumen microbes)
- high dietary sulfur intake (or water deprivation, sodium toxicosis, or lead poisoning)
what is the etiology of altered thiamine causing polioencephalomalacia?
any alteration in ruminal microbial activity can lead to decreased thiamine production/thiamine destruction
or some plants contain thiaminase (bracken fern)
thiamine deficiency leads to decreased energy availability to the brain/impaired glucose metabolism
what are some examples of high sulfur causing polioencephalomalacia?
high molasses-urea diet, corn or sugar cane by products, high sulfur in water, certain plants (alfalfa, canada thistle, kockia, & lambsquarter)
how is polioencephalomalacia diagnosed in small ruminants?
measure thiamine, calculate total sulfur intake on a dry matter basis
what is seen on necropsy of an animal with polioencephalomalacia?
laminar cerebrocortical necrosis & auto-fluorescent lesions
T/F: regardless of cause, treatment for polioencephalomalacia is the same
true
how is polioencephalomalacia treated?
thiamine - 1st dose slowly IV then IM for 3-5 days with improvement seen within 24 hours (may not have a complete recovery if advanced state)
+/- dexamethasone to decrease cerebral edema
how is polioencephalomalacia prevented?
thiamine supplementation
calculate total sulfur in diet/water & make sure it’s not too high
provide sufficient roughage during outbreaks to maintain happy rumen microbes/prevent ruminal acidosis
what is the pathophysiology of polioencephalomalacia?
abnormal cerebral energy metabolism leads to increased intracellular sodium/water leading to cerebral edema which causes cerebral necrosis
polioencephalomalacia affects what animals? what animals are more commonly affected?
worldwide in sheep, goats, cattle, deer, & camelids
more common in younger animals on high grain diets
what is another name for border disease?
hairy shaker lambs
what is the classic case presentation of border disease in dams?
increased number of barren dams & abortion of mummified or macerated fetuses
what is the classic case presentation of lambs with border disease?
lambs more often than kids!!
hairy, low birth weight lambs with dark pigmented wool, +/- shortened bones, decreased crown rump length, decreased tibial/radial length, decreased longitudinal axis of the cranium
+/- muscle tremors of the trunk & pelvic limbs that is worse when walking/running
what is the prognosis of border disease in lambs?
poor survival rate
what is the etiology of border disease?
7 known genotypes of a certain pestivirus (flaviviridae) related to classical swine fever & BVDV
how is border disease in lambs diagnosed?
testing must be done BEFORE colostral intake as maternal antibodies can impact test results - take blood from affected lambs & do virus isolation, PCR, fluorescent antibodies, & IHC
how is border disease diagnosed at necropsy?
histopathology of CNS lesions are pathognomonic
myelin deficiency, increased interfasicular glial cells with intracellular accumulation of myelin-like lipid droplets - using viral immunocytochemical staining
how is border disease treated?
it’s not - they die
how is border disease prevented/controlled?
bulk tank milk test for antibodies, serology of dams with affected lambs, mix lambs recovered from infection with breeding stock before breeding season to enhance natural immunity
DO NOT BREED recovered lambs - no effective vaccine