Sheep/Goat Neurological Diseases

Question 1

What is polioencephalomalacia

Answer 1

Neurological disease caused by Thiamine deficiency (opisthotonos seen)

Question 2

What is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE’s)

Answer 2

Progressive disease of brain and spinal cord

Question 3

All TSEs are thought to be caused by

Answer 3

Prions: change makeup of neurons, causes necrosis of tissue/loss of cells

Question 4

TSE in goats and sheep

Answer 4

Scrapie

Question 5

Signs of scrapie

Answer 5

Severe itching

Question 6

TSE in bovine

Answer 6

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) aka mad cow disease

Question 7

TSE in deer and elk

Answer 7

Chronic wasting disease

Question 8

TSEs in humans

Answer 8

Kuro

Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJ Disease)

Question 9

What is Kuru

Answer 9

Rare neurological disease native to Southeast Asia (brain eaters)

Question 10

What is vCJD

Answer 10

Variant of CJ virus believed to be transmitted from animals to people (BSE)

Question 11

Importance of thiamine in ruminant diet

Answer 11

Required for rumen to digest carbs

Question 12

How many cases of BSE in US in past 20-30 yrs

Answer 12

Only 2

Question 13

Treatment and diagnosis of TSEs

Answer 13

No treatment

Only diagnosis is necropsy

Question 14

If animals are unable to walk into a slaughter house

Answer 14

They cannot be slaughtered (possible TSE)

Question 15

How TSEs used to be spread via animal feed

Answer 15

We used to feed animals animal by-products (bone meal, protein)