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Cerebral infarction and meningoencephalitis following hot-iron disbudding of goat kids (abstract)
Authors: Bateman RS, Morris PJ, Thompson KGPublication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 53, Issue 1, pp 94, Feb 2005
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Animal type: Goat, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Animal welfare, Nervous system/neurology, Husbandry/husbandry procedures, Trauma/injuries, Pathology, Surgery
Article class: Abstract
Abstract: Two days after disbudding with a hot iron, 18/150 dairy goat kids 410 days old appeared depressed. On the following day, 12 were found dead, and post-mortem examinations were performed on five. The skin at the disbudding sites was necrotic and covered with a layer of clotted blood. The underlying frontal bones were dark red and there was extensive dark red discolouration of the meninges and necrosis of the frontal cortex of the brain immediately beneath the disbudding sites in 4/5 kids. The necrotic areas extended deep into the cerebral tissue, involving both grey and white matter and were often accompanied by cavitation. Histologically, affected areas of brain showed extensive coagulation necrosis and haemorrhage, thrombosis of several large meningeal veins, and an intense suppurative inflammatory response. Massive numbers of bacteria, predominantly large Gram-positive rods, were present in the necrotic tissue. Aerobic and anaerobic culture of brain tissue from one affected kid produced a mixed growth, including Clostridium sp, Proteus sp, Staphylococcus sp, and -haemolytic and non-haemolytic Streptococcus spp. Excessive application of heat to the skull presumably resulted in necrosis and thrombosis of large meningeal veins and infarction of the underlying cerebrum. The mixed bacterial population most likely entered through the devitalised skin and bone at the disbudding sites and caused the severe, suppurative meningoencephalitis. This outbreak highlights the risks associated with the use of hot irons for disbudding goat kids, where the frontal bones are much thinner than in calves and not separated from the underlying cerebrum by frontal sinuses.
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