J Vet Sci.  2012 Mar;13(1):107-109. 10.4142/jvs.2012.13.1.107.

Histopathological and biochemical findings of congenital copper deficiency: are these similar to those of caprine arthritis-encephalitis?

• Ozkul IA
• Alcigir G
• Sepici-Dincel A
• Yonguc AD
• Akcora A
• Turkaslan

• KMID: 1365011
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2012.13.1.107

Abstract

This study was done after identifying animals with a twisted carpal joint in goat herd. These included a kid goat walking on its articulus carpii and a newborn goat with a stiff leg. Necropsies of the diseased goats revealed swollen carpal joints that were twisted backwards. Arthritis was observed during microscopic examination of the carpal joints. Very low levels of eosinophil, leucocyte, and lymphocyte cell infiltration were found in the central nervous system and meninges. Serum copper levels were significantly decreased in most of the animals. All of these results led us to diagnose the animals with swayback disease.

Keyword

arthritis-encephalitis; congenital copper deficiency; goat; histopathology; twisted carpal joints

MeSH Terms

Animals
Animals, Newborn
Carpal Joints/metabolism/*pathology
Copper/blood/*deficiency/metabolism
Female
Goat Diseases/*congenital/metabolism/pathology
Goats
Joint Diseases/congenital/metabolism/pathology/*veterinary
Male
Pregnancy

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The general clinical appearance of the goats with twisted joints. Clinical signs and congenitally twisted joints were similar in the goat kids of 2~3 months of age. The curvature was generally observed in both legs and less frequently in one leg.

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  Fig. 2 (A) Glial cell proliferation in the grey matter of the spinal root. (B) Chromatolysis and pyknosis in the neurons of spinal root grey matter. H&E stain, A: ×20, B: ×10.

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