Farm January Newsletter 2025

Dedicated farm line – 01626 357776

This newsletter is sent by e-mail to each vet practice but if you would like a copy sent to your individual e-mail account please contact us at dsfarm@axiomvetlab.co.uk and we can add you to our circulation list.

 

Changes to Camelid profile

In our constant search to provide you with the most useful diagnostic options and following a literature review and advice from experts in camelid medicine and nutrition, we have elected to amend our camelid profile to improve our ability to pick up, in particular, cases of hepatic lipidosis. From the beginning of January, we will be replacing BHB, bilirubin and GLDH with bile acids, triglycerides, AST and CK.

Animal Health & Welfare Pathway – worm egg counts now available

Please note that we are now participating in the worm egg counting part of the AHWP for sheep. However, we are unable to post out sampling kits. Consumables can be ordered from us in the usual way. WHEN SUBMITTING POST TREATMENT SAMPLES, PLEASE ENTER THE ACCESS (REPORT) NUMBER FOR THE PRE-TREATMENT SAMPLE RESULTS AS A PREVIOUS REFERENCE ON THE SUBMISSION FORM. We can then provide you with a % change in the strongyle egg count after treatment.
We are a UKAS accredited lab and provide ISO17025 accredited tests so we can carry out any of the follow up endemic disease testing for both cattle and sheep. The diseases and conditions to be sampled for sheep include: Border disease (BD), caseous lymphadenitis (CLA), enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE), Johne’s disease, Maedi Visna (MV), toxoplasmosis, tick-borne fever, pulpy kidney, lamb dysentery, ewe nutrition status, lamb nutrition status & trace elements.

Incorrectly submitted samples

Samples received into the lab that are incorrectly packaged require more time and equipment to process and in some instances present an unnecessary Health and Safety risk to our Lab staff. Examples of incorrectly packaged samples include:

  • Samples submitted in rubber gloves rather than the correct sample pots, e.g. faecal samples.
  • Non serum gel tubes for clotted blood samples (we would ask you to use serum gel tubes provided by Axiom Laboratories which substantially decrease sample processing time and reduce the need for additional plastic consumables as the analyser can test direct from these tubes).
  • Cases that contain multiple samples from different animals that are either unlabelled or that have been packaged out of the numerical sequence written on the accompanying submission form.
  • No list of animal IDs and tube numbers received with herd or flock screens. This list is essential for booking in samples in the office.
  • Where needles have been included in the packaging along with the samples.
  • Incorrectly sized or shaped, leaking, formalin containing tissue histology pots lacking absorbent packaging material.
  • The submission of whole animals and foetuses as we do not have a PM room to handle these.

Continuing to submit incorrectly packaged samples affects our ability to get results to you quickly and efficiently while keeping our prices as low as possible.

The above list is only an example of scenarios, however where we experience additional time and cost in processing poorly submitted samples we reserve the right to charge an additional fee towards the admin time incurred e.g. for blood samples that fee would be 25p per tube.

Using detachable bar codes on herd screen submissions

Sending us a complete and accurate ID reference list with your herd/multiple animal submissions for checking and booking in your samples is an essential part of the procedure.
This is facilitated by using the detachable bar codes supplied on our preferred serum gel tubes. Simply record the animal ID on the Axiom submission form (or your own list/table) then remove the barcode strip from the tube and place it alongside the corresponding ID in order for us to associate each specific tube with the relevant animal. There is no need to write out the bar code numbers by hand on the list.
Please remember always to provide such a list and, when using a Field Kit for larger herd submissions, be sure to populate the polystyrene rack IN THE SAME ORDER AS YOUR ID LIST. This means that we will be able to check, process, and forward your samples to the relevant laboratory department for testing in a far more efficient manner, in turn allowing us to deliver your results in the shortest possible timeframe.

Would you like to send the Axiom farm vets photos of PMEs to allow us to assist with sample selection and diagnosis? Please send photos by WhatsApp to 07944 649222.

Please provide your name, practice, the farmer and farm names so that we can link the photos to the relevant submission and please also indicate which Axiom vet you discussed the case with. We may wish to use some of the photos in our newsletter so please indicate if you are not happy for this to be done. All cases are anonymised and credited to the submitting vet. Please note that this number is just for sharing photos. If you wish to discuss a case for which you do not have photos, please ring 01626 357776 as usual.

BVD Cymru accredited lab

We are an accredited lab for the Welsh BVD eradication programme. BVD antibody and antigen results will be uploaded if samples are submitted on a BVD Cymru form. As was the case with BVD Free England there is a small charge for the uploading of the results of 50p per sample for BVD antibody testing and 25p for a BVD antigen test.

Please note that all fields on the BVD Cymru submission form must be completed (including the keeper’s phone number and email address) otherwise there is a block on the results uploading.

New multiplex PCR test for investigating ruminant abortions.

The diagnostic rate for bovine abortions through veterinary laboratories has always been relatively low. There can be a number of reasons for this – the cost of testing for the large range of possible causes makes it cost prohibitive to do a comprehensive screen, the degree of autolysis, lack of availability/testing of placenta and of course some will have been aborted for non-infectious reasons e.g. nutritional, physical or genetic reasons. With sheep abortions the diagnostic rate is higher but screening is usually limited to the most common causes. In an attempt to increase the diagnostic rate of infectious causes of ruminant abortions we are introducing a ten agent multiplex PCR test. It will screen for the following agents:
Anaplasma phagocytophilum (TBF), Campylobacter fetus, Chlamydophila spp. (includes EAE), Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), Leptospira spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Neospora caninum, Salmonella spp., Toxoplasma gondii & Brucella sp. These agents are often found systemically in a foetus but can vary as to which viscera they are found in and also the levels at each site. Placenta is often a very good sample to include in a pool of tissues however if it is contaminated with faeces this can be detrimental. Faeces can contain Campylobacter fetus and also Chlamydia pecorum (a Chlamydophila sp. that does not cause abortions) which could lead to a mis-diagnosis. If placenta is faecally contaminated then it is better to sample tissues, using clean instruments and gloves, from within the carcase. The following fresh tissues, which we will test as a pooled sample, are likely to give a very good chance of detecting the above agents if they are present:

Brain (or uncontaminated placenta) & liver & foetal stomach contents (FSC)
Or if no foetus available:
Vaginal swab (plain) & uncontaminated placenta
Clean the vulva with paper towel and part the vulval lips to avoid faecal contamination of the swab and take the sample from the ventral aspect of the cranial vagina. Please note that if only a vaginal swab is submitted (taken up to five days after parturition) and no placenta is sampled then testing is unlikely to detect the presence of Neospora, Toxoplasma and probably also TBF – though serology could be done for these agents instead.
The screen does not include BVD virus (foetal fluid can be tested for BVD antigen and antibodies or there is the more expensive PCR test using fresh spleen or liver) or IBR (we have a PCR test using fresh liver, as an add on).
Please note that the screen also includes Brucella species so if a positive result is obtained for this APHA would need to be informed, with it being a notifiable disease.

Discounted test rates for Johne’s disease & Neospora herd screens or regular batch testing

Our Johne’s & Neospora Monitoring programmes give farmers access to discounted test rates for whole herd or regular batch testing. There is no membership fee and no set rules to follow. Johne’s serology is from £4.25 per sample and Neospora serology costs from £5.90 per sample. It works out cheaper than testing through a CHECS cattle health scheme so is ideal for herds that are testing for disease control and management purposes. Advice is provided in the lab report and farmers can be e-mailed a copy if required. Our turnaround times are very fast– often same day but within three working days for both tests. Batch testing herds also get their results in a cumulative spreadsheet. Contact us for more information at dsfarm@axiomvetlab.co.uk or on 01626 357776.
In order to avoid any unnecessary confusion, please can we ask that submission forms are only sent in with the samples and not in advance of the samples. Thank you for your cooperation.

Did you know that you can email us any additional test requests for your submissions?

You may find this is a more efficient way of making requests than phoning the farm team, saving you time in your busy day. Our farm team also find it a more efficient way of dealing with your requests. The email address for test requests is: DSFarm@axiomvetlab.co.uk

Interesting cases in December

Cattle
Abortions

  • Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from the stomach contents of foetuses aborted at five and six months’ gestation by two heifers in different herds. It was also isolated from a foetus aborted by a three-year-old Holstein-Friesian cow in a third herd. Infection and abortion are often associated with feeding of spoiled or soil contaminated silage, but it has also been associated with other spoiled feeds and grazing on muddy ground.
  • Salmonella Dublin and Listeria monocytogenes were both isolated from the stomach contents of two foetuses aborted in the same British Friesian cross herd in the second trimester, suggesting both abortifacients were potentially significant. S. Dublin was also isolated from foetal stomach contents in abortions in two further herds.
  • Salmonella Montevideo was isolated from a pool of vaginal swabs from two dairy cows and one heifer that aborted at eight months gestation. This serotype has been associated with wild birds.
  •  Evidence of Neospora exposure and foetal infection was again reported on several occasions this month. In one screen of 12 to 18-month-old Longhorn heifers, 16 out of 25 animals tested were seropositive for Neospora.

Respiratory disease

  • A nine-month-old calf that had been vaccinated against pneumotropic viruses on arrival 35 days earlier died during an outbreak of pneumonia. On PME, there was a chronic suppurative pneumonia with diffuse abscessation of the cranioventral lobes. The calf also had polyarthritis and Mycoplasma bovis was suspected. Histopathological lesions in two sections examined were indeed consistent with virulent Mycoplasma bovis infection with typical eosinophilic coagula occluding airways and this was also detected on PCR of lung tissue. Lesions in a third section examined were more consistent with infection by members of the Pasteurellaceae. In all sections, there were more chronic airway changes suggesting a historic viral insult and IBR, RSV and PI3 were detected by PCR in lung. Given the PCR results, it was suggested that immunohistochemistry may provide further information about the level of viral involvement in this case.
  • IBR and RSV were detected together by PCR on at least another five occasions. In one case, a seven-month-old calf with respiratory signs had been vaccinated with IBR marker live vaccine two weeks earlier, but there was evidence of IBR wild virus on PCR testing. In a second case, an animal that died suddenly with no premonitory clinical signs, there was evidence of a necrotising bronchiolitis consistent with a pneumotropic viral infection on histopathology and the multinucleated cells seen were more consistent with RSV then BHV-1infection. This airway damage had then been followed by a secondary bacterial infection.
  • IBR was detected by PCR in at least another 13 cases, including one of two 20 to 22-month-old stores that had been vaccinated against IBR, RSV and PI3 and had died suddenly after running when moved for testing. Histopathology of lung from one of the two animals revealed severe diffuse bronchointerstitial pneumonia with necrotising bronchitis/bronchiolitis involving primarily larger airways that is typical of IBR infection.
  • PI3 was detected by PCR on at least another seven occasions. On one occasion, a three-month-old dairy heifer calf euthanased during an outbreak of respiratory disease, PI3 was detected along with Pasteurella multocida and Mannheimia haemolytica in lung. On PME, there had been evidence of extensive lung consolidation and fibrinous pleurisy. On histopathology, changes were predominantly of a bacterial pleuritis, most likely associated with the Mannheimia haemolytica. There was also a mild associated bronchopneumonia. No convincing evidence of a viral insult to the airways was seen in the sections examined. This did not rule out the involvement of PI3, as it was possible that lesions from viral damage were not included in the samples submitted and examined, or that they were hidden by the extensive bacterial changes and atelectasis present.
  • RSV was detected by PCR on at least another 20 occasions. In one case, a seven-month-old beef calf, one of multiple calves to die suddenly with no premonitory clinical signs, histopathology detected a necrotising bronchiolitis consistent with pneumotropic viral infection. This had been followed by a secondary bacterial infection, which was consistent with the isolation of Pasteurella multocida from lung tissue.
  • As in previous months, coronavirus was detected by PCR alongside other viruses and bacteria on many occasions. The role of coronavirus in bovine respiratory disease in the UK remains somewhat unclear, being found also on swabs from healthy animals, but it may play a synergistic role with more recognised respiratory pathogens in the development of disease.
  • Post-mortem tissues were received from three four-month-old Hereford cross beef finishing calves. Five had died over two days, with all being treated for signs of pneumonia but some only once on the day before death. All three calves had a fibrinonecrotising bronchointerstitial pneumonia. The most significant change was of a necrotising bronchiolitis with necrotising interstitial component, most likely due to pneumotropic viral infection although this could not be detected on viral PCR testing.
  • Post-mortem tissues were received from post-weaned rearing calves that had been bought in from market three to four months earlier. The calves had been vaccinated against pneumotropic viruses. Housing was overcrowded and calves developed respiratory signs and pyrexia with some dying. On PME, there were fibrin adhesions in the pleural cavity and cranioventral consolidation of lungs. Histopathology detected extensive, severe, chronic-active, plasmalymphocytic and suppurative bronchointerstitial pneumonia with bronchiolitis fibrosa obliterans and peri-bronchiolar fibrosis, consistent with a previous pneumotropic viral infection followed by a secondary bacterial infection. In addition, the plasmalymphocytic infiltrate indicated concurrent mycoplasma infection that may have been due to the Mycoplasma bovis detected on PCR, although other Mycoplasma species also may have been implicated.
  • Lung tissue was submitted from a 10-weeek-old Holstein calf that was one of a number of calves coughing after weaning. On PME, there was severe pleurisy and lung consolidation and histopathology was consistent with a marked acute fibrinosuppurative pleuropneumonia with intralesional gram-negative bacteria. The presence of gram-negative bacterial organisms was supportive of the Mannheimia haemolytica isolated from a lung swab. Other cases of primary bacterial bronchopneumonia were reported on histopathology, both with and without detection or isolation of a bacterial pathogen from lung tissue or swabs. In one case, Salmonella Dublin was isolated from lung but the histopathology was more consistent with the Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida detected on PCR testing. M. haemolytica was also the sole respiratory pathogen detected in lung tissue in a number of cases of respiratory disease in calves and occasionally older cattle but where no histopathology was carried out to give an indication as to whether this was likely to be a primary or secondary bacterial pneumonia following an earlier viral infection.
  • Cases of lungworm exposure detected on serology this month included a three-year-old Stabiliser cow with reduced appetite for three weeks, a mild cough and weight loss.
  • Active seroconversion to Mycoplasma bovis was reported in two 12 to 16-month-old finishing cattle, vaccinated against Histophilus somni and IBR, and housed in a poorly ventilated shed for the previous four weeks and now experiencing an outbreak of severe pneumonia.

Gastrointestinal disease

  • Fasciolosis was diagnosed on microscopy and coproantigen ELISA in a number of herds, including in a two-year-old South Devon bull with rapid weight loss.
  • High pepsinogen levels consistent with significant abomasal parasitism were reported in ill thrifty cows and youngstock.
  • In November, a total of 367 submissions for Johne’s disease serology and faecal PCR testing from cattle were received, with 162 submissions, including a total of 308 individual samples, testing positive. Cases included a 14-month-old scouring, lethargic British Blue heifer and a 15-month-old bull that was anorexic and had watery scour. Two further cases were diagnosed on faecal PCR in a pair of three-year-old Limousin bulls, one of which was scouring and the other was raising concerns over its performance and general health; the scouring animal also had fasciolosis, diagnosed on faecal microscopy.
  • Salmonella Dublin was isolated from at least six cases of scour in calves and cows. In one case, it was isolated in faeces from scouring Continental cross calves in a batch that were experiencing increased levels of mortality, with nine deaths to date. The main presenting sign was of pneumonia and histopathology was consistent with a chronic bronchopneumonia of bacterial origin.
  • Salmonella Typhimurium was isolated on at least six occasions, including a dairy cow that had calved ten days earlier and had haemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Salmonella 4,5,12:a:-, a monophasic variant of S. Typhimurium, was isolated from faeces from another case of presumed scour.
  • Salmonella Mbandaka was isolated from faeces from six animals, including two scouring Jersey cows in the same herd. Interestingly, there had recently been an outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium in the herd. S. Mbandaka has been associated with contaminated feed.
  • Salmonella Montevideo was isolated twice, including in a five-year-old Holstein cow that had sudden onset toxic enteritis and became recumbent.

Skin and eye disease

  • Dermatophilosis was diagnosed on histopathology in a Limousin x dairy calf with proliferative lesions on the head and face, one of a number of one to two-month-old calves affected. Multiple factors appear to be involved in the pathogenesis of Dermatophilus infections, in particular trauma to the skin and prolonged wetting. Lesions on the face and ears are most often seen in young suckling calves, as in this case.

Calf with dermatophilosis

Skin lesions of the calf with dermatophilosisGram stain showing the Dermatophilus

Systemic and miscellaneous disease

  • A total of 335 submissions were received for BVD antigen testing in cattle in December, with 39 submissions, including a total of 84 individual samples, testing positive. In one herd, around 15 animals within two groups of 15-month-old British Blue – Holstein youngstock had poor growth rates and five out of six animals tested were BVD viraemic.
  • Salmonella Dublin was isolated from the gall bladder of a three-week-old dairy calf with suspected salmonellosis that had evidence of pulmonary consolidation on PME.
  • A heavy growth of Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from pooled swabs from bilateral inflamed, stenotic ear canals in a four-month-old Aberdeen Angus calf. This is a recognized cause of otomycosis.
  • A mass was submitted for histopathology from a bulling heifer; it was removed from the vulva, was irregular in shape and growing in size. The animal had no other external masses but was in poorer condition than its pen mates. The mass was made up of spindle cells and, although a benign tumour such as a leiomyoma was a possibility, some of the features present, including bizarre mitoses and large nuclei, raised suspicion for a malignant tumour such as a leiomyosarcoma. Although these tumours tend to recur when incompletely removed, they don’t tend to metastasise to distant sites very often or very early in the course of disease. For this heifer, the prognosis was suspected to depend on the ability to successfully completely remove the mass, which can be difficult for these types of tumours at this site.
  • An Ayrshire dairy cow exhibiting nymphomaniac behavior was found to have a grapefruit-sized ovary with multiple cystic follicles. Unilateral ovariectomy was carried out and tissues were submitted for histopathology, which confirmed the clinical suspicion that it was a granulosa cell tumour.

Sheep and goats

Abortion, infertility and mastitis

  • Chlamydia abortus (EAE) was detected by PCR in the liver of an aborted ovine foetus.
  • Toxoplasma gondii was detected by PCR on placental tissue of aborted ewes on at least seven submissions this month.
  • Campylobacter fetus was isolated in association with ovine abortion in three cases, one of which also tested positive of C. abortus (EAE) on a modified ziehl-neelson (MZN) smear of placental tissue.
  • Campylobacter jejuni was isolated from foetal stomach content in three cases, one of which also tested positive for C. abortus on an MZN stained smear of placental tissue.
  • In one sheep flock which had a disappointing scanning percentage and a higher than usual barren rate four out of eight tested ewes were positive for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. No reproductive vaccines had been used in the flock. In addition, five of the tested ewes were positive for antibody to Maedi-visna. Both findings could be significant in this case of poor fertility. In a second flock with an increased barren rate, all seven ewes sampled were seropositive for Toxoplasma.

Respiratory disease

  • Atypical pneumonia with evidence of embolic bacterial spread from liver abscesses was identified on histopathology of a two-year-old ewe which was euthanased following a history of condition loss and pneumonia that was unresponsive to treatment.
  • Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) was confirmed by histopathology of lung tissue from a Border Leicester ewe with suspicious lesions present at PME.

Skin and eye disease

  • Exposure to Psoroptes ovis, the mite that causes sheep scab, was identified in at least ten flocks this month many of which had typical history of wool loss and itching. In one flock, orf infection was also diagnosed on PCR of skin scabs.
  • A two-year-old ram presented with acute onset nodular skin disease, with multiple lesions 0.5 – 2cm diameter over flanks, brisket, neck and tail. The lesions were described as being firm and skin deep. Biopsy and histopathological examination identified the lesions as neoplastic, most likely to be lymphoma. Lymphoma is one of the more common neoplasms in sheep, most often seen as sporadic cases in older animals. Cutaneous involvement is very rare and when seen is usually part of a multicentric disease. As in cattle, sporadic and enzootic forms of lymphoma can also be seen in sheep and it is not possible to rule out infection following exposure to retrovirus [Bovine Leukaemia Virus (BLV)] on histopathology alone.
  • Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from non-pruritic, scabby skin lesions on the lower legs of a goat.

Gastrointestinal disease

  • In December, a total of 62 submissions for Johne’s disease serology and faecal PCR testing from sheep and goats were received, with eight submissions, including a total of eight individual samples, testing positive. In one case, fixed intestine was received for histopathology from a sheep that had tested positive for antibodies to Johne’s disease on serology. There was evidence of a marked, chronic, diffuse granulomatous enteritis with intralesional acid-fast bacteria consistent with a case of Ovine Johne’s Disease. On one holding an aged goat with condition loss and hair loss was reported to be lethargic and pale with low body temperature. The animal tested positive for antibodies to Johne’s disease on serology. On another farm, a three-year-old Charollais tup with severe weight loss and diarrhoea was seropositive on Johne’s antibody testing.

Ziehl Neelsen special stain

  • Numerous samples, mainly from sheep but also from goat herds, tested positive in the coproantigen ELISA or by fluke microscopy confirming cases of fascioliasis. In submissions that provided history, poor body condition/ill thrift, diarrhoea and deaths were reported. Examination of liver tissue by histopathology from a yearling chamois sheep revealed chronic fibrosing hepatitis with intralesional liver fluke present confirming the likely cause of death as fascioliasis.
  • Parasitic gastroenteritis was diagnosed in a group of seven-month-old mule lambs with loose faeces and poor condition, and a high faecal strongyle egg count of 1250 epg. The lambs had been wormed around ten weeks previously with monepantel but, as this anthelmintic has no persistent activity, reinfection could easily occur in this time frame. PGE was diagnosed on numerous submissions in December in both sheep and goats with high strongyle egg counts raising suspicion of haemonchosis.

Systemic and miscellaneous disease

  • On one sheep farm where Maedi -visna antibody positive sheep had recently been identified and ewes were looking in poor condition, a further 148 sheep were tested and 57(48%) were positive for antibody to MV. MV was likely to be highly significant as a cause of the poor performance in the flock. In another sheep flock, a three-year-old tup suddenly went off its back legs shortly after being brought in from the ewes. It was the second ram in which these signs had occurred in a week. The animal tested positive for antibodies to MV. Hindlimb weakness is a recognised clinical sign of Maedi visna.

Deficiencies and toxicities

  • Cobalt deficiency was reported in all six tested Hebridean sheep suffering from ill thrift in one flock.
  • Low copper levels were reported in cattle and sheep with ill thrift and in nine out of 12 suckler cows that were not in calf in one herd.
  • Low copper levels and selenium deficiency were seen in a number of herds, including a cohort of late spring calving suckler cows with inconsistent body condition and fertility.
  • Low plasma inorganic iodine levels were seen in several herds and flocks, including Aberdeen Angus and Sussex cows in different herds with increased stillbirths and, in one of the herds, weakly calves.
  • Selenium deficiency was also detected in cows with increased rates of stillbirth in one herd.
  • Zinc deficiency was diagnosed in a two-year-old alpaca with a six-month history of pruritus, skin thickening and crusting, and alopecia over the ventrum, feet, legs, pinnae and periocular region. There had been no response to repeated ivermectin and fipronil administration.
  • Cases of hypocalcaemia seen this month included two ewes showing neurological signs four weeks pre-lambing. One also had a raised BHB level (1.4 mmol/l) consistent with subclinical ketosis.
  • Cases of hypomagnesaemia included a cow with reduced rumen turnover that was losing weight and was ‘not right’. The cow was also markedly hypoalbuminemic.
  • Cases of hypophosphataemia included a dairy cow recumbent 12 hours post calving and a Dexter cow recumbent at seven months’ gestation.
  • Fatty liver was suspected in a seven-year-old dairy cow, calved three weeks earlier, that had reduced feed intake and milk yield; the animal had a NEFA level of 1930 μmol/l and was also mildly ketotic.
  • Low urea levels were reported in cattle in several herds where the main presenting sign was ill thrift. Low urea indicates a lack of rumen degradable protein, caused by either inadequate levels in the diet or insufficient intake.
  • Vitamin A deficiency was confirmed in two of a group of Holstein-Friesian calves that were weak at birth, with some developing cloudy eyes soon after birth.
  • Of four dairy calves sampled in a dairy herd with a high rate of ill thrift in calves, some of which were born blind, two had evidence of vitamin A and E deficiency and a third was deficient in just vitamin E. Other results were marginal for both vitamins.
  • Three four-month-old Holstein-Friesian calves were sampled in a herd with a history of pneumonia and ringworm in calves. Underlying immunodeficiency was suspected and all three had evidence of vitamin E deficiency.
  • One ten-month-old Belted Galloway heifer died having gone blind, depressed and anorexic. There had been no change to feeding, housing and water supply but it had received closamectin seven or eight days earlier. On histopathology of brain, there was widespread and quite marked leukoencephalopathy characterised by perivascular oedema and parenchymal rarefaction/spongiosis. Furthermore, within the optic nerve there was swelling/vacuolation and loss of axons with some accumulation of macrophages. These histological changes together with the clinical history supported a diagnosis of closamectin toxicity.

Camelids

Skin and eye disease

  • An adult male alpaca presented with chronic pruritus, alopecia and hyperkeratosis starting at the legs and ventrum but then spreading over the body. Several other animals in the herd were also affected. Sarcoptes scabiei and Chorioptes bovis mites, the causes of sarcoptic mange and chorioptic mange respectively, were both visible on skin microscopy.

Mites seen on histopathology 01

Mites seen on histopathology 02

Gastrointestinal disease

  • A Bactrian camel was found to have a high worm egg count of 2350epg. This high count was suggestive of possible haemonchosis and anthelmintic treatment was advised.
  • In another group of Bactrian camels on a different holding, three camels had high strongyle egg counts of 2500, 2600 and 1150epg two weeks after being given injectable ivermectin indicating anthelmintic treatment failure in this case. Possible reasons for this, such as under-dosing, needed to be investigated.
  • Coccidiosis due to Eimeria macusaniensis infection was suspected to be the cause of illness in a three-month-old alpaca cria that was thin and weak. The Eimeria macusaniensis count in a faecal sample was 1800 opg and low numbers (50 epg) of strongyle eggs were also detected.
  • A three-year-old alpaca had lost weight over a few weeks and presented with pale mucous membranes and abdominal pain. A faecal strongyle egg count of 1450 epg was consistent with parasitic gastroenteritis and an EDTA blood sample was positive on PCR for Mycoplasma haemolamae.
  • Fascioliasis was diagnosed in an adult alpaca on coproantigen ELISA testing. It was not known if any clinical signs were present.
  • Johne’s disease was diagnosed by PCR on a faecal sample from a nine-year-old female alpaca that was spending a lot of time lying down and was lethargic but still had a good appetite.

Other Species

  • Bacterial enteritis was identified as the cause of death in a fourteen-week-old quail that had visible necrotic plaques on the intestinal mucosa at PME. Severe subacute multifocal ulcerative necrotising bacterial enteritis was identified histopathologically. Although it could not be confirmed by histological evaluation, the nature of the lesion was most suggestive of a potential Clostridium species (especially Clostridium colinum) infection.
  • A high strongyle egg count of 9150 strongyle epg indicative of a heavy gastrointestinal parasite burden was recorded in a boar that had been bought-in eight weeks previously.
  • Post-mortem tissues were received from a five-month-old Kune gilt. The gilt had respiratory signs of approximately one week’s duration that showed poor response to treatment and became recumbent and died soon after. At PME, it was observed that the carcass was very pale, there was bloody fluid in the abdominal cavity, miliary white masses were seen in liver and ventral lung lobes and a large pink mass on the spleen, which was suspected to have ruptured. Histopathological examination found changes consistent with a lymphoproliferative disease (populations of densely packed neoplastic round cells on a pre-existing fibrovascular stroma in both liver and spleen). The appearance was considered consistent with lymphoma and infiltrative leukaemia was considered as another possibility. Lymphoma is the most common neoplasm seen in pigs. All ages and both sexes are affected, with a higher incidence reported in females. The most common subtype is the multicentric form, characterized by enlargement of visceral lymph nodes (rather than peripheral) with or without infiltration of internal organs (the liver, spleen and kidneys are most commonly affected).

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