Cerebellar cortical degeneration with increased phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain in cerebrospinal fluid in a Holstein calf

Abstract

　A 115-day-old Holstein heifer was presented to a local veterinarian for evaluation of abnormal gait. At 122 days old, the heifer was able to stand but had a wide stance, hypermetria, stiff gait, falling, lateral recumbency and opisthotonos. In the following two weeks, the heifer remained recumbent for increasingly longer times, having difficulty in standing and walking. Bilateral nystagmus was also observed. Necropsy revealed no obvious gross abnormalities in the central nervous system, but loss of Purkinje cells and axonal swelling in the cerebellar cortex as well as vacuoles in the molecular layer were noted by histological examination. Cerebellar cortical degeneration was diagnosed based on these findings. Although the biochemical profile of the cerebrospinal fluid was unremarkable, the cerebrospinal fluid concentration of phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain（pNF-H） was 597.7 pg/mℓ, which was higher than the median value of 294.7 pg/mℓ in five clinically healthy Holstein calves. The pNF-H level may be used as a prognostic marker for neuronal injury.