Pathological Studies of Cerebrospinal Setariasis in a Saanen Goat

Abstract

A three-year-old Saanen goat showed limb ataxia and was necropsied because of the poor prognosis. Histopathologically, foreign body granulomas were observed in the left brachial plexus and cervical spinal cord. Central chromatolysis in the neurons of the descending motor tract was observed. The Setaria digitata (S. digitata) gene was identified by molecular biological examination using the paraffin blocks of the left brachial plexus. These results suggested that S. digitata had reached the left brachial plexus and cervical spinal cord via the bloodstream, and that neuropathy in the descending motor tract might be directly responsible for the limb ataxia.