A cow, presenting with lameness with atrophy of the right supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles, was clinically diagnosed with suprascapular nerve paralysis. Histological examination revealed necrosuppurative lesions with Gram-positive cocci arranged in chains in multiple organs, including the cardiac valves, lungs, muscles, joints, brain, cerebral and spinal meninges. Spinal meningitis progressed into the roots of the right 6th to 8th cervical nerves. The suprascapular nerve showed partial loss of nerve fibers in the periphery, and innervated muscle fibers were atrophied. Bacterial culture of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed the presence of Streptococcus pyogenes. From these findings, the suprascapular nerve paralysis in this case was considered to result from meningoradiculitis associated with systemic streptococcal infection. This is a rare bovine case of suprascapular nerve paralysis due to central nerve damage of infectious cause.
Journal of The Japanese Society of Veterinary Science