Facial paralysis and vestibular syndrome in feedlot cattle in Argentina

摘要

This paper reports 6 outbreaks of neurological disease associated with paralysis of the facial and vestibulocochlear nerves caused by intracranial space occupying lesions in feedlot cattle. The clinical signs obsen/ed were characterized by head tilt,uni or bilateral drooping and paralysis of the ears, eyelid ptosis, keratoconjunctivitis, and different degrees of ataxia. Morbidity and mortality rates ranged from 1.1 to 50% and 0 to.1%, respectively. Gross lesions obsen/ed included yellow, thickened leptomeninges, and marked enlargement of the roots of cranial nerves VII (facial) and VIII (vestibulocochlear). Histopathologically, there was severe, chronic, granulomatous meningitis and, in one case, chronic, granulomatous neuritis of the VII and VIIIcranial nen/es. Attempts to identify bacterial, viral, or parasitic agents were unsuccessful. Based on the morphologic lesions, the clinical condition was diagnosed as facial paralysis and vestibular syndrome associated with space occupying lesions in the meninges and the cranial nen/es VII and VIII. Feedlot is a practice of growing diffusion in our country and this is a first report of outbreaks of facial paralysis and vestibular disease associated with space occupying lesions in Argentina.