A Review of Inherited Central Nervous System Dysfunction in Calves

Abstract

Differentiating inherited central nervous system diseases in calves from non-inherited disorders is important due to significant ramifications to the herd breeding program and the poor prognosis associated with them.
Well documented and suspected inherited conditions that cause central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction in calves include progressive degenerative myeloencephalopathy, spinal muscular atrophy, degenerative axonopathy, spinal dysmyelination, citrullinemia, cerebellar abiotrophy, progressive ataxia, spastic paresis, maple syrup urine disease, neuraxial edema, bovine familial convulsions, storage diseases, neuronal lipodystrophy and myelodysplasias.
This review briefly describes the signalment and common clinical signs of many proven or presumably inherited conditions that cause CNS dysfunction in calves. These diseases are categorized by localization of the predominant signs into dysfunction of the spinal cord, cerebrum, cerebellum or multiple regions of the central nervous system. Detailed descriptions of pathologic lesions are beyond the scope of this article, however, the general location of these lesions is described to facilitate selection of appropriate samples for diagnostic testing. A brief review of the location of lesions and their relationship to clinical signs is provided. Some non-inherited conditions are briefly discussed to differentiate the many causes of CNS dysfunction in calves.