Encephalitis and Neuronal Necrosis in a 3-Month-Old Suckled Beef Calf

Abstract

A 3-month-old suckled beef calf from the west coast of Scotland showed neurologic clinical signs for 1 week and was euthanized after failing to respond to treatment. Blood and tissue samples, including the brain, were submitted for diagnosis. Histologic examination of the brain showed neuronal chromatolysis and necrosis in the hind brain and loss of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, accompanied by mild nonsuppurative encephalitis in the hind brain with a striking lack of inflammation in the cerebellar layers. Other microscopic lesions present were mild nonsuppurative meningitis with perivascular cuffs, diffuse hypergliosis, and occasional foci of neuronophagia. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of viral nucleic acids and specific immunohistochemical labeling allowed the identification of louping ill virus, and serology showed high titers of immunoglobulin M, indicating a recent infection.