Enteropathy and bone marrow hypoplasia associated with presumptive albendazole toxicosis in a juvenile Boer goat

Abstract

Albendazole is a widely used anthelmintic drug that is labeled for the treatment of specific nematodes and flukes in ruminants. Albendazole is approved for the treatment of liver flukes in goats (10 mg/kg PO for a single dose), but is commonly used extra-label in situations in which parasite resistance is an issue. Albendazole toxicosis has been reported in pigeons, doves, alpacas, humans, dogs, and cats. Here we report an adverse event in a 6-mo-old goat associated with extra-label use of albendazole (35.7 mg/kg PO daily for 3 d). Clinicopathologic findings included severe diarrhea and death, with small intestinal crypt necrosis and dysplasia, and severe bone marrow hypoplasia. Microbial and molecular testing and transmission electron microscopy ruled out infectious organisms. The described pathologic changes are similar to those reported in other species that have experienced toxicosis associated with albendazole. To our knowledge, bone marrow and intestinal lesions associated with albendazole use in the goat have not been reported previously. Veterinarians should be aware of potential adverse events and toxicoses associated with anthelmintic drugs, especially as parasite resistance increases, and extra-label usage, and the use of such drugs without veterinary supervision, becomes more common.