Veterinary case
Dairy goat farm hit by viral arthritis and paralysis
⚠️ This information is provided for awareness only and does not replace an examination by a veterinarian.
🤖 Summary produced automatically from the scientific publication cited at the bottom of the page.
On an isolated farm in Korea, dairy goats began limping, swelling at the joints and dying: the investigation uncovered a dangerous virus.
What happened?
On an isolated Saanen goat farm in a mountainous area of South Korea, the farmer reported that several goats showed arthritis, paralysis, and swelling of the carpal joints, and that some had died. On closer observation, veterinarians found that more than 60 adult goats showed similar signs. Young kids mainly suffered from respiratory problems and nervous system signs.
What did the vet find?
Affected goats had swollen carpal joints, stiffness, difficulty moving and standing, deformed legs, and severe weight loss. Some also had mastitis with a rapid drop in milk production. Younger animals showed tremors, head tilting, and partial paralysis. Blood tests by PCR confirmed infection with caprine arthritis encephalitis virus in more than half of the adult goats and in several kids.
What did the vet do?
ℹ️ Treatment given to THIS animal, decided by its veterinarian. It is not a prescription: never apply it without veterinary advice.
There is no vaccine or effective treatment against this virus. Veterinarians therefore focused on confirming the diagnosis through blood tests and examining the lesions in an 8-month-old kid that had died, in order to better understand the disease and inform the farmer.
What happened next?
Farmers reported that sick goats mostly died within a month of showing signs, sometimes after 3 to 4 months. The necropsy of the kid showed severe lesions in the joints, cartilage, and lymph nodes, confirming how serious the disease was. Interestingly, goats of a local Korean breed on neighboring farms all tested negative.
Advice for the farmer
To avoid introducing this incurable virus into a herd, it is essential to have goats tested before purchase and to regularly test the whole flock, especially when animals are imported.
Source
- Source
- PubMed Central
- Title
- Case Report: A Case of Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis in Dairy Goat Farms in South Korea.
- Authors
- Son GI, Hong EJ, Shin HJ.
- Year
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.3389/fvets.2021.773039
- Licence
- CC BY
