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Bovine spongiform encephalopathy differential diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Adnan Ezici, M.D[2]

Overview

Overview

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy must be differentiated from other diseases that cause hyperesthesia, nervousness, reluctance to be milked, aggression, low head carriage, tremors, ataxia, disrupted milk production, and weight loss in animals, such as scrapes, rabies, encephalitic listeriosis, hypomagnesemia, lead poisoning, downer cow syndrome, nervous ketosis, polioencephalomalacia, ingestion of plant or fungal tremoragens, intracranial abscess or tumors, trauma to the spinal column, and other viral and bacterial neuroinfectious diseases.

Differentiating Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy from other Diseases

Differentiating Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy from other Diseases

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy must be differentiated from other diseases that cause hyperesthesia, nervousness, reluctance to be milked, aggression, low head carriage, tremors, ataxia, disrupted milk production, and weight loss in animals, such as scrapes, rabies, encephalitic listeriosis, hypomagnesemia, lead poisoning, downer cow syndrome, nervous ketosis, polioencephalomalacia, ingestion of plant or fungal tremoragens, intracranial abscess or tumors, trauma to the spinal column, and other viral and bacterial neuroinfectious diseases.[1][2][3]

  • In contrast to the other diseases in the differential diagnosis, BSE is typically characterized with slower onset of symptoms with progressive and fatal clinical course.
References

References

  1. Jeffrey M, Martin S, González L, Ryder SJ, Bellworthy SJ, Jackman R (November 2001). “Differential diagnosis of infections with the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and scrapie agents in sheep”. J Comp Pathol. 125 (4): 271–84. doi:10.1053/jcpa.2001.0499. PMID 11798244.
  2. “Overview of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy – Nervous System – Veterinary Manual”.
  3. “Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, Mad Cow Disease) – Veepro Holland”.

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