EXPERIMENTAL CEREBROSPINAL ELAPHOSTRONGYLOSIS (ELAPHOSTRONGYLUS-RANGIFERI) IN GOATS .1. CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS

Clinical observations of 17 goat kids inoculated with 100-1000 infecti ve larvae of Elaphostrongylus rangiferi and autopsied 21-154 days post inoculation (p. i.) are reported. Pruritus was common in the period 4 - 10 weeks p. i. Six animals displayed neurological signs starting 35 to 94 days p. i. The most frequent sign was posterior paresis. Other signs included cranial nerve paresis, ataxia, lameness, scoliosis, red uced vision, abnormal behaviour, depression and mental confusion. Reco veries were recorded. An apparent dose-response related eosinophilia w as observed at days 14 and 32 p. i. None of the experimentally infecte d kids shed E. rangiferi first-stage larvae in the faeces, indicating that the nematode will not complete its life-cycle in goats.