Meningitis in neonatal calves: 32 cases (1983-1990)

Abstract

Summary Case records of 32 neonatal calves with the antemortem diagnosis of meningitis were reviewed. Mean age at admission was 6 days (range, 11 hours to 30 days), and the most common concurrent clinical problem was diarrhea (16/32). Twenty-seven of the calves were available for necropsy. At postmortem, there was evidence of septicemia in 22 (81%) of these calves. Escherichia coli was the organism most frequently isolated (11/16; 69%) from the cns. The major clinical signs of cns disturbance observed over the course of hospitalization were lethargy, recumbency, anorexia, loss of suckle reflex, and coma. Leukocytosis and a left shift was evident in 11 of 15 (73%) calves. Concurrent metabolic problems that could have aggravated the cns disturbance included hyperkalemia and respiratory acidosis. Analysis cerebrospinal of fluid from 22 of the calves, revealed pleocytosis, xanthochromia, turbidity, and high total protein concentration. Cytologically, neutrophils predominated in the csf in calves with acute disease. Mononuclear cells dominated in calves with chronic disease. Microscopically, bacteria were evident in 10 of 22 (45%) of the antemortem csf samples and bacteria were isolated from slightly more than half (11/19) of the specimens subjected to microbial culturing. Escherichia coli was the agent most frequently isolated from the csf. Two of the 9 E coli isolates were resistant to trimethoprim potentiated sulfonamide drugs and all (4/4) of the csf E coli isolates tested for susceptibility to triple-sulfonamide drugs were resistant. Twenty-seven of the 32 calves died or were euthanatized within 2.43 days after hospitalization. Other conditions identified at necropsy were: rabies (1 calf), lumbar vertebrae fracture (1 calf), birth-related asphyxial injury (1 calf), and severe brain edema attributed to hypernatremia. The 5 remaining calves were discharged from the hospital, but later died or were euthanatized because of related complications during the convalescent period, and were not available for necropsy.