Equine leukoencephalomalacia: report of five cases

Abstract

This paper reports the occurrence of 5 cases of Equine Leukoencephalomalacia associated with the ingestion of mouldy corn during the winter of 1990 in three properties of the State of São Paulo, in the municipal districts of Poá, Pirassununga and Santana do Parnaíba. The animals showed in every case the following clinical signs: blindness, ataxia, dysphagya, tendency to circle and convulsions. The necropsy revealed congestion of brain and areas of cavitation within the hemispheres of subcortical white matter. The histopathological examination show edlesions characterized by liquefactive necrosis, multifocal haemorrhages and cellular infiltration, predominantly of polimorphonuclear (neutrophils and eosinophils) associated with mononuclear cells in the white matter. Microbiological analysis showed a mycoflora composed, predominantly, by Fusarium moniliforme (49.4%), followed by genera Aspergillus (25.8%) and Penicillum (24.8%).