Volume 20, Number 8—August 2014
Dispatch
Natural Intrauterine Infection with Schmallenberg Virus in Malformed Newborn Calves
Table 1
Macroscopic characteristics of 15 SBV-infected newborn calves at necropsy, Belgium, January–March 2012*
| Characteristic | WBD-0† | WBD-1† | WBD-2† | WBD-3† | Total no. calves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. calves | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
| Method of death | |||||
| Euthanasia | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Spontaneous | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| Bodyweight, kg‡§ | 49 ± 4 | 39 ± 3 | 34 ± 3 | 21 ± 2 | |
| Axial musculoskeletal system | |||||
| Defect location | |||||
| Cervical | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| Thoracic | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Lumbar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Type of deviation | |||||
| Lateral | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| Dorso-ventral | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Helicoidal | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Appendicular musculo-skeletal system | |||||
| Arthrogryposis (>1 limb involved) | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 |
| Symetric limb involvement | NA | 3 | 3 | 5 | 11 |
| Forelimb/hind limb involvment | NA | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Forelimbs only | NA | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Hind limbs only | NA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Head | |||||
| Coaptation defect | |||||
| Prognathism | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Brachygnathism | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Altered profile | |||||
| Horse-like | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Pig-like | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Broken sagittal axis | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Central nervous system | |||||
| Porencephaly | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Hydranencephaly | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Hydrocephaly | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Cerebellar hypoplasia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Micromyelia | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
*Fifteen newborn calves infected in utero by SBV were categorized according to the extent of their deformities. The table lists the gross morphologic changes observed at necropsy. SBV, Schmallenberg virus; WBD, whole-body deformity score; NA, not applicable.
†Animals with neurologic signs and apparently normal body shape were given a WBD of 0; those with altered body shape were scored 1, 2, or 3 depending on whether 1, 2, or 3 skeletal segments were deformed, respectively (spine, forelimbs, or hind limbs). All values are number of calves unless otherwise indicated.
‡Mean + SD.
§Bodyweight of age-matched Belgian Blue healthy calves is 49.2 kg + 7.1 kg (7).
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1These authors contributed equally to this article.