Cerebellar Hypoplasia

Cerebellar hypoplasia (calf). Image courtesy of BioMed Archive.

• Cerebellar hypoplasia occurs in all domestic species and is one of most common congenital CNS defects.

Aetiology

• Cerebellar hypoplasia may be:
  • Inherited
    • This aetiology is suspected in:
      • Arab foals
      • Jersey cattle
      • Chows
      • Corriedale sheep.
  • Environmental
    • Teratogens selectively attack mitotic germinal cells of the cerebellum.
    • Teratogens (the most important in bold) include:
      • Bovine virus diarrhea (BVD)
      • Feline parvovirus
      • Classical Swine Fever Virus
      • Canine herpesvirus

View image courtesy of Cornell Veterinary Medicine

• The cerebellum is smaller than normal and oftenrudimentary.
• Microscopy shows a highly disorganised architecture.
• The animal shows tremors and ataxia.
• Usually associated with viral infections during gestation.