Bacterial Meningitis in Buffaloes in Brazil

Simple Summary Buffalo farming has become economically important in Brazil given the highly rustic nature of the species and the better nutritional characteristics of buffalo meat and milk. However, the sector has been impacted by the occurrence of different diseases in buffaloes that have been poorly described in the international literature to date. This study reports and describes the clinically observed neurological signs and the macroscopic and microscopic lesions of bacterial meningitis in adult buffaloes raised in the Amazon biome. These lesions are associated with fractures of the base of the horn and exposure of the frontal sinus.Abstract Meningitis is the inflammation of the membranes surrounding the central nervous system and is poorly described in water buffaloes. Five cases of meningitis in adults buffaloes of the Murrah and Mediterranean breads were studied. All buffaloes came from a farm located in the municipality of Castanhal, Para, Brazil at different times. Clinical examination showed neurological clinical signs, such as apathy, reluctance to move, spastic paresis especially of the pelvic limbs, hypermetria, difficulty getting up, pressing of the head into obstacles and convulsion. In three buffaloes, a large part of the horn had been lost, exposing the corresponding frontal sinus, through which a bloody to purulent exudate flowed. The hemogram revealed neutrophilic leukocytosis. At necropsy, adherence of the dura mater to the periosteum and a purulent to fibrinopurulent exudate were observed in the sulci of the cerebral cortex and on the pia mater over almost the entire surface of the brain and throughout the spinal cord. The cerebrospinal fluid had a cloudy aspect with fibrin filaments. The histopathology of buffaloes confirmed the diagnosis of bacterial fibrinopurulent meningitis. Buffaloes are susceptible to bacterial inflammation of the meninges due to fractures of the base of the horn and mostly present with neurological manifestations.