RESUMO
This report describes 2 events of degenerative myelopathy in 4- to 27-day-old piglets, with mortality rates reaching 40%. Sows were fed rations containing low levels of pantothenic acid. Piglets presented with severe depression, weakness, ataxia, and paresis, which were more pronounced in the pelvic limbs. No significant gross lesions were observed. Histologically, there were degeneration and necrosis of neurons in the spinal cord, primarily in the thoracic nucleus in the thoracic and lumbar segments, and motor neurons in nucleus IX of the ventral horn in the cervical and lumbar intumescence. Minimal-to-moderate axonal and myelin degeneration was observed in the dorsal funiculus of the spinal cord and in the dorsal and ventral nerve roots. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated depletion of acetylcholine neurotransmitters in motor neurons and accumulation of neurofilaments in the perikaryon of neurons in the thoracic nucleus and motor neurons. Ultrastructurally, the thoracic nucleus neurons and motor neurons showed dissolution of Nissl granulation. The topographical distribution of the lesions indicates damage to the second-order neurons of the spinocerebellar tract, first-order axon cuneocerebellar tract, and dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway as the cause of the conscious and unconscious proprioceptive deficit, and damage to the alpha motor neuron as the cause of the motor deficit. Clinical signs reversed and no new cases occurred after pantothenic acid levels were corrected in the ration, and piglets received parenteral administration of pantothenic acid. This study highlights the important and practical use of detailed neuropathological analysis to refine differential diagnosis.
Assuntos
Doenças da Medula Espinal , Doenças dos Suínos , Animais , Suínos , Feminino , Ácido Pantotênico/metabolismo , Medula Espinal/patologia , Neurônios/patologia , Bulbo/patologia , Doenças da Medula Espinal/veterinária , Doenças da Medula Espinal/metabolismo , Doenças da Medula Espinal/patologia , Doenças dos Suínos/patologiaRESUMO
A análise do ácido pantotênico em alimentos é realizada de forma rotineira através do método microbiológico, o qual é trabalhoso e demorado. A cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE ou HPLC) tem se mostrado um método alternativo para a análise de vitaminas em alimentos. Neste trabalho foram analisadas amostras de fórmulas infantis em pó pelos dois métodos e os resultados médios foram comparados. Através de análise estatística dos resultados observou-se que os dois métodos apresentaram-se equivalentes.
The analysis of pantothenic acid in foods is routinely performed by microbiological methods, which are very tedious and take too long time of well-trained and experienced analyst. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an alternative technique for vitamin analysis in foods. In this paper infant formulae were analyzed by HPLC and microbiological methods and the average results obtained were compared statistically. The difference between the two methods showed no statistical difference.