Salt Toxicity in a group of Pigs

Submitted by B. Bawa

History: Four approximately 10 weeks old piglets were presented for necropsy on 06/13/08. The pigs were found with seizures and paddling. There were 27 pigs per pen and most normal and 4 down. The pigs would dog sit, head back, chomp and froth then go down. The waterer button was stuck closed.

Gross Lesions: No significant specific lesions were found. The meningeal blood vessels were congested.

Histopathology:

Brain: The cereberal cortex contains multiple areas of extensive neuropil vacuolation. Multifocally, the leptomeningeal and brain parenchymal blood vessels are surrounded by moderate numbers of eosinophils,
lymphocytes and plasma cells with moderate perivascular edema. There is extensive laminar cortical neuronal necrosis and loss characterized by shrunken, red neuronal cell bodies, pyknosis and karyorrhexis.

Neuropil vacuolation

Satellitosis and Neuronophagia

Perivascular eosinophils and lymphocytes

Other Lesions:

Liver: centrilobular necrosis with neutrophils and macrophages