Zinc Deficiency-Like Syndrome in Fleckvieh Calves: Clinical and Pathological Findings and Differentiation from Bovine Hereditary Zinc Deficiency

Langenmayer, M.C.; Jung, S.; Majzoub-Altweck, M.; Trefz, F.M.; Seifert, C.; Knubben-Schweizer, G.; Fries, R.; Hermanns, W.; Gollnick, N.S.

Medical records of 25 Fleckvieh calves with crusting dermatitis or suspected zinc deficiency were identified in the archive of the Clinic for Ruminants. FFPE tissue samples from 13/25 calves were stored in the archive of the Institute of Veterinary Pathology. The 4 female and 9 male calves were between 5 weeks and 5 months old. Clinical signs/ diagnoses in these 13 calves were remarkably similar to the recent cases and included poor to moderate body condition, similar skin lesions, lymph node enlargement, mucosal erosions, and inflammation and infections of the respiratory and digestive tract. Zinc deficiency was suspected in 9 calves and zinc has been supplemented in 5 calves but did not ameliorate the clinical signs. Twelve calves were BVDV negative, only 1 calf was antigen-positive. Anemia and leukocytosis were present in 10 calves.