Brachyspina syndrome in two Holstein calves.

The Authors describe a very uncommon skeletal malformation syndrome (so-called “Short Spine Lethal”) observed in two Holstein calves submitted from two different breeders. The two subjects, one female and one male, were delivered still born at the end of pregnancy and weighed only 9.8 and 7.9 kg, respectively. An extremely short trunk associated with normal length of all legs was the main finding in both calves. Mandibular hypoplasia and misaligned teeth resulted in protrusion of the tongue from the oral cavity. The radiographic examination of the vertebral column showed several vertebral anomalies including reduced size of all vertebral bodies and abnormal vertebral shape. The vertebrae and ribs were normal in number. At necropsy additional malformations were found affecting the urogenital, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular system. Both calves were traced back to the same sire; thus an hereditary cause was strongly suspected. . Short Spine Lethal is a rare lethal skeletal malformation that has been reported before only in few cattle breeds, in a goat, and in a buffalo calf. It was assigned to a genetic origin.