Thoraco-omphalopagus conjoined twins in Chamois-coloured domestic goat kids.

Conjoined twins have been observed in a wide range of mammalian and non-mammalian species; they are considered to be more common in bovine, less frequent in sheep and pig and extremely rare in horse and goat. A pair of female conjoined twins was delivered from a 2-year-old Chamois-coloured domestic goat. Post-mortem examination revealed two identical and symmetrical twins, fused from the manubrium sterni to the region just caudal to the umbilicus. The rib cages were conjoined in the ventral plane with a single set of pericardial, pleural and peritoneal cavities. Internal examination revealed the presence of a common diaphragm and a single enlarged liver. Within a single central pericardium, two malformed hearts were present. Reports on this type of congenital duplication in goats have not been found in the literature. Thoracopagus and thoraco-omphalopagus are the most common types of conjoined twins in human beings and are associated with the highest mortality because of the frequent incidence of complex cardiac anatomy.

Diprosopia/dicephalia in calves in northern Italy: clinical and aetio-pathological features.

Cephalic parapagia, a rare congenital anomaly caused by the fusion of two monozygotic embryos, is characterized by a single body and a spectrum of duplication of craniofacial structures. The authors describe the clinical and pathological aspects of the parapagus conjoined twin defect in nine calves referred to the Department of Animal Pathology, Turin, between 1999 and 2009. The majority of the calves (eight cases) presented two snouts that shared three or four eyes (diprosopia); one calf presented two separate skulls fused at the foramen magnum (dicephalia). Bilateral inferior brachygnathia was observed in four calves. Post-mortem examination of the skull revealed complete brain duplication with fusion at the caudal portion of the brainstem in all calves. Histological features of the cerebral hemispheres and brainstem were normal; moderate disorganization of the cerebellar cortex was noted in two cases. Cardiac malformations were observed in three calves. No aetiologic cause was determined. This article underscores the importance of diprosopia in cattle species and suggests the need for more detailed investigations to better understand its pathogenesis.

A rare case of globosus amorphus in a goat.

We present a case of globosus amorphus delivered from a goat and subjected to radiography and histological examination. Radiography revealed a lack of development of any organ system; histological sections showed evidence of lymphoid aggregations, mononuclear infiltrations, blood capillaries, and dense fibroblasts.

A dicephalic goat with other defects.

A case of dicephalus was reported in a black-coat female goat kid which survived for 18 h. The head was joined at the level with the axis. The trunk was single and the kid stood on four legs. The goat had duplication of the oesophagus, the heart, the lungs, the spleen and the liver. The associated defects were in the form of polycystic kidneys, unilateral atlanto-occipital fusion and pervious urachus.

The occurrence of schistosomus reflexus in bovine dystocia.

The occurrence of schistosomus reflexus as a cause of bovine dystocia in south western Victoria is described. Examination of records made by 21 veterinarians during a 20-year period (1966 to 1985) showed that of 6901 cases of bovine dystocia attended, 90 (1.3%) were caused by schistosomus reflexus. Most cases (56.7%) were treated by embryotomy, 25.6% by caesarean section and 3.3% by simple traction. Treatment of the remaining 14.4% of cases was not completed and was considered hopeless, mainly because of the emphysematous condition of the foetus and the toxic condition of the cow, which gave a poor prognosis. Some of these hopeless cases were sent to slaughter, but most were euthanased by the attending veterinarian. Sixty-nine (76.7%) of the patients were cows and 21 (23.3%) were heifers. Seventy-two (80%) were dairy breeds and 18 (20%) were beef breeds. Jersey was the main dairy breed (63.8%) and Hereford the dominant beef breed.

Two-headed, two-necked conjoined twin calf with Arnold-Chiari malformation in a Japanese shorthorn calf.

A dicephalic Arnold-Chiari malformation (ACM) case revealed asymmetrical cranial bone abnormalities: the right cranium had the typical findings associated with bovine monocephalic ACM cases, whereas the left cranium had malformation that has not yet been described in previous bovine ACM cases. The only common finding in each cranium was a relative smallness of the cranium as the encasement of the brain.

Congenital duplication.

Almost all types of congenital duplication described in humans have been observed in food animals, and a number are illustrated in this article. Congenital duplications, especially conjoined symmetric twins, are relatively common defects in cattle. The incidence is less in sheep and in hogs, and they appear to be rare in goats. In cattle, cranial duplication is predominant; this is in contrast to caudal duplication in sheep and hogs. These differences among species are interesting and may explain why congenital duplications appear more frequently in cattle than in other domestic animals. Based on the number of eyes and ears, classification criteria for cranial duplications are proposed. The cause of congenital duplications is not known.

Dicephalus, Arnold-Chiari malformation and spina bifida in a Japanese black calf.

A case of dicephalus, Arnold-Chiari malformation (ACM) and spina bifida was reported in a Japanese Black calf. Both brains and crania showed the same abnormalities as those of the monocephalic cases with ACM and were mirror-images of each other. The common findings were elongation of the brain, caudal displacement and hypoplasia of the cerebellum, dorso-ventral compression of the skull, platybasia, and enlargement of the foramen magnum. The craniolacunia was also found in our case.

Holoacardius amorphus totalis in two Friesian cows carrying natural and induced twins.

Two cases of holoacardius amorphus totalis are described and the classification, epidemiology, aetiology and pathophysiology of the condition are reviewed. One case is the first reported example of holoacardius amorphus totalis in a dairy cow carrying twins induced by embryo transfer.

Dystocia attributable to a fetal monster resembling schistosomus reflexus in a donkey.

A schistosomus reflexus fetal monster was removed from a jenny via cesarean section. This type of anomaly is seen principally in ruminants and swine. Only 3 cases have been reported in Equidae.