A Study on the Distrubition of Enzootic Ataxia in Van and its enviroment

Abstract

In this study, distrubition of Enzoom ataxia in city of  Van, and in Erciş, Gevaş, Özalp, Muradiye, Çaldıran and Gurpınar towns, incidance of thedisease, clinical findings, blood parameters, the soil and blood copper levels havebeen researched. For this purpose, 350 sheep and 320 lambs were used as materialAlthough the disease was seen in Gevaş it was not detected in other towns whereresearches were conducted.We first determined Enzootic ataxia cases at Dönemeç Village of Gevaş basedon clinicial and biochemical findings, and observed the disease Causing greateconomic losts in lambs. We determined that the disease in lambs of this regionformed 56.52 % congenital forms and 32.36 % latent forms. Beside clinical findings,we observed deformations in wool of lambs and sheep in this area.While the blood copper levels obtained in lambs were within normal boundriesin all towns, those in Dönemeç village of Gevaş were detemtined as 38.68+ 21.19mcg/100 ml in sheep and 36.77 + 19.65 mcg/100m/ in lambs.In ex amination of blood in healthy animals or with Enzootic ataxia, erytrocytenumber,leucocyte number, hemoglobin and Hematocrit levels that were in normalboundries, were determined- Copper levels determined from soil analysis was foundto be within normal boundries as well.Presence of normal copper levels in soil absence of anemia among sheep andlamb in Dönemeç vilage demostrated that the disease was of the seconder copperdeficiency.