Autonomic neurons from horses with grass sickness contain serum proteins
Griffiths, I.R.; Smith, S.; Kyriakides, E.; Barrie, J.M.
Veterinary Record 135(4): 90-91
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-4900 PMID: 7975096 Document Number: 430473
Coeliacomesenteric and stellate ganglia were removed from 9 horses with the clinical signs of equine grass sickness for one day to 2 weeks and from neurologically normal horses. Sections of the ganglia were immuno-stained with antisera against whole horse serum and equine IgG and some were stained to identify the neuronal Golgi apparatus. In the normal ganglia, no staining of neuronal perikarya occurred with either antibody and a normal well developed Golgi apparatus was identified. Ganglia from 7 affected horses contained numerous neurons staining for whole horse serum with the other 2 horses showing only an occasional positive cell. The majority of ganglia staining for whole horse serum also contained a lesser number of neurons positive for IgG. In general neurons containing a Golgi apparatus did not label with horse serum and vice versa but this was not absolute. The significance of these findings is uncertain and it is suggested that the uptake of serum components occurs non-specifically following damage to the cell membrane is a secondary phenomenon.