Clinical report of still-birth in a goat due to leech infestation

At autumn 2009 a four year old pregnant white indigenous female goat was referred to the veterinary clinic located in Sarab. At initial examinations clinical symptoms such as cachexia, sever pains of parturition, rest less and provocation was seen and as the result of these sever pains tachycardia, tachy pnea, teeth grinding and grades of anemia was seen at mucous membranes and the animal could not stand. The fetus had entered the pelvic canal with flexion of the metacarpus and following correction of this position, it was extracted manually. The newly born kid had anasarcus and generalized edema in the forelimbs, hindlimbs and skull. During manual extraction of the fetus, 20 worms about 10–12 cm in length were discharged from the goats vagina. Isolated parasitic samples from the animal were fixed in %10 formalin and were referred to the parasitological laboratory of veterinary faculty of Islamic Azad university- Tabriz Branch. After further examinations they were identified as limnatis nilotica leeches. The kid goat died hours after birth because of respiratory difficulties.