OBSERVATIONS ON LESIONS IN WHITE MATTER OF SPINAL CORD OF SWAYBACK SHEEP

Eleven sheep with swayback aged 2, 3 1/2, 6 1/2 and 8 months, and 10 normal sheep of similar age were examined. The histopathology and biochemistry of the spinal cord white matter was studied in detail. There was less myelin in the spinal cord white matter of the swayback animals and it had a lower content of cerebroside and ethanolamine phospholipid than that of the controls. Myelin breakdown products were only found in the older animals and there was a close correlation between the results obtained by the OTAN, Sudan II and Marchi techniques. These results are discussed in relation to the pathogenesis of the lesion. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.