Vetdle Archive
Archive Case #129: Caprine Toxoplasmosis
Goat veterinary case - Medium - July 10, 2026
Clinical Clues
- A group of pregnant does has abortions and stillbirths over a short period.
- Most affected does appear clinically normal before the pregnancy losses.
- Barn cats have access to the feed storage area.
- The placenta has multiple small pale foci scattered over the cotyledons.
- The syndrome is a protozoal abortion problem linked to contaminated feed.
- Toxoplasma gondii infection causes caprine toxoplasmosis and abortion storms.
Diagnosis
Caprine Toxoplasmosis
This case is most consistent with Caprine Toxoplasmosis because the does aborted after likely cat-associated feed contamination and the placentas show classic focal lesions. The most important clues are the cotyledon changes and cat exposure, which make a bacterial abortion cause less likely.
Learning review
Review the case evidence
Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this goat case supports the provided diagnosis, Caprine Toxoplasmosis, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.
Evidence checkpoints
Clues 1-2
- Clue 1: A group of pregnant does has abortions and stillbirths over a short period.
- Clue 2: Most affected does appear clinically normal before the pregnancy losses.
Clues 3-4
- Clue 3: Barn cats have access to the feed storage area.
- Clue 4: The placenta has multiple small pale foci scattered over the cotyledons.
Clues 5-6
- Clue 5: The syndrome is a protozoal abortion problem linked to contaminated feed.
- Clue 6: Toxoplasma gondii infection causes caprine toxoplasmosis and abortion storms.
Self-review prompts
- After clues 1-2, what evidence from this goat case shaped your initial interpretation?
- When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Caprine Toxoplasmosis?
- How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Caprine Toxoplasmosis?
Educational Use
Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.