Abstract
This report describes the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of ‘Microfilariasis (Kumri)’ or ‘Posterior paralysis’ in 17 female goats, including 11 pregnant, over one year. Affected animals showed ataxia, circling, hind limb edema, fever, anorexia, nasal discharge, and skin lesions. Diagnosis was based on clinical signs, eosinophilia, and detection of microfilariae in peripheral blood using the Modified Knott’s Test. Among them 8 goats received subcutaneous Ivermectin (0.3 mg/kg) weekly for three weeks and 9 received a single oral dose of Diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC, 40 mg/kg). Ivermectin led to gradual recovery without adverse effects on pregnancy. DEC produced rapid recovery within 5-7 days but caused pregnancy loss in 33% of treated pregnant goats (2/6). The findings emphasize balancing efficacy and reproductive safety: DEC is fast-acting but risky during pregnancy, while Ivermectin is safer for fetal viability despite a slower response.
KeywordsDiethylcarbamazine (DEC), Goat, Ivermectin, Kumri, Microfilaria, Pregnancy.
The full text of this article is available as a PDF.
Download PDF- Asquith, R. L., Kivipelto, J., Harvey, J. W., & Bauer, J. E. (1988). Comparative effects and safety of ivermectin in pregnant mares. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 8(1), 32–35.
- Bazargani, T., Eslami, A., Gholami, G. R., Molai, A., Charati, J., Dawoodi, J., & Ashrafi, J. (2008). Cerebrospinal nematodiasis of cattle, sheep and goats in Iran. Iranian Journal of Parasitology, 3(1), 16–20.
- Bordoloi, G., Sarma, P. C., Sarma, B. K., Saikia, K., Rajbongshi, P., Boruah, K., Pathak, S. S., Boro, P. K., Thakuria, P., Das, J. M., Khargharia, S., Chabukdhara, P., Khuman, L. S., & Tamuli, U. R. (2019). Simultaneous occurrence of cerebrospinal nematodiasis and Setaria microfilaraemia in crossbred goats from Assam (India). Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 7(2), 417–419.
- Garcia, J., Smith, J., Fry, M., & Mulon, P. Y. (2023). Clinical presentation, diagnostics, treatment, and outcome of goats diagnosed with presumptive cerebrospinal nematodiasis at a veterinary teaching hospital. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 64(5), 419–425.
- Hafez, A., Tufani, N. A., Ahmed, H. A., Peer, F. U., Bhattacharya, H. K., & Bulbul, K. H. (2010). Cerebrospinal nematodiasis (Kumri): A fatal disease of ruminants. North East Veterinarian, 10, 15–16.
- Karki, K. (2008). A laboratory epidemiological outbreak investigation of kumri (cerebrospinal nematodiasis) and use of diethylcarbamazine in treatment of goat in Banke district of midwestern region of Nepal. Haemoglobin, 8(13), 6.
- Pérez, R., Palma, C., Núñez, M. J., Cox, J., & Arboix, M. (2008). Pharmacokinetics of ivermectin in pregnant and nonpregnant sheep. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 31(1), 71–76.
- Sithara, W. K. K. S., Abeyratne, K. M. G. W. C. P. B., & De Seram, H. E. L. (2024). Temporal pattern of suspected cerebrospinal nematodiasis in goats in Kandy district: A retrospective study using case records of the farm animal veterinary teaching hospital. Sri Lanka Veterinary Journal, 17(2), 40–46.
Looking up citing articles…

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright © 2026 Indian Journal of Veterinary Sciences and Biotechnology