[Iodine deficiency in goats as a cause of congenital goiter in kids].

The objective of the paper was to assess the occurrence of congenital struma in kids in relation to the clinical and biochemical finding in their mothers. Observations involved 46 imported goats of Saanen and Alpine breeds in the course of kidding and their kids. Thyroid gland hypertrophy (39 goats) and somewhat worse or even bad state of nutrition were dominant clinical findings in pregnant goats and in goats after kidding. Abortions in the last month of pregnancy were recorded in 14 goats, and 14 goats delivered stillborn kids. Eighteen goats delivered 26 liveborn kids, but 18 out of them died within 12 to 24 hours after birth. Dead kids were hairless, they had skin edema, and very shortened thoracic as well as pelvic limbs. The thyroid gland was well visible and palpable. Surviving kids lagged behind in their growth and often suffered from bronchopneumonia as an additional disease. Iodine concentration in the blood serum of goats (5.58 +/- 2.14 mumol/l) was significantly lower (P < 0.01) in comparison with kids (133.4 +/- 15.61 mumol/l). This state was characterized by adequate T3 and T4 concentrations in the blood serum of goats (1.78 +/- 0.59 and 4.53 +/- 4.44 nmol/l, resp.) and of kids (4.66 +/- 2.26 and 182.93 +/- 2.59 nmol/l, resp.). Iodine content in the thyroid gland of the seven kids that died was 1.86 +/- 0.96 mg/kg fresh tissue. Examination of indicators of the internal environment in the blood serum showed alternate statistical differences (P < 0.01) between adult goats and their kids in erythrocyte counts, hemoglobin, hematocrit value, leucocyte counts, activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, concentrations of total protein, albumin, total immunoglobulins, total lipids, cholesterol, phosphorus, copper, iron and zinc, while the explicit relation to disorders of iodine metabolism and thyroid hormones was not confirmed. The average content of iodine in the examined samples of soil (14.67 mg/kg) and alfalfa hay (0.1 mg/kg) demonstrated that primary deficiency of iodine in goats was the cause of congenital struma in kids.