EN
Bacterial infection of the leptomeninx usually occurs as a meningocerebral form with intensive involvement of the leptomeninx. The purpose of this study was to present leptomeningitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus in geese. The geese showed the following nervous symptoms: limb paralysis, unsteady gait, unnatural posture. The study was performed on 36 dead White Italian geese 2 to 6 weeks of age from 5 breeder flocks. The geese were sectioned. The microbiological investigations of their internal organs (liver, spleen, lungs), tibiotarsal joints and brain were then performed. The bacteriological culture was incubated under oxygen conditions at the temperature of 37°C for 24 hours. The identification of the isolated bacteria was carried out using ID32 STAPH (bioMerieux). The isolated bacteria were also subjected to tests for catalase, coagulase, clumping factor, protein A and capsule polysaccharides (Pastorex Staph Plus -Bio-Rad). The brain samples were fixed in 10% formalin, embedded in paraffin and then stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H-E). The leptomeningitis was present in all geese. Meningeal blood vessels were dilated and congested, filled with erythrocytes. In the leptomeninx, abundant inflammatory cells, such as lymphocytes, heterophils, glial cells, fibroblasts and fibrin threads, were found. In some geese perivascular cuffs of inflammatory cells were observed in the cerebral cortex. The bacteriological examination of internal organs, tibiotarsal joints and the brain of the geese revealed catalase- and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus. The identification of Staphylococcus aureus was confirmed with the Pastorex Staph-Plus kit. The biological test for Derzsy disease was negative.