Gotch Ear in a Goat: A Case Report

ORCID

Goddard: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2617-7141

MSU Affiliation

College of Veterinary Medicine; Department of Basic Sciences; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Creation Date

2026-09-30

Abstract

A 1-year-old castrated male Saanen goat was observed to have drooping and edema of the left ear consistent with published accounts of gotch ear in cattle associated with a tick bite. The goat's left ear was edematous from the tip of the pinna to the base of the ear. No signs of trauma or infectious processes were observed. Three engorged Gulf Coast ticks (Amblyomma maculatum) were observed attached inside the ear. Ticks were removed and the ear biopsied at tick attachment sites. The affected ear was treated topically with betadine after removal of the ticks. No other treatment was administered. The goat remained free of clinical signs and the edema of the ear resolved within 3 days after tick removal. No clinical adverse effects of the condition were evident. All three ticks were positive for spotted fever group rickettsia by polymerase chain reaction analysis and showed 100% similarity with the homologous sequence of Rickettsia parkeri. There was no immunohistochemical evidence of spotted fever group rickettsia in the ear samples, supporting the hypothesis that gotch ear is not due to rickettsial infection. This report represents the first apparent case of gotch ear in a goat. © Copyright 2011, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Keywords

PCR, Rickettsia, ticks, zoonosis

Publication Date

3-11-2011

Publication Title

Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

Publisher

SAGE Publications; Mary Ann Liebert

First Page

1217

Last Page

1219

Rights

Copyright 2011, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2010.0204