[Occurrence of white liver dis in lambs in Switzerland]

The white liver disease was first observed in the canton of Berne in 1985. Until 1995 we could observe the outbreak of the disease in seven flocks. The first clinical signs were anorexia, then delayed growth, weight loss and finally cachexy. The animals showed photosensitivity on ears, eyelids and nose. A hematological and blood biochemical examination revealed a mild normochrome, normocytic anemia as well as a significant elevation of GGT and a mild elevation of AST values. By examining the swollen grey-white to yellow livers histologically we could find a mostly pronounced, primarily panacinar, degenerative fatty degeneration of the liver, ceroid pigment in the macrophages, biliary hyperplasia as well as a secondary periportal hepatitis.