Many of the nervous and muscular locomotor disorders that affect sheep throughout Australia are commonly referred to as "staggers" syndromes. The range of clinical signs displayed by sheep suffering these disorders is sufficiently diverse to enable each syndrome to be graded into one of 5 progressive clinical groups. The first group, the limb
paresis syndromes, includes the primary
myopathies associated with the ingestion of Ixiolaena brevicompta, Malva parviflora, and Trachymene ochracea, as well as
selenium and
Vitamin E disorders, Paroo virus staggers, congenital progressive
muscular dystrophy, humpy back, hypocalcaemic
muscle weakness, Tribulus terrestris staggers and
tetanus. The second group is characterised by limb
paresis with knuckling of the fetlocks, and includes the plant-associated toxicities of Romulea rosea, Stachys arvensis, Trachyandra divaricata, and Tribulus micrococcus, together with
haloxon toxicity,
enzootic ataxia (
copper deficiency), and the probably
genetic disorders of segmental axonopathy,
neuroaxonal dystrophy, and degenerative thoracic
myelopathy. Other locomotor disorders that fit more loosely into this group are listerial
myelitis (post-dipping staggers),
vitamin A deficiency, cervico-thoracic vertebral subluxation Stypandra glauca toxicity, Ipomoea spp toxicity,
ivermectin toxicity, and
botulism. The third group, the falling syndromes, includes the probably
genetic disorders of thalamic cerebellar neuropathy, cerebellar abiotrophy, and globoid cell leucodystrophy, together with Swainsona spp toxicity. The fourth group, the falling syndromes, includes the plant associated toxicities of phalaris staggers, perennial rye grass staggers and nervous
ergotism (Claviceps paspali).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)