Aspergillus fumigatus infection in an ostrich (Struthio camelus)

An 11-month-old female ostrich (Struthio camelus) had become gradually emaciated over a 2-week period and subsequently died. Necropsy revealed white to green mold growth on the walls of caseous thickened air sac membranes and multiple white necrotic foci in the lungs and liver. Histologically, the multiple exudative, necrotic and granulomatous lesions were compatible with mycotic infection in the air sacs and lungs, and hyphae positively reacted with a monoclonal antibody (Mab-WF-AF-1) to Aspergillus fumigatus wall fractions. Multifocal hepatic necrosis was also found, and several spores were observed in the blood vessels. Fungal culture of these lesions yielded pure growth of A. fumigatus. This is an established case of fatal A. fumigatus infection in an ostrich reared in Japan.     

Mycobacterium avium infection in an ostrich (Struthio camelus).

Acid-fast organisms were identified by histopathology of granulomatous lesions in an ostrich (Struthio camelus). The organisms were grown in Herrold's egg media with and without mycobactin and identified as Mycobacterium avium. An agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis was performed for detection of antibody for M. avium in this infected ostrich and seven other ostriches that were in contact. The results of the AGID were consistent with the pathologic diagnosis of mycobacteriosis and the isolation of M. avium in the affected ostrich.     

Mycobacterial infection of pigs in Croatia

During a five-year period (2000 to 2004) 74,342 pigs were tested by the intradermal tuberculin test in Croatia. Of them, 248 (0.33%) pigs were positive and 91 (0.12%) were found to be suspicious in 7 out of the 13 farms included in the study. Gross pathological changes characteristic of tuberculosis were observed in tuberculin-positive and/or suspicious swine. Mycobacterium was isolated from the lymph nodes of 183 out of 234 swine (78.2%). For better epidemiological understanding, isolates were typed by conventional methods, PCR and hybridisation. The results show that most of the isolates belonged to the Mycobacterium avium complex (175 isolates, 95.7%). Other isolates belonged to M. fortuitum (6 isolates, 3.3%), M. chelonae (1 isolate, 0.5%), and M. peregrinum (1 isolate, 0.5%). Isolated strains of the M. avium complex were identified as M a. avium (37 isolates, 21.1%) and M. a. hominissuis (138 isolates, 78.9%).     

Granulomatous conjunctivitis in an ostrich

Ostriches lack meibom glands, but have small lacrimal glands ventral to the lateral canthus, with ductules that open into the inside of the lower eyelid. Chalazion is a chronic granulomatous inflammation of the meibom glands that may develop from blockage of the ductules into the conjunctiva. A 2-year-old female ostrich presented with chronic granulomatous conjunctivitis, with clinical and histopathologic findings similar to chalazion of other species. The granulomatous dacryoadenitic mass was excised and no recurrence occurred at 4 months. This is the first case of chronic granulomatous conjunctivitis reported in the ostrich.     

Molecular identification of encephalitozoon hellem in an ostrich

Microsporidia are obligate, intracellular, eukaryotic parasites found in a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Scientific literature contains a small number of reports of these parasites in psittacine hosts, and recently microsporidiosis was reported in the first nonpsittacine host, an ostrich. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded ostrich tissues, and a portion of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene was sequenced to identify the microsporidian species. The organisms were identified as Encephalitozoon hellem, a parasite species that was first described in immunocompromised humans and recently reported in three psittacine species.     

鸵鸟细菌性混合感染病诊治

1 基本情况调查根据该场技术人员介绍,该场的鸵鸟近年来发病死亡只数逐渐增多,其主要病症是幼鸟腿病多,不能持重、瘫痪、即而消瘦死亡。送病鸟到我处进行诊治。2 诊断实施 2.1临诊检查及剖检:病鸟不能自行站立,在人员辅助情况下可以站立很短时间。拉灰色带有粘液的稀便和少量干硬的粪球,食欲和饮水量均少,头颈抬举无力,极度消瘦,有的鸟腹部膨胀,最后衰竭死亡。剖检:多数幼鸟卵黄吸收不全,卵黄内容物有的稀呈水样,混有坏死凝固的卵黄块,有的呈粘稠,但不含有的黄色颗粒物质,并有异味,有的带血液。肠道粘膜水肿、出血,有的肠粘膜坏死、脱落;…     

Mycobacterial infection in goats: Diagnosis and pathogenicity of the organism

Counterimmunoelectrophoresis of serum samples and intradermal tuberculin testing were compared with cultural results for the diagnosis of mycobacterial infection in a goat herd. Only eight of 47 culture-positive animals were not identified by a combination of the other two methods.Typical isolates resembled Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in cultural characteristics and mycobactin dependence but serologically resembled Mycobacterium avium. One isolate was inoculated into guinea-pigs, mice, chickens and calves and, although the infection in guinea-pigs, mice and chickens resembled that of M. paratuberculosis, it did not cause Johne's-like disease in calves.     

Conjunctival mucinous adenocarcinoma in an ostrich (Struthio camelus)

A 2‐year‐old male ostrich (Struthio camelus) presented with a rapidly growing soft tissue mass protruding from the ventromedial aspect of the right eye (OD). The initial physical examination revealed a soft tissue mass attached to the medial inferior conjunctiva. The mass was excised with cryosurgery, and the conjunctival tissue margins were treated with cryoablation. Histopathological examination diagnosed granulomatous inflammation associated with scattered acid‐fast bacteria. The ostrich recovered uneventfully and appeared healthy until recurrence of a grossly similar mass 2 months later. Gross examination revealed a botryoid mass attached to the inferior palpebral conjunctiva and extending onto the palpebral aspect of the nictitating membrane. Euthanasia was selected, and the histological diagnosis of the second mass was a mixed mucinous adenocarcinoma; however, no acid‐fast bacteria were seen. Granulomatous conjunctival lesions have been previously described in the ostrich, while, to the authors' knowledge, neoplastic conjunctival lesions have not. Neoplasia should be considered as a differential diagnosis for a rapidly recurring, granulomatous conjunctival mass in this species.     

Premature ventricular contractions and apparent hypertension during anesthesia in an ostrich.

Premature ventricular contractions and apparent hypertension were seen in an adult ostrich anesthetized with isoflurane. The ostrich had septic joints and was anesthetized to allow joint lavage. The premature ventricular contractions occurred at a rate of 1 to 2/min, with a brief period of 12 to 15/min, and were not treated with any antiarrhythmic drugs. Normal blood pressures for awake or anesthetized adult ostriches are not readily available, but blood pressures in this bird were higher than in other ostriches measured with the same technique. Systolic pressures ranged from 199 to 249 mm of Hg, diastolic pressures from 107 to 177 mm of Hg, and mean pressures were from 165 to 220 mm of Hg during isoflurane anesthesia of approximately 45 minutes' duration. Recovery from anesthesia was complicated, although the ostrich died 12 days later from mycotic pneumonia.     

Turlock-like bunyavirus associated with encephalomyelitis and myocarditis in an ostrich chick.

In the fall of 1995, a 20-day-old female ostrich chick, 1 of a group of 20, was presented live with clinical signs of 2 days duration characterized by unsteady gait, circling to the left, and walking backward. Another bird with similar clinical signs had died and another had recovered. The bird was euthanized and examined at necropsy. Twenty-five milliliters of serous fluid was in the abdominal cavity and there was increased pericardial fluid. Histopathology of the brain revealed mild to moderate nonsuppurative encephalitis characterized by mild multifocal malacia, perivascular cuffing by lymphocytes, and gliosis. The heart had multifocal infiltrations of lymphocytes mixed with macrophages and a few plasma cells throughout the myocardium. Cytopathic effects were observed in primary chicken embryo liver cells following inoculation with a tissue homogenate prepared from the brain of the affected ostrich. Virus particles the size and morphology of the family Bunyaviridae were observed in cell culture lysate by negative-stain electron microscopy. Viral characterization demonstrated that the virus isolate is a previously unknown serotypic variant (subtype) of Turlock virus. Twelve of 65 sera collected over a 3-year period from ostriches aged from 1 month to 4 years were positive for neutralizing antibody to both the Turlock prototype strain and the new subtype of Turlock virus described in this report.