An outbreak of toxoplasmosis in farmed mink (Mustela vison S.).

A large Wisconsin mink (Mustela vison) farm experienced an outbreak of toxoplasmosis in the spring of 1999 following an outbreak of canine distemper during the previous fall. Major clinical signs for pregnant females included reduced feed consumption, abortions, and stillborn kits; kits < or =3 weeks old experienced ataxia and mortality. Of 7,800 females, 1,976 (26%) lost their entire litter either from abortion or neonatal mortality. Kit mortality from 7 days to 3 weeks of age was 3,300, and overall kit mortality attributed to the toxoplasmosis outbreak was 10,408. Six neonatal mink kits, 12 3-week-old kits, and 2 adult female mink were submitted to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for diagnostic workup. Gross postmortem lesions were limited to empty stomachs (12 of 12 kits) and pale livers (4 of 12 kits) for the 3-week-old kits. Major microscopic lesions included interstitial pneumonia, encephalitis, encephalomalacia, and myocarditis. Toxoplasmosis was diagnosed by microscopic lesions, microscopic lesion distribution, and the detection of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites by immunohistochemistry. This is the first detailed report of an outbreak of toxoplasmosis in mink in the United States.     

An outbreak of excessive neonatal mortality in four Danish mink farms. II. Analytic epidemiological investigations

Data collected from an outbreak of excessive mortality of mink kits in 4 Danish mink farms in 1982 were analysed. The mortality of the mink kits was found to be highest for the kits from Aleutian Disease (AD)-positive females, and the Scanblack mink was found to be the most frequently affected mink type. Furthermore the mortality was found to depend on the farm of origin and to be highest for the lastest born kits. The age of the females and their location in sheds were found not to influence the mortality of the kits. However, the mortality for the Pastel mink decreased with increasing distance from the Scanblack mink. The possibility that the excess mortality of the kits might be due to an AD-virus infection is discussed.Key words: mink, neonatal mortality, mink kits, Aleutian Disease, analytic epidemiology     

Avian influenza A virus causing an outbreak of contagious interstitial pneumonia in mink

An outbreak of contagious respiratory disease in mink occurred in October 1984 on the south-east coast of Sweden. High morbidity with coughing, sneezing and dullness was reported. Post mortem examination showed interstitial pneumonia in most examined mink. An avian influenza A virus was isolated and shown to belong to serotype H10N4. Serological studies established that this virus was the most probable cause of the outbreak and also that this new viral infection seemed to be limited to the south-east coast of Sweden.     

An outbreak of erysipelas in chukars

A peracute severe outbreak of erysipelas in chukars (Alectoris chukar) caused 55% mortality. Pheasants and quails on the same premises were not affected. Possible sources of infection and pathogenesis are discussed.     

An outbreak of Pseudomonas mastitis

Abstract

Extract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection has been reported in association with an outbreak of mastitis following intramam-mary infusion of cows with dry cow therapy ⁽¹⁾ Blood, DC, Radostits, OM and Henderson, JA. 1985. “Chapter 15. Mastitis”. In Veterinary Medicine. A Text Book of the Diseases of Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Goats and Horses, Sixth Edtn, 479–480. Bath: Baillière Tindall.  [Google Scholar]. The mastitis in that case was clinically severe and the reported mortality rate was 17%. The contaminated material was infused at drying off and the cows became affected soon after calving (2–3 months later). We report a similar outbreak of mastitis in a Thames Valley dairy herd.     

An outbreak of erysipelas in Coturnix quails

A severe outbreak of erysipelas causing high mortality was observed in Coturnix breeder quails. Possible source(s) of erysipelothrix infection in the flock and subsequent infections due to Pasteurella multocida, Salmonella typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus are discussed.     

An outbreak of lead poisoning in dogs

SUMMARY An outbreak of lead toxicosis in working dogs on a sheep farm is described. The affected dogs exhibited neurological signs which appeared to be initiated by straineous physical activity. Radiological examination and estimation of urinary delta aminolevolonic acid (U-ALA) was not found to be useful for clinical diagnosis but blood lead estimation was helpful in detecting and confirming dogs that were exposed to lead. Gross pathological lesions were absent in a lead poisoned dog. However, histopathological lesions were seen in brain and bone. Acid-fast lead inclusion were not detected in liver and kidney epithelial cells but were present in osteoclasts.     

An outbreak of enterotoxaemia in cats.

Eighteen local breed cats suffered from enterotoxaemia after scavenging on chicken-remnants. They suffered from vomitus and diarrhoea and collapsed dead after a few hours. An untypable strain of Clostridium perfringens was isolated in pure form and was suspected to be the cause of the outbreak.