Pathology of runting in farmed saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in Australia.

Extremely poor growth of some individuals within a birth cohort (runting) is a significant problem in crocodile farming. We conducted a pathological investigation to determine if infectious disease is associated with runting in farmed saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) and to look for evidence of other etiologies. In each of 2005 and 2007, 10 normal and 10 runt crocodiles, with an average age of 5.5 months and reared under identical conditions, were sampled. Laboratory testing included postmortem; histological examination of a wide variety of tissues (with quantitation of features that were noted subjectively to be different between groups); hematology; serum biochemistry (total protein, albumin, globulins, total calcium, phosphorus, and iron); bacterial culture of liver and spleen (2005 only); viral culture of liver, thymus, tonsil, and spleen using primary crocodile cell lines (2007 only); and serum corticosterone (2007 only). The only evidence of infectious disease was mild cutaneous poxvirus infection in 45% of normal and 40% of runt crocodiles and rare intestinal coccidia in 5% of normal and 15% of runt crocodiles. Bacterial and viral culture did not reveal significant differences between the 2 groups. However, runt crocodiles exhibited significant (P < .05) increases in adrenocortical cell cytoplasmic vacuolation and serum corticosterone, decreased production of bone (osteoporosis), and reduced lymphoid populations in the spleen, tonsil, and thymus. Runts also exhibited moderate anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and mild hypophosphatemia. Taken together, these findings suggest an association between runting and a chronic stress response (hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis).

Molecular detection of two adenoviruses associated with disease in Australian lizards.

We give the first published description of the pathology and molecular findings associated with adenovirus infection in lizards in Australia. A central netted dragon (Ctenophorus nuchalis) exhibited severe necrotising hepatitis with abundant intranuclear inclusion bodies within hepatocytes and rarely within intestinal epithelial cells. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using pooled tissues yielded an amplicon that shared strong nucleotide identity with an agamid adenovirus (EU914203). PCR on the liver of a bearded dragon (Pogona minor minor) with illthrift, coccidiosis, nematodiasis and hepatic lipidosis yielded an amplicon with strong nucleotide identity to a helodermatid adenovirus (EU914207).

New reports of Australian cutaneous leishmaniasis in Northern Australian macropods.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by various species of Leishmania is a significant zoonotic disease in many parts of the world. We describe the first cases of Australian cutaneous leishmaniasis in eight northern wallaroos, one black wallaroo and two agile wallabies from the Northern Territory of Australia. Diagnosis was made through a combination of gross appearance of lesions, cytology, histology, direct culture, serology and a species-specific real-time PCR. The causative organism was found to be the same unique species of Leishmania previously identified in red kangaroos. These clinical findings provide further evidence for the continuous transmission of the Australian Leishmania species and its presence highlights the importance of continued monitoring and research into the life-cycle of this parasite.

Uterine adenomyosis in an orang-utan (Pongo abelii/pygmaeus).

A 48-year-old, multiparous, female hybrid orang-utan (Pongo abelii/pygmaeus) was investigated after a 3-year history of irregular and excessively heavy menstrual bleeding. Opportunistic pelvic examinations over a 2.5-year period were non-diagnostic. Medical therapy was not effective. A subtotal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-ovariectomy was performed. A pedunculated mass spanning 90% of the uterine lumen was seen grossly, and histopathology confirmed uterine adenomyosis. Adenomyosis is defined as the ectopic occurrence or diffuse implantation of endometrial tissue, including glands and stroma, into the myometrium. It is common in older, usually premenopausal, multiparous women and is frequently associated with other uterine pathology, including endometrial hyperplasia and leiomyomas. The most common clinical signs are dysmenorrhoea and heavy menstrual bleeding; however, up to 35% of women are asymptomatic. Diagnosis is difficult and requires myometrial sampling and an experienced pathologist. A hysterectomy in this case was diagnostic and curative. There have been few reports of uterine adenomyosis in non-human primates and none reported in an orang-utan. Uterine adenomyosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis in any multiparous, aged, non-human female primate with irregular and excessively heavy menstrual bleeding, and hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-ovariectomy is recommended as a diagnostic and therapeutic solution.

Spinal arthropathy associated with Ochrobactrum anthropi in free-ranging cane toads (Chaunus [Bufo] marinus) in Australia.

Inflammatory or degenerative pathology involving the vertebral bodies and/or ventral intervertebral joints has been described in numerous species, both captive and free ranging, including mammals, birds, and snakes, although never in amphibians. We described 15 cases of a newly recognized spinal arthropathy in adult cane toads (Chaunus [Bufo] marinus), an invasive species in Australia. Grossly appreciable lesions consisted primarily of ventral proliferation of bone and cartilage that resulted in ankylosis. Histologic examination of the entire vertebral columns of the 15 affected toads revealed 13 toads to have lesions at multiple intervertebral sites, totalling 41 intervertebral joints with lesions. Most lesions involved bone and cartilage proliferation that resulted in fusion of the joint, with (n = 15) or without (n = 9) associated pyogranulomatous inflammation. In the remaining 17 affected joints, histologic lesions were characterized by degeneration of articular cartilage without joint fusion. In addition, in one of these joints, there was also hemorrhage and pyogranulomatous inflammation. Bacterial culture of affected joints in 9 toads and grossly normal joints in 4 control toads resulted in isolation of Ochrobactrum anthropi in 7 affected toads but in none of the controls (P < .01). We proposed an interaction between degenerative and bacterial etiologies in the pathogenesis of this condition. Invasive toads may be predisposed to this condition because of their large size; increased rates of movement; and, possibly, immunosuppression resulting from inhabiting a novel environment.

Necrotizing fasciitis in captive juvenile Crocodylus porosus caused by Streptococcus agalactiae: an outbreak and review of the animal and human literature.

We observed an outbreak of necrotizing fasciitis associated with Streptococcus agalactiae infection in a group of juvenile saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus). We undertook screening of crocodiles and the environment to clarify the source of the outbreak and evaluated the isolates cultured from post-mortem specimens with molecular methods to assess clonality and the presence of known group B streptococcal virulence determinants. The isolates were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. They were a typical serotype Ia strain with the Calpha-like protein gene, epsilon (or alp1), the mobile genetic elements IS381 ISSag1 and ISSag2, and belonged to multi-locus sequence type (ST) 23. All of these characteristics suggest they were probably of human origin. We review the medical and veterinary literature relating to S. agalactiae necrotizing fasciitis, epidemiology and virulence determinants.

Corneal lipid deposition in Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) and its relationship to serum lipids: an experimental study.

To evaluate the association between corneal lipid infiltration (corneal arcus) and dietary cholesterol in Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis), 47 wild-caught frogs were fed diets of either regular or high-cholesterol crickets containing 0.7% and 1.7% cholesterol dry matter, respectively. Serum total cholesterol and triglycerides were measured when the frogs were euthanized after 17 mo. In a subsample of frogs, serum lipoproteins were characterized using high-performance liquid chromatography. The first case of corneal lipid deposition occurred in a female frog after 13 mo on the high-cholesterol diet. In the subsequent 4 mo, 5/11 males and 11/35 females developed the disease. Four of these affected frogs were females on the regular diet. Frogs with corneal lipid deposition had elevated serum total cholesterol (27.3 +/- 19.8 mmol/L) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL, 17.8 +/- 18.9 mmol/L) compared with unaffected captive frogs (16.5 +/- 20.4 and 9.0 +/- 7.6 mmol/L, respectively). Corneal lipid deposition was more prevalent in frogs on the high-cholesterol diet, and this group had higher serum total cholesterol (34.1 +/- 15.2 mmol/L in females, 22.8 +/- 14.8 mmol/L in males) than did frogs on the diet of regular crickets (12.3 +/- 8.7 mmol/L in females, 10.4 +/- 3.1 mmol/L in males). Captive frogs on both diets had higher serum total cholesterol than did wild frogs (3.1 +/- 2.1 mmo/L in females, 5.3 +/- 2.6 mmo/L in males). This additional serum cholesterol was primarily carried on very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and LDL rather than high-density lipoproteins (HDL), as indicated by the significantly higher ratio of VLDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol over HDL cholesterol in captive frogs compared with wild frogs. Elevation in this ratio was significantly higher in captive females than in captive males. There was no evidence that increased serum cholesterol in captive females was directly related to the process of vitellogenesis.