Fatal hemolytic disease in sheep attributed to Leptospira interrogans serotype hardjo infection.

An outbreak of acute hemolytic disease in a large flock of sheep resulted in a mortality of approximately 5% in lambs. A diagnosis of Leptospira interrogans serotype hardjo infection was established on the basis of the presence of leptospires in the urine of one lamb, serologic findings in a guinea pig inoculated with this urine, L. hardjo titers in lambs, and pathologic findings. Prominent necropsy findings included severe icterus, thin watery blood, dark red to black kidneys and severe hemoglobinuria.

Blastomycosis in an African lion.

Using fluorescent antibody techniques, Blastomyces dermatitidis was identified in pyogranulomatous lesions in the lungs, mediastinum, trachea, and cerebrum of an African lion (Panthera leo). Clinical signs included anorexia and dry inspiratory rales. Signs of nervous system dysfunction were not reported prior to death even though a large lesion was found in the cerebrum at necropsy. The lion was shipped from a geographic area where B dermatitidis infection is endemic. It was evident from histologic studies that organisms were being shed from lesions in the trachea into the environment. We were unable to culture the organism because freezing apparently destroyed its viability.

Isolation of Edwardsiella tarda from three Oregon sea mammals.

Edwardsiella tarda was isolated from the peritoneal exudate of a Steller's sea lion (Eumetopias jubata) with peritonitis resulting from a perforating colonic ulcer; from the liver of a harbor porpoise (Phocena phocena) with metritis and peritonitis sequela to dystocia; and from the liver of a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) with peritonitis following fracture and necrosis of a lumbar vertebrae. These findings indicate E. tarda is a common opportunistic invader in sick or injured marine mammals.

Suspected infectious necrotic hepatitis (black disease) in Oregon cattle.

Suspected infectious necrotic hepatitis (black disease) in a herd of 436 cattle in Douglas County, Oregon, resulted in 79 deaths during a 2-week period. Although Clostridium novyi could not be isolated from hepatic lesions, the clinical course of the disease, gross and histopathologic findings, and fluorescent antibody identification of C novyi in various tissues were suggestive of the disease. The epizootic was preceded by a long drought, during which grazing conditions were sparse. A few days before the 1st dead animal was found, the drought was relieved by about 10 cm (4 in) of rainfall, resulting in the growth of young succulent grass. The cattle, attempting to eat this new grass lying close to the ground, consumed large quantities of soil. It was speculated that the soil contained C novyi and that the proliferation of these ingested organisms in necrotic tissue cuased by Fasciola hepatica resulted in fatal toxemia.