PMID: 9523647Apr 2, 1998Paper

Fatal Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae septicemia in a captive Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhyncus obliquidens)

Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine : Official Publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
M J KinselR D Murnane

Abstract

One male of a group of seven Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) died after a brief period of nonspecific clinical signs. Four beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and four harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) were managed in the same water system. Gross examination of the dolphin revealed only moderately enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes. Histopathology revealed small to massive numbers of gram-positive bacilli, usually intravascular, in all tissues. Bacteria were both extracellular and present in macrophages, monocytes, and neutrophils. Aerobic bacterial culture of lung, liver, kidney, and spleen yielded pure cultures of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. Based on clinical course, histopathology, and bacteriology, a diagnosis of acute erysipelas septicemia was made. None of the other cetaceans or pinnipeds exhibited clinical signs.

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