An outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever in young rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) |
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| Authors: | NW TOMKINS NN JONSSON MP YOUNG AN GORDON KA McCOLL |
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| Institution: | Division of Farm Animal Medicine and Production, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4069;Department of Veterinary Pathology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia. Queensland 4072;CSIRO, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, PO Bag 24, Geelong, Victoria 3220 |
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| Abstract: | On the basis of clinical signs and histological findings eight 9-month-old male rusa deer ( Cervus timorensis ) were diagnosed with sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever. Following a variable course involving rectal temperatures around 40.5°C, depression, inappetence, diarrhoea, corneal opacity and hypopyon all animals died or were euthanased over a 5-week period. Severe multifocal vasculitis, mainly periglomerular and in the arcuate vessels were consistent histological findings which in the past have been adequate to confirm clinical diagnosis of sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever. A nested poly-merase chain reaction test has been used to detect a sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever PRC product, 238 base-pairs in size, in DNA extracted from lymphocyte preparations. The result supported the diagnosis of sheep associated-malignant catarrhal fever in these deer. |
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| Keywords: | Malignant catarrhal fever rusa deer multifocal vasculitis PCR |
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