| General Description |
In Bears:
Clinical signs:
- These have included:
- Death without previous clinical signs. (B336.51.w51,
J3.145.w4, J4.189.w10)
- Lethargy and depression; (J3.145.w4,
J4.189.w10)
- Nervousness, agitation; (J3.145.w4)
- Tremors, (B336.51.w51,
J3.145.w4)
- Incoordination; (B336.51.w51)
- Aggression; (B336.51.w51,
J3.145.w4)
- Anorexia, inability to drink, inability to swallow; (J3.145.w4,
J4.189.w10, P6.1.w4)
- Excessive salivation; (J3.145.w4,
P6.1.w4)
- Excessive perspiration;(P6.1.w4)
- Vomiting; (J3.145.w4,
P6.1.w4)
- Diarrhoea; (J3.145.w4)
- Localised or generalised pruritus leading to self mutilation; (J3.145.w4,
P6.1.w4)
- Dyspsnoea; (P6.1.w4)
- Paralysis; (P6.1.w4)
- Haematuria, passing of dark urine containing protein and bile
pigments. (J4.189.w10)
In an outbreak in Ursus arctos
- Brown bears in Italy:
- Initially apathy, anorexia, excessive salivation and perspiration;
in one bear vomiting also;
- Later itching, mainly around the right ear, resulting in
self-mutilation of the affected area;
- Dyspnoea and paralysis developed;
- Death within 22 hours of the first signs.
(P6.1.w4)
In an Ursus americanus - American black
bear (which also had intestinal volvulus):
- Lethargy and depression, anorexia, staggering, moaning and shaking;
death after three days. (J4.189.w10)
In an outbreak in a travelling circus in Spain:
- Death following depression and inappetance (originally considered
due to very hot weather) in one Ursus maritimus - Polar
bear. (J3.145.w4)
- In one Himalayan bear (Ursus
thibetanus - Asiatic black bear), abnormal behaviour including
refusal to stand on its hind legs, nervousness, a slight head and neck
tremor and excessive salivation; the bear appeared unable to drink
normally, tremor increased, excitement became pronounced, followed by
biting at the cage bars and unusual aggression. Within three hours,
rapid respiration and death.
- In one Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos - Brown
bears) slowing of activity, followed by excitation and
generalised pruritus with self-mutilation of the forefeet. Increased gamma-globulins, gamma-glutamyl
transferase, and uraemia. Diazepam injections did not control the
clinical signs and the bear was euthanased. (J3.145.w4)
- One Ursus maritimus - Polar
bear developed apparent inability to swallow, followed the
next day by generalised pruritus, self-mutilation and death by cardiac
arrest during treatment. (J3.145.w4)
- Two other Ursus maritimus - Polar
bears developed anorexia, diarrhoea (becoming bloody) and
vomited bright green fluid. One (male) passed large volumes of
blood-tinged urine, refused to eat but drank well, then died. The
other (female) passed dark-coloured urine containing moderate amounts
of protein and bile pigment, but recovered following treatment. (J3.145.w4)
Gross pathology:
- In several bears, no gross pathological lesions. (J3.145.w4,
P6.1.w4)
- In one male Ursus maritimus - Polar
bear: (J3.145.w4)
- General: Icterus. (J3.145.w4)
- Respiratory: Pleural petechiae. (J3.145.w4)
- Cardiac: Epicardial petechiae. (J3.145.w4)
- GIT: Ulcerative colitis. (J3.145.w4)
- Hepatic: Biliary stones. (J3.145.w4)
- In an Ursus americanus - American black
bear (which also had intestinal volvulus):
- Abdominal cavity: Approximately two liters of serosanguinous
fluid. (J4.189.w10)
- Respiratory: Lungs: Diffuse congestion and oedema. (J4.189.w10)
- Cardiac: Endocardiosis of the left atrioventricular valve. (J4.189.w10)
- Intestines: Volvulus of the small intestine, affecting the
entire ileum and approximately half of the jejunum. The affected
gut was haemorrhagic, necrotic, contained bloody fluid and was
distended with gas. (J4.189.w10)
- Liver: Marked lobular pattern. (J4.189.w10)
- Mesenteric lymph nodes: Congested. (J4.189.w10)
Histopathology:
- In several bears, no relevant lesions. (J3.145.w4,
P6.1.w4)
- In an Ursus americanus - American black
bear (which also had intestinal volvulus):
- Lungs: Diffuse oedema and areas of smooth muscle hyperplasia.
(J4.189.w10)
- Spleen: Severe diffuse lymphoid depletion. (J4.189.w10)
- Liver: Congestion and multifocal areas of coagulative necrosis.
Several hepatocytes around the necrotic foci showed large
eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies that were consistent
with those of herpesvirus. (J4.189.w10)
- Adrenal glands: Multifocal cortical haemorrhages, a focus of
necrosis and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies. (J4.189.w10)
- Mesenteric lymph node: Congestion and oedema. (J4.189.w10)
- In one elderly Ursus maritimus - Polar
bear:
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation. (J3.145.w4)
- Hepatic: Centrilobular degeneration. (J3.145.w4)
In Rabbits:
Sylvilagus floridanus - Eastern Cottontail rabbit:
this species has been found susceptible to pseudorabies
under experimental conditions.
- Clinical signs included depression, excessive salivation,
anorexia, paralysis, clonic spasms, convulsions, coma and then death.
- Gross pathology: minimal lesions that included inflamed
turbinates, generalised congestion, congestion of the meningeal
vessels, petechiations of the heart, pulmonary oedema, and self-trauma
to the skin secondary to pruritus.
- Histopathology: limited and non specific lesions that
included degeneration of the liver and kidney, haemorrhages in many
organs, congestion, and lymphoid depletion or necrosis.
(B209.15.w15)
|
| Further Information |
In Bears:
Mortality:
- In an outbreak of pseudorabies in captive Ursus arctos - Brown
bears four out of five individuals died. (P6.1.w4)
- Five of eight bears died in an outbreak of pseudorabies in a circus.
(J3.145.w4)
Transmission:
- Feeding scraps of pork. (P6.1.w4)
- Feeding raw pigs' heads. (J3.145.w4)
Diagnosis:
- Histopathological lesions suggestive of herpesvirus: presence of
eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the liver. (J4.189.w10)
- Virus isolated from a kidney, liver, lung and spleen homogenate was
found to induced a cytophatic effect typical of herpesvirus in
Crandell-Rees feline kidney cells and the infected monolayer stained
intensely with a pseudorabies conjugate/. (J4.189.w10)
- Isolation of Suid Herpesvirus-1 from the brain. (P6.1.w4)
- Virus detected by
cytopathic effect on culture from a lymph node, confirmation of the
cultured virus as a herpesvirus by electron microscopy and confirmed
as Aujeszky's disease virus by fluorescent antibody test. (J3.145.w4)
- PCR positive lymph node, spleen and kidney
samples. (J3.145.w4)
Treatment:
- Acyclovir 10 mg/kg orally in cod liver oil, every five hours in
several bears (and intravenously in a bear which refused oral
medication). (J3.145.w4)
- Symptomatic treatment:
- Diazepam 0.2 mg/kg by injection (route not specified) in bears
showing excitation, pruritus and self mutilation (not effective at
reducing clinical signs). (J3.145.w4)
- Intravenous fluid therapy in bears which were inappetant or had
diarrhoea and vomiting. (J3.145.w4)
- 3 mg/kg ranitidine and 60 mg hyoscine in each of two Ursus maritimus
- Polar bear with vomiting and diarrhoea. (J3.145.w4)
- Antibiotics, initially long acting amoxycillin (2.25 g), changed
on the basis of culture (Escherichia coli
and Pseudomonas
sp.) and sensitivity testing to enrofloxacin (5 mg/kg) in two Ursus maritimus
- Polar bear with vomiting and diarrhoea, then in one
bear to Ceftriaxone, 7 g daily intramuscularly decreasing to 5 g
per day when Escherichia coli resistant to
enrofloxacin was isolated from stomach contents. (J3.145.w4)
- Prednisolone, 50 mg per day in an Ursus maritimus
- Polar bear with gastro-intestinal signs. (J3.145.w4)
- Euthanasia when nervous signs were refractory to treatment with
diazepam. (J3.145.w4)
Occurrence
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