Paratuberculosis in Captive Scimitar-Horned Oryxes (<i>Oryx dammah</i>)
Claudio Pigoli,
Chiara Garbarino,
Matteo Ricchi,
Eleonora Bonacina,
Lucia Gibelli,
Valeria Grieco,
Erika Scaltriti,
Paola Roccabianca,
Giuseppe Sironi,
Simone Russo,
Stefano Pongolini,
Norma Arrigoni
Affiliations
Claudio Pigoli
Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
Chiara Garbarino
National Reference Centre for Paratuberculosis, Sede Territoriale di Piacenza, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Strada Faggiola 1, 29027 Gariga di Podenzano, Italy
Matteo Ricchi
National Reference Centre for Paratuberculosis, Sede Territoriale di Piacenza, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Strada Faggiola 1, 29027 Gariga di Podenzano, Italy
Eleonora Bonacina
Parco Faunistico Le Cornelle, Via Cornelle 16, 24030 Valbrembo, Italy
Lucia Gibelli
Histology Laboratory, Sede Territoriale di Milano, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Via Giovanni Celoria 12, 20133 Milano, Italy
Valeria Grieco
Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
Erika Scaltriti
Risk Analysis and Genomic Epidemiology Unit, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Via dei Mercati 13/A, 43126 Parma, Italy
Paola Roccabianca
Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
Giuseppe Sironi
Department of Veterinary Medicine (DIMEVET), University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
Simone Russo
National Reference Centre for Paratuberculosis, Sede Territoriale di Piacenza, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Strada Faggiola 1, 29027 Gariga di Podenzano, Italy
Stefano Pongolini
Risk Analysis and Genomic Epidemiology Unit, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Via dei Mercati 13/A, 43126 Parma, Italy
Norma Arrigoni
National Reference Centre for Paratuberculosis, Sede Territoriale di Piacenza, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna (IZSLER), Strada Faggiola 1, 29027 Gariga di Podenzano, Italy
Paratuberculosis, a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), in ten scimitar-horned oryxes (SHOs) hosted in an Italian zoological park and originating from a Slovakian flock, was documented by pathology, molecular, cultural, and serological testing. The infection origin in this threatened species was also investigated by genomic analyses. Following the death of six of the 10 SHOs, serial investigations of dead and alive animals were performed. Necropsy, carried out on five out of six animals, identified intestinal thickening and mesenteric lymphadenomegaly in one of the animals. Histopathology (5/6) revealed lepromatous (2/5) and tuberculoid (2/5) intestinal forms or lack of lesions (1/5). Ziehl-Neelsen and immunohistochemistry stains identified two multibacillary, two paucibacillary forms, and one negative case. MAP was identified by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in tissue samples in five out of five SHOs and was microbiologically isolated from two of the three animals whose fresh tissue samples were available. Fecal samples were collected in four of the six dead animals: all four resulted positive to qPCR and in MAP was isolated in three. ELISA identified MAP-specific antibodies in three of the five dead animals whose serum was available. qPCR identified MAP in the freshly deposited feces of two out of the four alive animals. From the feces of these two animals, MAP was microbiologically isolated in one case. All isolates were classified as MAP type C and profiled as INMV2 and MVS27 by molecular analysis. Genomic analysis of a field isolate revealed clusterization with a European clade but was more similar to Italian than East European isolates. Our findings underline that paratuberculosis should always be considered in zoological parks in which endangered species are hosted. Infection can be subclinical, and multiple combined testing techniques may be necessary.
