 Reference Base  Enteritis of a white rhinoceros associated with Pseudomon... |
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| Location: |
Africa - Eastern Africa - Sudan |
| Subject: |
Diseases |
| Species: |
White Rhino |
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Pseudomonas pyocynea infection in white rhino. On January 17th, 1949, a white rhinoceros, approximately two months old, found near Tonj in the southern Sudan, was flown to Khartoum, the intention being to rear it for export.
The animal was housed, in isolation, in a mud-built hut, given a plentiful supply of grass bedding and ultimately covered at night with a blanket. The latter precaution was taken because the night temperature in Khartoum (55 deg F.) was then considerably lower than that in the south (64 deg F.) and the animal clearly disliked these relatively cold nights.
The diet, consisting of diluted (2: 1) boiled cow's milk with an addition of lactose, was given every two hours from 6 am to 8 pm. by means of a bottle and teat. Orange juice and radio-ma. also were given daily.
During the first eight days after its arrival in Khartoum the rhinoceros appeared in good health. It took its food readily and the passage of faeces was normal and regular. The rectal temperature remained almost constant between 100? and 101?F. On the ninth day it started cutting its molar teeth and then resented the introduction of the teat, but in less than 48 hours it was apparently normal again and fed greedily. However, early on the morning of the 29th it was found unable to stand and it died at 8.30 am.
At autopsy it was noted that the internal blood vessels were engorged. In the lungs there were a few haemorrhagic infarcts measuring 3 to 4 inches across, and in the liver there were signs of incipient fatty changes. The chief abnormality was confined to the intestines. The whole of the intestinal tract was inflamed and there were one or two haemorrhagic areas in the duodenum; the mesenteric lymph glands were hyperaemic.
Microscopic examinations of the blood and lung infarcts were negative for any form of micro-organism. Wet films of the intestinal contents showed no protozoon parasites but enormous numbers of very actively motile, Gram-negative bacilli. Bacteriological examination of the intestinal contents showed that these bacilli were present in almost pure culture. The organism fermented glucose without gas production but had no action on lactose. On agar it produced a typical diffusible green pigment. It was therefore classified as Pseudomonas pyocyanea.
Since this organism was present in the inflamed intestine in virtually pure culture it seems probable that it was the cause of the enteritis and ultimately of death. It would seem likely that the rapid transport from a relatively warm to a relatively cold climate had so lowered the animal's resistance that an organism, perhaps normally a commensal of mild pathogenicity had been able to proliferate and cause disease.
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