Table 1 Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) case details
Case No. | Date of death | Sex, Age | Pathology diagnoses | B. pseudomallei positive culture1 | Suspected route of exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mar. 18, 2015 | Male, 3 yrs. | Liver: Multifocal intrahepatic portal suppurative thrombosis and random multifocal suppurative hepatitis Lung: Single large suppurative focus contiguous with suppurative venous thrombus; random multifocal suppurative pneumonia | Bone marrow (femur), spleen, lung | Ingestion (portal lesion) |
2 | April 23, 2016 | Female, 10 mos. | Stomach: Transmural haemorrhagic, suppurative gastritis with adjacent cranial mesenteric suppurative peritonitis with fibroplasia Liver: Multifocal intrahepatic portal suppurative thrombosis and random multifocal suppurative hepatitis Lung: Multifocal suppurative pneumonia, often associated with haemorrhage and septic thrombosis | Cranial mesentery, lung, spleen | Ingestion (gastric and portal lesions) |
3 | April 26, 2016 | Male, 10 mos. | Skin: Multifocal severe, ulcerative, suppurative deep dermatitis and cellulitis with associated fibroplasia (left forearm and left hind foot). Right scrotum open and draining necrohaemorrhagic exudate Liver: Random multifocal suppurative hepatitis Lung: Multifocal suppurative pneumonia, variably associated with haemorrhage and septic thrombosis | Left hind foot lesion, lung, spleen | Cutaneous (forearm and hind foot lesions) |
4 | July 13, 2016 | Female, 12 mos. | Skin: Unhealed distal tail amputation with associated suppurative deep dermatitis, fibrosis and bone remodelling; Focal ulcerative dermatitis (dorsal to left eye); Bilateral dorsal carpal epidermal hyperplasia and hyperkeratosis. Left stifle: Suppurative arthritis Liver and lung: Random multifocal suppurative hepatitis and pneumonia Kidney: Segmental pyelonephritis | Lung, spleen, liver | Cutaneous (tail amputation lesion) |
5 | July 25, 2016 | Male, 12 mos. | Skin: Multifocal subacute to chronic, ulcerative, suppurative dermatitis (most severely involving the scrotum and perineum, more superficially involving the bridge of nose, above left eye, left ear pinna, tail, dorsal aspects both carpi and all feet, scrotum and perineum) Liver and lung: Random multifocal suppurative hepatitis and pneumonia | Lung, spleen positive. Perineal/scrotal swab negative | Cutaneous (multiple chronic skin lesions) |
6 | Sept. 21, 2016 | Male, 15 mos. | Liver: Multifocal portal suppurative thrombosis with associated fibroplasia Lung: Random multifocal suppurative pneumonia Skin: Mild multifocal erosive dermatitis (ventral scrotum, medial hind foot) | Liver, lung, spleen | Ingestion (portal lesion) |
7 | Oct. 7, 2016 | Female, 3 yrs. | Intestine: Segmental transmural necrotising, suppurative enteritis with regional suppurative lymphadenitis Lumbar vertebral column: Multifocal suppurative thrombosis and osteomyelitis with extension into vertebral canal Femur: Suppurative osteomyelitis extending to periosteum with associated fibrosis Lung: Random multifocal suppurative pneumonia | Blood, liver, lung positive. Rectal and throat swabs negative | Ingestion (suppurative enteritis with regional suppurative lymphadenitis) |
8 | Oct. 23, 2016 | Female, 16 mos. | Skin: Ulcerative, necrotising, suppurative deep dermatitis and cellulitis (left tarsal region) Vertebral column: Multifocal suppurative osteomyelitis Lung: Random multifocal suppurative pneumonia Liver: Extrahepatic portal vein suppurative phlebitis and thrombosis with associated fibroplasia. Liver otherwise too decomposed to assess | Left tarsal lesion swab, liver, lung, rectal swab, throat swab | Ingestion (portal lesion) or cutaneous (tarsal lesion) |