Clinico-Pathologic Findings
of Enterotoxemia in Chinkara Deer (Gazella bennettii) Under
Desert Conditions in Pakistan
Riaz Hussain1*, M Tariq Javed2, Fazal Mahmood2,
Tanveer Hussain3,
Haroon Rashid Chaudhry1,
Muhammad Sohaib Aslam2,
Muhammad Tasleem Ghori1,
Abdul Qayyum1,Wasim Babar1, Sajid Hameed1
and Aziz ur Rehman2
1University College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur; 2Department of
Veterinary Pathology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad; 3Department
of Forestry and Wildlife, University College of Agriculture and
environmental Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur,
Pakistan *Corresponding author:
driazhussain@yahoo.com
Abstract
This study was carried out to know clinico-pathologic
findings of enterotoxaemia in Chinkara deer
(Gazella bennettii). At one farm, 10(20%) out of 50 and at
other 35(31.8%) out of 110 deer died. Out of 45 animals, peracute deaths were
66.67% whereas acute deaths were 33.33%. Significantly high mortality was
recorded in young animals. The case fatality was 100%. Clinical signs including
moderate to acute anorexia, opisthotonus, herding in a corner with head down,
marked depression, fever, chocolate colored urine and greenish watery diarrhea
were observed. Necropsy of dead deer revealed presence of straw colored fluid in
peritoneal/abdominal cavity. Hydropericardium, hydrothorax, congested and
edematous lungs, swollen and soft kidneys, watery contents in the small
intestine, ballooning and hemorrhages of small and large intestine were the
consistent lesions in affected animals. Multifocal petechial hemorrhages on
myocardium and jejunal mucosa were frequently observed in peracute cases. The
histologic changes were hemorrhagic enteritis, pulmonary edema, congestion,
proteinaceous fluid in alveoli and perivascular cuffing in lungs. Increased
level of glucose was recorded in urine collected from urinary bladder of 17 deer
at necropsy. Histopathological sections of kidneys revealed congestion and
necrosis along with disruption of renal tubular epithelial cells. The clinical
signs, post-mortem lesions and histological findings in present study were
consistent with those reported due to C. perfringens type D
enterotoxaemia.