Epethelial Presence of Trueperella pyogenes Predicts Site-Level Presence of Cranial Abscess Disease in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

Abstract

Cranial/intracranial abscess disease is an emerging source of significant mortality for male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Most cases of cranial/intracranial abscess disease are associated with infection by the opportunistic pathogen Trueperella pyogenes although the relationship between the prevalence of the bacteria and occurrence of disease is speculative. We examined 5,612 hunter-harvested deer from 29 sites across all physiographic provinces in Georgia for evidence of cranial abscess disease and sampled the forehead, lingual, and nasal surfaces from 692 deer. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine presence of T. pyogenes from these samples. We found T. pyogenes prevalence at a site was a predictor for the occurrence of cranial abscess disease. Prevalence of T. pyogenes did not differ between samples from the nose or tongue although prevalence along the forehead was greater for males than females (p = 0.04), particularly at sites with high occurrence of this disease. Socio-sexual behaviors, bacterial prevalence, or physiological characteristics may predispose male deer to intracranial/cranial abscess disease. Determination of factors that affect T. pyogenes prevalence among sites may help explain the occurrence of this disease among populations.

Assessing Fifty Years of General Health Surveillance of Roe Deer in Switzerland: A Retrospective Analysis of Necropsy Reports

“…Pneumonia, diarrhea and eye disorders of various etiologies, purulent meningoencephalitis (often associated with skull wounds suggestive of territorial fights between males, similarly to cranial abscess disease in white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus [89]) and actinomycosis/actinomycosis-like lesions have also been reported in roe deer by other authors [9–11,13] and obviously belong to the typical disease spectrum of this species. By contrast, other authors have apparently not observed alopecia to the same extent as we have, although demodectic mange has been previously reported [90,91].…”

Pathogenicity and Virulence of Trueperella pyogenes: A Review

“…Generally, the infections caused by T. pyogenes have an opportunistic nature, in which adverse environmental and host-related factors play a relevant role in the disease establishment [45,50,53,54]. Nevertheless, the risk factors of the infection development are sometimes difficult to estimate.…”

“…In wildlife, T. pyogenes may be associated with many types of purulent disorders occurring in free-living and captive animals. T. pyogenes infections were reported the most frequently in ruminants and other herbivores, in which the bacteria were also found as a resident microbiota of the skin and mucous membranes of respiratory and urogenital tracts [20,54,124].…”

“…In the United States and Canada, T. pyogenes is an emerging pathogen of captive or free-ranging white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), which cause intracranial abscessation—suppurative meningoencephalitis disease complex (the intracranial abscess disease) that occurs with a variable frequency, depending on animal populations [54,124,125,126,127]. T. pyogenes may be also involved in pneumonia and necrobacillosis occurring in this animal species [128,129].…”

Isolation of Trueperella pyogenes in a case of thoracic and abdominal abscess in a galago (Otolemur garnettii)

“…It is therefore suspected that T. pyogenes was derived from the dermal environment of the male and likely inoculated by the bite. A similar pathogenesis has also been proposed as the cause of cranial abscesses seen in white‐tailed deer . The initial bite wound at the junction of the thorax and abdomen healed superficially during treatment.…”