Clostridium piliforme Infection in Two Farm-raised White-tailed Deer Fawns (Odocoileus virginianus) and Association with Copper Toxicosis

Abstract

Abstract. Necropsy of 2 white-tailed deer fawns who died acutely revealed diarrhea and melena in case No. 1 and no gross changes in case No. 2. Histologically, the livers of both deer displayed multifocal coagulative necrosis, with infiltrations of neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes. By Warthin-Starry staining, bundles of filamentous bacteria were identified within hepatocytes at the periphery of the necrotic foci in case No. 1. There was multifocal myocardiocyte necrosis in case No. 1 and multifocal lymphoid necrosis of the Peyer's patches in case No. 2. Clostridium piliforme 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene was detected in both livers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with C. piliforme-specific primers. The liver copper levels in both cases were normal to slightly elevated. The kidney copper level in case No. 2 was elevated. This represents the first published cases of Tyzzer's disease in deer, a novel use of PCR for the diagnosis of C. piliforme infection, and a possible association between copper toxicosis and Tyzzer's disease.

Spontaneous Tyzzer’s Disease with the Central Nerve Involvement in a Newborn Common Marmoset

“…Tyzzer's disease is caused by the infection of Clostridium piliforme (C. piliforme) and has been reported in various animal species including laboratory, domestic, zoo and wild animals [1,2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Spontaneous Tyzzer's disease in primates has been rarely reported [11], including common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).…”

“…Spontaneous Tyzzer's disease in primates has been rarely reported [11], including common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). The disease is pathologically characterized by severe multifocal liver necrosis, enteritis and occasional myocarditis [1,2,5,6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Diagnoses for the disease are usually based on the detection of characteristic intracytoplasmic bacilli at the margin of the necrotic lesions by histopathological examinations [1,2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

“…The disease is pathologically characterized by severe multifocal liver necrosis, enteritis and occasional myocarditis [1,2,5,6,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Diagnoses for the disease are usually based on the detection of characteristic intracytoplasmic bacilli at the margin of the necrotic lesions by histopathological examinations [1,2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. In addition, immunohistochemical analysis using specific antibodies for C. piliforme [5,6,9] and polymerase chain reaction assay [2,3,[5][6][7]9] are useful diagnostic tools for the disease.…”

A Naturally Occurring Enterotyphlocolitis Associated with Dual Infection by Clostridium piliforme and Enteropathogenic Attaching and Effacing Escherichia coli in Syrian Hamsters

“…Diagnosis of Tyzzer's disease in hamsters, similar to other wild and laboratory animal species, can be established upon finding the characteristic necrotizing enterohepatic lesions, intralesional silver-stained filamentous rods and PCR amplification [20,29,35]. Caution, however, should be practiced when interpreting the PCR results using feces, as with other bacteria, C.…”

“…Genomic DNA was extracted using a commercial minikit a from fresh intestines and feces from the three weanlings and fresh liver from weanling #1 were subjected to PCR amplification by a known primer set specific to C. piliforme [29] and a known primer set specific to AEEC [4]. The PCR amplification of C. All PCR products were electrophoresed on a 1.5%…”