Abstract: Two adult snow leopards (Panthera uncia), male and female, both with vaccinations current, became infected with feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) at the Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines, Iowa, in late 1988. Clinical signs included weakness, hemorrhagic feces, fever, seizures, and nasal discharge. Blood analysis revealed severe lymphopenia and mild anemia. A positive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for FPV on fecal contents from the male leopard confirmed the diagnosis. In spite of intensive therapy, both animals died. Necropsy of the female, which survived for 1 wk after onset of signs, revealed intestinal crypt necrosis, pulmonary consolidation, necrotizing laryngitis, and diffuse lymphoid depletion. The male leopard, which lived 3 wk after onset of illness, had similar enteric and lymphoid lesions. In addition, there was a severe interstitial pneumonia, with syncytial cells containing eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies. Ultrastructural characteristics of these inclusions featured tubular structures consistent with a paramyxovirus. Although repeated virus isolation attempts from the affected lung were negative, polyclonal and monoclonal fluorescent antibody tests were strongly positive for canine distemper virus (CDV). Frozen paired sera from each leopard demonstrated very high acute and convalescing titers to FPV; both animals also seroconverted to CDV, with titers in the male leopard higher than those in the female. Additional tests for toxoplasmosis, feline infectious peritonitis, feline rhinotracheitis, feline calicivirus, feline leukemia, canine parainfluenza, and bovine respiratory syncytial virus were all negative. The neurologic signs present in these leopards remained unexplained, but may have been attributable to CDV infection. A feral cat trapped on zoo property had feces positive for FPV by ELISA. Although the specific contributions of FPV and CDV toward the development of this case are unknown, it is likely that initial FPV-induced immunosuppression allowed the subsequent development of CDV in these snow leopards. The likelihood that initial FPV infection came from feral cats underscores the importance of feral animal control on zoo premises.

Abstract: Liver tissues from 126 captive cheetah were evaluated by light microscopy and histochemistry; eight animals were evaluated by electron microscopy. The main hepatic lesion, a vascular lesion resembling veno- occlusive disease (VOD) of the liver and characterized by subendothelial fibrosis and proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells in the central veins, was seen in 60% of the sexually mature cheetah. Although this hepatic vascular lesion was seen in cheetah as young as 1 year of age, the most severe lesions, usually associated with liver failure, were found in cheetah between the ages of 6 and 11. There was no sex predisposition, and in approximately 40% of the VOD cases, liver disease was not suspected clinically or at necropsy. VOD was found in other felidae, especially in the snow leopard. High levels of vitamin A in livers, as well as in diets of the cheetah, could be a contributing factor in the development of VOD in some groups of cheetah.

Abstract: This study reports on two series of cases of Mycobacterium bovis infection in zoo animals. The first was in a captive population of baboons (Papio hamadryas) and the second in a mixed group of wild mammals, including four leopards (Panthera uncia and Panthera pardus) and a sea-lion (Otaria byrona). The isolation and identification of strains of M. bovis confirmed the presence of M. bovis infections in both zoos. The epidemiological study using genetic markers such as the IS6110-based DNA fingerprinting system made it possible to differentiate between M. bovis strains. The M. bovis strains isolated from baboons were shown to contain a single IS6110 copy, as usually do cattle isolates, whereas the M. bovis strains isolated from the other exotic animals presented multiple copies. This finding suggests that the origin of the contamination for the baboons in zoo A could be related to cattle. The origin of the contamination for the leopards and sea-lion in zoo B is more difficult to determine. In conclusion, the authors suggest some recommendations for avoiding outbreaks of tuberculosis infections in zoos.

Abstract: A 5-mo-old male snow leopard (Panthera uncia) was presented for mild rear leg lameness. Osteomyelitis was suspected on the basis of radiographic changes and confirmed by histopathology of a biopsy sample from the affected bone. Aerobic cultures of the biopsies repeatedly grew Klebsiella oxytoca. Repeated anaerobic and fungal cultures did not result in growth. The leopard was treated unsuccessfully with cefadroxil, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim/sulfadiazine despite apparent in vitro sensitivity to these antibiotics. Successful resolution was eventually achieved with enrofloxacin, 7.5 mg/kg p.o. b.i.d. for 60 days. The number of bones involved (right humerus, right and left ulna, right and left radius, right and left femur, right and left tibia, mandible, right metatarsus) made this an unusual presentation of osteomyelitis.