Aeromonas hydrophila SEPTICEMIA AND RESULTING ENCEPHALOPATHY IN A CAPTIVE JUVENILE WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLA (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

摘要

A female 27-day-old mother-reared western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) that was raised in a naturalistic outdoor enclosure, in a group where social dynamics were unstable, became acutely septicemic with Aeromonas hydrophila. The infectionresulted in an encephalopathy. Treatment extended over the course of 1 yr and involved numerous specialists, neurologic examinations, a computerized axial topography (CAT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and physical therapy. Despite the treatments, motor development was significantly delayed and paralleled human infant symptoms associated with cerebral palsy. At 1 yr of age the gorilla started to seizure. The gorilla was euthanatized at 13 mo of age. Necropsy revealed the posterior bilateral cerebral convexities to be severely atrophic with focally corresponding diminished white matter and dilated posterior horns of the lateral ventricles and subarachnoid spaces. There was evidence of a 0.5 cm depressed area consistent with an old infarct inthe superior aspect of the left cerebellar hemisphere. Histopathology showed neuron loss and gliosis with the most severe atrophy in the depths of the sulci in the posterior parietal occipital cortex. The affected areas had mineralized neurons and macrophages. The lesion in the left cerebellar hemisphere revealed a loss of cerebellar cortical neurons.