Actinomyces hyovaginalis associated with chronic suppurative arthritis in an adult giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)

摘要

To date Actinomyces (A.) hyovaginalis has only been reported from infections of pigs, sheep and goats. We would like to report the isolation of this organism from an adult 17 year old giraffe from Frankfurt Zoo, with chronic arthritis that led to euthanasia of the animal. The strain was unambiguously identified as A. hyovaginalis by phenotypic properties, by MALDI-TOF MS analysis and by amplification and sequencing of the molecular targets 16S rDNA, 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region and gene tuf encoding the elongation factor tu. However, the source and route of infection of the organism remains unclear.