Abstract
Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) is caused by an orbivirus that affects wild and domestic ruminants, and is most commonly diagnosed in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus).1 This virus is often transmitted by Culicoides species, or other species of biting gnats and flies. During summer 2014, an outbreak of EHD occurred in southern Oregon, affecting both white-tailed deer and black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus). During this time, eight Tibetan yak (Bos grunniens) housed on a 200-acre free roaming pasture at Wildlife Safari presented with hemorrhagic disease and fever. Clinical signs in affected yak included hyperthermia, hematochezia, scleral hemorrhage, respiratory distress, hind limb ataxia, presence of a toxic line on the oral mucosa, and peracute death. Marked thrombocytopenia occurred in all affected animals. Aggressive therapy with broad spectrum antibiotics, fluids, and supportive care were attempted in each case, but all eight animals died. Gross necropsy findings included hemorrhage within the subcutis, gastrointestinal hemorrhages, and gall bladder distension. No oral lesions were noted. Histologic findings in these mortalities included widespread hemorrhage, pulmonary congestion and edema, acute myocardial necrosis, multifocal fibrinoid vasculopathy, marked cholestasis, and evidence of hemoglobinuric nephrosis. EHD was identified by PCR in five yaks tested, but virus isolation attempts were unsuccessful. As clinicopathologic findings were similar for all eight dead yak, it is assumed that all died of EHD. These findings differ from a previously recorded outbreak of EHD in Tibetan yak in Colorado,2,3 suggesting that a broader range of clinical presentation for EHD in this species should be considered.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Ungulate Department at Wildlife Safari for their support and assistance in caring for these animals. The authors would also like to thank North Dakota State University’s Veterinary Diagnostics Lab for their assistance in PCR identification of the EHD virus.
Literature Cited
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