Field Cara L, Beaufrère Hugues, Wakamatsu Nobuko, Rademacher Nathalie, MacLean Robert
Audubon Nature Institute-Aquarium of the Americas, 1 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA.
J Avian Med Surg. 2012 Dec;26(4):232-8. doi: 10.1647/2011-033.1.
A 22-year-old female African black-footed penguin (Spheniscus demersus), housed indoors with other African and rockhopper penguins, was presented acutely with lethargy, ataxia, and hind limb weakness after a molt. The penguin would assume a hunched position and, when resting, sat on its hocks or lay on its keel. Physical and neurologic examination revealed hind limb paraparesis, proprioceptive deficits, and tiptoe walking. Results of a complete blood cell count and biochemical analysis revealed mild heterophilic leukocytosis, anemia, mild hypoalbuminemia, hypokalemia, and hyperuricemia. Results of whole-body radiographs and coelioscopy were unremarkable. Two computed tomographies of the spine at a 3-month interval revealed a lesion at the mobile thoracic vertebra proximal to the synsacrum with associated spinal cord compression. The penguin was treated with itraconazole, doxycycline, and meloxicam, and it initially improved with return to near normal gait and behavior. However, 5 months after the onset of clinical signs, the penguin was euthanatized after a relapse with worsening of the neurologic signs. Postmortem and histopathologic examination revealed focal granulomatous discospondylitis at the penultimate mobile thoracic vertebra, with intralesional bacteria from which Staphylococcus aureus was cultured.
一只22岁的雌性非洲黑脚企鹅（斑嘴环企鹅），与其他非洲企鹅和跳岩企鹅一起饲养在室内，换羽后突然出现嗜睡、共济失调和后肢无力的症状。这只企鹅会呈现出弓背姿势，休息时会坐在跗关节上或趴在胸骨上。体格检查和神经学检查发现后肢轻瘫、本体感觉缺陷和踮脚行走。全血细胞计数和生化分析结果显示轻度嗜异性白细胞增多、贫血、轻度低白蛋白血症、低钾血症和高尿酸血症。全身X光片和腹腔镜检查结果无异常。间隔3个月进行的两次脊柱计算机断层扫描显示，在荐骨联合近端的可活动胸椎处有一个病变，并伴有脊髓受压。这只企鹅接受了伊曲康唑、强力霉素和美洛昔康治疗，最初病情有所改善，步态和行为恢复到接近正常。然而，临床症状出现5个月后，这只企鹅在神经症状恶化复发后被实施安乐死。尸检和组织病理学检查显示，倒数第二块可活动胸椎处有局灶性肉芽肿性椎间盘炎，病变内有细菌，从中培养出了金黄色葡萄球菌。
