Ariel E, Freeman A B, Elliott E, Wirth W, Mashkour N, Scott J
College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
Threatened Species Unit, Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Atherton, Queensland, Australia.
Aust Vet J. 2017 Oct;95(10):355-361. doi: 10.1111/avj.12627.
An unusual mortality event in Johnstone River snapping turtles (Elseya irwini) in Far North Queensland, Australia, occurred during the summer months of December 2014 and January 2015. We report the data collected during the mortality event, including counts of sick and dead animals, clinical appearance and one necropsy.
Moribund animals appeared lethargic with variable degrees of necrotising dermatitis. Postmortem investigation of one freshly dead animal revealed bacterial and fungal involvement in the skin lesions as well as multifocal fibrinous hepatitis and splenitis and necrotising enteritis with vascular thrombosis. Aeromonas hydrophila was isolated from liver, spleen and skin lesions. All samples tested negative for ranavirus, and water and soil testing for environmental contaminants were negative. All affected E. irwini either died or were euthanased and no other species of animals in the river were affected.
Aeromonas hydrophila is ubiquitous in the freshwater environment and although it caused septicaemia in the one individual that was submitted for laboratory diagnosis, the primary aetiology of the outbreak may not have been identified.
2014年12月至2015年1月的夏季期间，澳大利亚昆士兰州远北地区的约翰斯顿河鳄龟（Elseya irwini）发生了一次异常的死亡事件。我们报告了在此次死亡事件期间收集的数据，包括患病和死亡动物的数量、临床症状以及一次尸检情况。
濒死动物表现出嗜睡，伴有不同程度的坏死性皮炎。对一只刚死亡动物的尸检发现，皮肤病变中有细菌和真菌感染，同时存在多灶性纤维素性肝炎、脾炎以及伴有血管血栓形成的坏死性肠炎。从肝脏、脾脏和皮肤病变中分离出嗜水气单胞菌。所有样本的蛙病毒检测均为阴性，对水和土壤进行的环境污染物检测也为阴性。所有受影响的伊氏鳄龟均死亡或被安乐死，河中其他动物物种未受影响。
嗜水气单胞菌在淡水环境中普遍存在，尽管它在送检实验室诊断的一只个体中引起了败血症，但此次疫情的主要病因可能尚未明确。
