Escherichia coli Septicemia Associated with Lack of Maternally Acquired Immunity in a Bottlenose Dolphin Calf
2007
van Elk, C. E. | van dep Bildt, M. W. G. | Martina, B. E. E. | Osterhaus, A. D. M. E. | Kuiken, T.
Stillbirth and neonatal mortality are substantial problems in captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The cause of these problems often is unknown. We report a case of Escherichia coli septicemia in a male 3-day-old bottlenose dolphin calf. Lesions included omphalitis, synovitis, and hepatic necrosis associated with the presence of Gram-negative bacilli. E. coli was isolated in pure culture from multiple organs. A serum gammaglobulin level of 1.5 g/L indicated a lack of maternally acquired immunity. The observed failure to nurse may have resulted from brain injury due to perinatal asphyxia. Evidence for perinatal asphyxia was the diffuse presence of a moderate amount of meconium in the lungs.
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