Three Jeju roe deer (Capreolus pygargus Jejuensis) raised at the Roe Deer Observation Center in Jeju were submitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeju National University from November to December 2008. Two roe deer, both fawns, were five mon...
Three Jeju roe deer (Capreolus pygargus Jejuensis) raised at the Roe Deer Observation Center in Jeju were submitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeju National University from November to December 2008. Two roe deer, both fawns, were five month-old males with the clinical signs of watery diarrhea and severe dehydration. And the third one, an adult was two-year-old female displayed sign of depression and was found after death. Grossly, mesenteric lymph nodes were moderately to severely enlarged, small and large intestines were congested and contained fluid material in two fawns. Several variable sized yellowish-white foci were scattered on the surface of the liver and kidneys in an adult. Histologically, in two fawns, multifocal confluent to diffuse purulent lymphadenitis were observed in mesenteric lymph nodes, and multifocal necrosis and abscesses were presented in small and large intestines. And there were abscesses and multifocal necrosis with bacterial colonies in the liver, spleen and kidney of the adult, respectively. Many bacterial colonies also existed in inflammatory foci of above organs, and were demonstrated as Gram negative cocco-bacilli using Gram staining. Isolated bacteria were grayish, round to shiny colonies on blood agar, and colorless on MacConkey’s agar. These bacteria were confirmed as Yersinia (Y.) pseudotuberculosis by VITEK 2 system and polymerase chain reaction. Based on the gross examinations, histopathologic findings, bacterial analysis, three roe deer were diagnosed as Y. pseudotuberculosis infection. This is the first pathologic study for Y. pseudotuberculosis infections of Jeju roe deer in Korea.