Histopathology:
 
Tissues examined include heart, small intestine, kidney, spleen, liver,
and lung.  the liver contains numerous periportal and random infiltrates
of large numbers of epithelioid macrphages that contain large
intracytoplasmic rod shaped bacteria.  The epithelioid macrophages are
mixed with small to moderate numbers of neutrophils.  there is also
marked diffuse hapatic lipidosis.  The spleen, kidney and lung also
contain multifocal infiltrates of smaller numbers of epithelioid
macrophages containing rod shaped bacteria mixed with small numbers of
neutrophils.  there is also one piece of tissue that contains some smooth
muscle and adipose tissue.  The smooth muscle and adipose tissue are
diffusely infiltrated by epithelioid macrophages and neutrophils again
containing large numbers of intracellular bacteria.
 
Special stains performed on the histologic sections demonstrate that the
bacteria are acid fast.
 
Diagnosis and Comments:
Histologic lesions are those of disseminated pyogranulcmatous (?) disease
with intracellular acid fast bacteria.  These bacteria are most likely
Micobacteria.
 
Gordon A. Andrews, DVM, PhD
K-State Vet Diagnostic Laboratory
-------
 
I talked with Larry this morning and bleach should kill the bacterium so
tonight I'll spray down the enclosure and start on the house, room by
room.
 
There are several ways we could have been infected, or Pumkin could have
harbored it till his body couldn't fight it off, and we are trying to
figure it out.  I've taken ferrets that were kept in filthy conditions
AND kept in a small utility room with a parrot though that was several
years ago and everyone has done well till last September after Bitsy
joined our group.
 
Everyone is stable now and those that have been sick may be totally
unrelated to the mycobacterium.  Larry believes that if they had the
mycobacterium they wouldn't recover.  The little ones with compromised
immune systems are the only ones at risk.
 
We've done other necropsies and the mycobacterium was not found so this
very well might be an isolated case.
 
hugs. tle
Troy Lynn Eckart
Ferret Family Services
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/
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[Posted in FML issue 3777]