An Outbreak of Toxoplasmosis in Farmed Mink (Mustela Vison S.)

Abstract

A large Wisconsin mink ( Mustela vison) farm experienced an outbreak of toxoplasmosis in the spring of 1999 following an outbreak of canine distemper during the previous fall. Major clinical signs for pregnant females included reduced feed consumption, abortions, and stillborn kits; kits <3 weeks old experienced ataxia and mortality. Of 7,800 females, 1,976 (26%) lost their entire litter either from abortion or neonatal mortality. Kit mortality from 7 days to 3 weeks of age was 3,300, and overall kit mortality attributed to the toxoplasmosis outbreak was 10,408. Six neonatal mink kits, 12 3-week-old kits, and 2 adult female mink were submitted to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for diagnostic workup. Gross postmortem lesions were limited to empty stomachs (12 of 12 kits) and pale livers (4 of 12 kits) for the 3-week-old kits. Major microscopic lesions included interstitial pneumonia, encephalitis, encephalomalacia, and myocarditis. Toxoplasmosis was diagnosed by microscopic lesions, microscopic lesion distribution, and the detection of Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites by immunohistochemistry. This is the first detailed report of an outbreak of toxoplasmosis in mink in the United States.

Toxoplasmosis in Livestock and Pet Animals in Slovakia

“…The rising number of wild boars causes economic losses and may represent a source of dissemination of different diseases. Tissue cysts of T. gondii in meat of different game species are potential sources of human infection [31]. The overall T. gondii seroprevalence in wild boars was 19.8% in the present study and was significantly higher in young animals (37.9%).…”

“…Toxoplasmosis in young animals causes severe damage such as intra-uterine growth restriction, icterus, hepato-splenomegaly, myocarditis, pneumonitis, and various rashes. Neurologic involvement, often prominent, includes chorio-retinitis, hydrocephalus, intracranial calcifications, microcephaly, and seizures [31]. In Europe, anti-T. gondii antibodies were found in 8.1% (26/320) [38] highlight the importance of dogs in the epidemiological chain of the disease, through the habit of ingesting, and rolling in cat feces, thus permitting transmission of oocysts by contact of the contaminated hide.…”

Ecología de enfermedades infecciosas emergentes y conservación de especies silvestres

“…En Chile existen cuatro especies y cuatro subespecies pertenecientes a la familia Mustelidae, además de tres especies de zorros (Canidae) y cinco especies de gatos silvestres (Felidae), todos potenciales huéspedes de estas patologías (Quintana y col 2000). Estas patologías comprometen el sistema inmune y en el caso de los mustélidos predisponen a infecciones secundarias por Pneumocystis carinii y Toxoplasma gondii (Dyer y Schamber 1999, Frank 2001. Un estudio en la cuenca del río Maullín (X Región) determinó un 73,3% de visones (N=30) seropositivos a Toxoplasma gondii, existiendo una asociación positiva con los asentamientos humanos (Sepúlveda 2008).…”

Toxoplasmosis

“…Animals that survive infection harbor tissue cysts, and can, therefore, transmit T. gondii infection to human consumers. Sporadic cases of clinical toxoplasmosis occur in rabbits (Dubey, Brown, and others, 1992a;Leland and others, 1992), squirrels (Soave and Lennette, 1959;Van Pelt and Dieterich, 1972;Dubey and others, 2006;Bangari and others, 2007), mink (Frank, 2001) and pet birds, especially in canaries and finches Dubey, Parnell, and others, 2004). An unusual clinical presentation of toxoplasmosis in canaries is blindness with nearly complete destruction of the eyes .…”