Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection in an Indian Flap-Shelled Turtle (Lissemys punctata punctata)

概要

論文の詳細を見る
We report an atypical mycobacterial infection in an Indian flap-shelled turtle, Lissemys punctata punctata, that died in an aquarium in Japan. At necropsy, the turtle showed multiple white nodules on the capsular surface and parenchyma of various organs such as the liver, spleen, intestine, and lung. Histologically, granulomatous inflammation surrounding a central zone of necrosis was observed. Sections stained by the Ziehl-Neelsen method revealed numerous acid-fast bacilli within intracellular macrophages and the area of central necrosis. The organisms were identified as a mycobacterial species by PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis and revealed 98–100% homology to M. ulcerans. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of mycobacteriosis due to M. ulcerans in a turtle.