Abstract
Case report: The clinical and laboratory findings in an orphanedjuvenile female platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) that presentedwith a severe anaemia and tick infestation are reported. The animaldeveloped a terminal septicaemia and died. Antemortem clinicalpathology, postmortem histopathology and 18S rDNA sequencingsupported a diagnosis of extravascular haemolytic anaemia secondaryto Theileria ornithorhynchi infection. Conclusion: Although T. ornithorhynchi infection is common inthe platypus, this is the first case in which it has been shown tocause a haemolytic anaemia in this species and molecularcharacterisation of the organism has been described. A review ofthe previous literature concerning T. ornithorhynchi and possibletreatment options for future cases are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 443-449 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Australian Veterinary Journal |
Volume | 92 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2014 |