SEVERE BACTERIAL BRONCHOPNEUMONIA IN A GROUP OF ORPHANED AMERICAN BLACK BEARS (URSUS AMERICANUS) IN EASTERN TENNESSEE, USA.

Abstract

This case series describes six cases of severe bacterial bronchopneumonia in a mixed-sex group of 9-mon-old American black bear (Ursus americanus) cubs residing in a rehabilitation center in eastern Tennessee. Several months after initial admittance to the rehabilitation center, six cubs were presented to a university teaching hospital with dyspnea, hyporexia, and lethargy of varying degrees of severity. Postmortem evaluation of an individual that died after a diagnostic evaluation revealed severe mucosuppurative bronchopneumonia. Culture of fresh lung tissue yielded a pure culture of Streptococcus gallinaceus. The other five orphaned cubs housed with this individual underwent a diagnostic evaluation and treatment. One bear died 2 d after initiation of treatment, and postmortem evaluation revealed severe bronchopneumonia as the cause of death. Another bear was euthanized after 2 wk of treatment because of significant dyspnea and lethargy. The three remaining bears responded well to treatment and were released back to the wild. Infectious etiologies are rarely a cause of morbidity or mortality in bears at this rehabilitation facility. Streptococcus gallinaceus has been implicated as a cause of septicemia in chickens, and as a zoonotic agent causing septicemia and endocarditis in immunosuppressed humans. The relevance of this suspected etiologic agent in wildlife is currently unknown, with sparse literature on the normal flora of American black bears or other North American carnivores. This case series is the first report of an outbreak of bacterial bronchopneumonia in the American black bear and the first reported death from a contagious disease at this rehabilitation facility since its inception 28 yr ago.