Pasteurella multocida Infections in Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) from Campbell Island, New Zealand Author(s): G. W. de Lisle, W. L. Stanislawek, and P. J. Moors Source: Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 26(2):283-285. Published By: Wildlife Disease Association URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.7589/0090-3558-26.2.283

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Journal

of Wildlife

Diseases,

26(2). Disease

© Wildlife

Pasteurella

multocida

Infections

(Eudyptes

chrysocome)

from

in Rockhopper Campbell

1990,

pp.

Association

283-285 1990

Penguins

Island,

New

Zealand

G. W. de Lisle,’

W. L. Stanislawek,’ and P. J. Moors,2 ‘Central Animal Health Laboratory, Wallaceville Animal Centre, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, P.O. Box 40-063, Upper Hutt, New Zealand; 2 Science and Directorate, Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 10-420, Wellington, New Zealand

Research Research

ABSTRACT:

During

population

an

decline

investigation

and

the (EuNew

into

of rockhopper

penguins

dyptes chrysocome) on Campbell Island, Zealand, avian cholera (Pasteu rella multocida) was found in dead adults and chicks. An RNA enveloped

virus

a tick

which

isolated

Ixodes

from parasitizes

known No

on

virus

was

obtained

to

the

principal

cause

hopper

penguin

Key dyptes

words: chrysoconie,

multocida,

suggest

hopper in the 1940’s breeding

the

avian

whether evidence

cholera

decline

was

in the

Rockhopper

rock-

field

avian cholera, study.

Pasteurella

(Eudyptes region.

there were penguins

probably on the

chrysocome) During

now

100,000

only

about

breed

there.

Moors

pen-

rockhopper (1986)

suggested

in colonies and

which

numbers are

have

inaccessible

the

of 1985-1986 changes in the

food

disease

supply

decline in concentrated feeding

and

were

of adults, and

full

significance

of

of penguin

Penguin Bay to deterof P. inultocida as a mortality

study

area

on

and

to examine

of other bacteria, The remoteness of

the

western

Island severely of specimens for

coast

of

hampered microbiological

the

declined to sheep

zen

within

start

of

invespenguins’

24 hr of collection. the

in the Penguin with brodifacoum

of the

breeding Bay

season colonies (Talon,

Prior

to the

Norway

rats

were Imperial

poisoned Chem-

ical Industries Ltd., Wellington, New Zealand) to reduce scavenging of penguin carcasses and possible predation on newly hatched chicks.

bird numbers. These studies on the breeding success and

habits

The

of five from observed in before they

examinations, especially virus isolation. Formalin fixed tissues were collected from all birds at necropsy but fresh samples were taken only when the samples could be fro-

we

causes

dead.

conducted at the significance

Campbell collection

people.

In the summer tigated whether

found

birds for the presence viruses and parasites.

of the diet of cats (Dilks, 1979) indicated that predation was not a significant probpenguin

chicks

illness. Most were in apparent condition, often with full stomAt necropsy the chicks had extensive of hemorrhage in the pectoral and muscles. Pasteurella multocida was

cause

dation by introduced Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and feral house cats; (2) disturbance of colonies by feral sheep or humans; (3) disease; or (4) marine factors affecting the food supply. Observations of the rats (Moors, 1986) and previous studies

Also,

body

was mine

several possible causes for the reduction in penguin numbers. These included (1) pre-

lem.

dead

these P. multocida infections was not determined because birds were not examined for viruses and parasites, and there was only limited histological examination of tissues. The following summer an investigation

>1,000,000 island (Moors,

during the last 40 yr there decline in numbers and

guins

a short

good

were the

1986). However, has been a marked

Many

fected chicks were in a group neighboring nests. They were apparent good health the day

Island (52#{176}33’S,169#{176}09’E) forthe largest population of rock-

penguins Australasian

of chicks.

isolated in pure culture using previously described procedures (Weaver et al., 1985) from the lungs of an adult and seven of the 12 chicks sampled. Three of these in-

Eu-

penguin,

after achs. areas thigh

population.

virus,

Campbell merly had

that

for

uriae,

rockhopper

the island. It is not is virulent for penguins.

penguins

this

was

commonly

survival

and a few dead adults were found in the main study colony on the west coast of the island at Penguin Bay. These birds died

the growth 283

284

JOURNAL

OF WILDLIFE

In the 1986-1987 number of deaths study vious 42

area year.

of

was less Necropsies

chicks.

The

DISEASES,

VOL. 26, NO. 2, APRIL

breeding chicks

in

than that of the were conducted

majority due

of

appeared trauma,

to be predation

lonnbergi) numbers

and starvation. of P. multocida

to of

these

blood that

smears from both chicks, they were bacteraemic

These Rimler Agriculture,

of

from two chicks. Gram negwere present in peripheral

isolates (United Ames,

were States Iowa

indicating when they

serotyped by Department 50010, USA)

belonging to the capsule serogroup somatic serotype 1 . This is the nant serotype involved in epornitics an cholera (Heddleston

deaths

However large were isolated in

culture bacteria

B.

preon

a combination skuas (Catharacta

pure ative

died.

season the the main

in wildfowl et al., 1972;

R. of as

A and predomiof avi-

in North America Zinkl et al., 1977).

The most striking histological change in the chicks infected with P. multocida was in the spleen which contained multiple colonies of bacteria, approximately 50 jm in diameter. rounded by only nies

These a zone

colonies of necrotic

small numbers of bacteria and

matory

response

of an

also

liver and small intestine. er and less numerous

were tissue

heterophils. associated

were They than

present were those

surand

Coloinflamin the smallin the

spleen. These are features of an acute bacterial septicemia. Tissue samples were collected from five freshly dead rockhopper penguins (three adults, one subadult, one chick) in two other colonies on the southwestern coast of Campbell Island, been poisoned. colonies prevented ervation amination.

where the rats had not The remoteness of these the collection and pres-

of samples However,

for

microbiological each of these

expen-

guins had histopathological lesions similar to those from which P. multocida had been isolated and seemed to have died of septicaemia. The apparent higher prevalence of the disease in these colonies suggested the possibility that mortalities associated

the

number of penguin with P. multocida in

1990

the 1987

study may

area have

at Penguin been affected

Bay in 1986by reduction

of the rat population by poisoning. Norway rats have been recorded as reservoirs of P. multocida (Curtis, 1983), but isolates were not obtained from the bacteriological examination in 1986-1987. (P.

This is the multocida)

of

13 rats

first in

from

Penguin

Bay

report of avian cholera rockhopper penguins.

However, this pathogen has been isolated from brown skuas in Antarctica (Parmelee et a!., 1979) and is known to cause sporadic epornitics with high mortalities in waterfowl from North America (Montgomery et a!., 1979; Zinkl et a!., 1977). Pasteurella multocida rockhopper or it could

could be a natural infection in penguins on Campbell Island, have been introduced with the

rats, domestic poultry, cats, dogs and/or livestock which are now, or were once, prevalent on the island. ples

Viruses taken

were not isolated from during the summer

1987 from healthy However, an RNA nm diameter) was ticks (Ixodes uriae)

the samof 1986-

chicks or dying birds. enveloped virus (100 isolated from a pool of collected from moult-

ing subadult penguins. These monly parasitize rockhopper (Dumbleton,

1953).

isolated lected

four of 12 pools of ticks colthe following summer. These

from during

isolates are serologically rona virus

A

ticks compenguins

similar

morphologically distinct from, causing infectious

virus

similar to, but the avian cobronchitis.

The significance of this virus disease in penguins has not mined. from

I.

Arboviruses uriae

(Doherty

et

1985) but naturally

they were occurring

collected

in

Island eyed gave

a!.,

also from 1975;

February

as a cause of been deter-

have been MacQuarie St.

was

isolated Island

George

et

a!.,

not associated with a disease of birds. Sera 1988

from 15 rockhopper penguins (Megadyptes no antibody response

at

Campbell

and

18 yellowantipodes) to infectious

bronchitis virus, reticuloendotheliosis rus, Newcastle disease virus, infectious yngotracheitis virus, avian encepha!omy-

vilar-

SHORT COMMUNICM1ONS

elitis

virus,

avian

influenza,

infectious

pox virus or ticks. Rockhopper multocida rate colonies

bursal

disease

Marek’s

disease

virus

isolated

the

penguins

infected

Island.

We

the

with

expect

the

infec-

1983.

ord DILKS,

J.

P.

1979.

cats

on

of

Ecology

DOHERTY,

R.

L., B.

Isolation

of

MacQuarie

brown

poultry.

Veterinary on

Island.

Group)

H.

from Island,

28

In-

pp.

L. LEIBOVITZ,

1972. of

birds

C.

,

Serological

and

Pasteurella

mu!-

and

on

the

V.

STEIN,

The

poultry. D.

1978

Avian

STOTTS,

AND

epornitic

Chesapeake

1986.

Decline

penguins

Bay. in

at Campbell

of aviAvian

Dis-

numbers

of

Island.

Polar

rock-

Rec-

69-73.

J.MAXSON,

D. F., S.

14:

N. P. BERNSTEIN.

AND

168-169.

T. D., R. L.

GEORGE,

N.

AND

BROTLIERS.

boviruses Bunyavirus

a new

from

Ixodidae)

(Ixodoidea:

land,

J.CASALS,

1985.

including

Australia,

J. C.

DOHERTY,

A. BRESCIA,

The

CARLEY,

D. H. KEMP, isolation

Flavivirus

of

and

ar-

a new

Ixodes (Ceratixodes) uriae collected at MacQuarie Is-

1975-79.

The

American

Journal

Medicine and Hygiene 34: 406-412. WEAVER, R. E., D. C. HOLLIS, AND E. J. BOTTONE. 1985. Gram-negative fermentative bacteria and Francisella tularensis. In Manual of clinical microbiology, W.

Rec-

New

the

food

Zealand

J.

4th

Hausler,

ican Society

of feral

pp. ZINKL,

Journal

ed., and

E.

M.

CARLEY, AND

R.

D.

DOMROW.

(Kemerovo

Ixodes Southern

uriae Ocean.

A.

MURRAY,

Group,

1975. Sak-

collected The

at Amer-

an

Lennette,

A. Balows,

(eds.). Washington,

for Microbiology,

AmerD.C.,

309-329.

J. C., N.

J. M.

DEY,

cholera

in

Phelps

County,

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Received

H.

J. Shadomy

H.

K. L. HEDDLESTON.

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and

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GOODSON,

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of the

729-734. R. D.

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Pasteurella rat (Rattus

of

the

Observations

J. C.

New

SETTLE.

States

2: 64-66.

J. MAIN. hahn

from

Campbell

of

L. , T.

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CITED

to domestic

and

of Tropical

Transmission

infection

Research,

PARMELEE,

J.

E.

dustrial

ord

acknowledged.

P.

14.

tocida

Southern for the laboratory exThe assistance of D. Tisdall

rnultocida norvegicus)

Number

biochemical

penguin numbers is this pathogen. Investiinto a link between

LITERATURE CURTIS,

Medicine

1953.

Zealand

AND

typing the isolates of P. multocida, Duncan Cunningham, Peter Moore, Roger Moffat and Graeme Taylor for field assistance

is gratefully

J.

L.

New

HEDDLESTON,

sepacoast

the reduction in numbers of penguins and changes in the marine environment around the island. The authors thank R. B. Rimler, United States Department of Agriculture for sero-

and Anne aminations.

of Tropical

DUMBLETON,

P.

tion to be present to some degree in all colonies on the island. However, at present we have no evidence to suggest that the decline in rockhopper due principally to gations are continuing

Journal

24: 531-536.

fowl

from

have been found in four along about 4 km of the

of Campbell

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virus,

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AND

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