PCR DETECTION OF BARTONELLA SPP. IN RATS (RATTUS RATTUS) AND MICE (APODEMUS SPP.) OF PIANOSA ISLAND, ITALY S. Divari * , P. Pregel * , S. Zanet * , E. Ferroglio * , F. Giannini y , F.E. Scaglione * , A. Grinberg z , B. Biolatti * and E. Bollo * * Department of Veterinary Science, Universita di Torino, y Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano, Italy and z School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, New Zealand Introduction: Bartonellae are gram-negative, vector-borne bacteria that colonize the endothelial and red blood cells of numerous mammalian hosts. About 30% of Bartonella spp. are recognized as zo- onotic or having zoonotic potential and most of these are associated with rodents. Materials and Methods: Isolated ecosystems, such as small islands, are privileged settings to investigate transmission of infection. Pianosa Island (Italy) was selected to study a population of rats and mice that are known to be among the worst invaders. In this study, invasive black rats Rattus rattus (n 5 15) and mice Apodemus spp. (n 5 16) were captured and tested by PCR to detect Bartonella spp. infection. An initial screening for Bartonella spp. DNA using a qPCR protocol was performed, designed using the 16Se23S rDNA interspacer tran- scribed region (ITS) locus short fragment. Loci codifying for citrate synthetase (gltA) and for long ITS fragment were used to identify species and an end-point PCR protocol was applied. Results: Bartonella spp. were confirmed in 25 out of 31 animals (80.6%) by short ITS fragment sequencing. In particular, eight of 25 Bartonella spp.-positive samples yielded bands on gels consistent with the other two loci, and by sequencing B. coopersplainsensis, Can- didatus B. mastomydis, B. henselae and B. queenslandensis were identified. Conclusions: The present investigation shows a broad distribution of Bartonella spp. in an isolated population of rodents. This study is important to evaluate the role of rodents as reservoirs for zoonotic Bartonella spp., since people and rodents often share the same habitats in many parts of the world. A CASE OF PROTOZOAL ABORTION IN MUSKOX (OVIBOS MOSCHATUS): TOXOPLASMOSIS OR NEOSPOROSIS? T.K. Jensen National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark Introduction: The muskox (Ovibos moschatus), is an Arctic ruminant of the family Bovidae. Muskoxen primarily live in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. Small groups of animals are furthermore kept in zoological and wildlife parks. As members of the subfamily Caprinae of the family Bovidae, muskoxen are more closely related to sheep and goats than to cattle; however, they are placed in their own genus, Ovi- bos. In ruminants, protozoa are a common cause of infectious abortion with two species being the most important: Toxoplasma gondii and Neo- spora caninum. Both species are well known to cause identical multi- focal, necrotizing encephalitis, myocarditis and hepatitis, but neosporosis principally affects cattle while toxoplasmosis primarily af- fects small ruminants. Materials and Methods: The case was submitted from a zoological park and handled according to standard ruminant abortion proced- ures. Necropsy examination was undertaken and bacteriology and histopathology was performed on organ samples. In addition, detec- tion of T. gondii and N. caninum was performed by IF. Results: The calf, a male, measured 52 cm crownerump length. No significant gross lesions were observed. A little white debris was seen on some of the cotyledons. Histopathologically, several small non-sup- purative foci of necrosis were found throughout the white matter of the brain. In addition, diffuse, non-suppurative myocarditis and interstitial hepatitis was found. In the placenta, multiple, non-suppu- rative foci were seen in the cotyledons. Using IF, multiple tachyzoites labelling positive for T. gondii were detected in affected organs. Conclusions: The lesion type and profile were consistent with a pro- tozoal aetiology and the diagnosis was confirmed by detection of T. gondii tachyzoites by IF. TOXOPLASMA GONDII CAUSING DEATH IN A CAPTIVE SPECKLED MOUSEBIRD (COLIUS STRAITUS) J. Estruch * , M. Cuvertoret * , Y. Feltrer y , H. Fern andez Bellon y and A. Ramis * * Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Facultat de Veterinaria and y Parc Zoologic de Barcelona, Spain Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii infections are prevalent in many spe- cies of warm-blooded animals including birds and people, and can cause fatal disease. The speckled mousebird (Colius striatus) belongs to the order of the Coliiforms, endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa, in which toxoplasmosis has never been described. Materials and Methods: An adult (3-year-old) male speckled mousebird (Colius striatus) was found dead in its enclosure at the Parc Zoologic de Barcelona without clinical signs. The post-mortem examination was performed in the zoo facilities. Selected tissues were submitted for routine histopathological study. Suspected toxo- plasmosis was investigated by IHC on multiple tissue sections for Toxoplasma spp. antigen, by PCR on liver and leg muscle for detection of the Toxoplasma gondii B1 gene, as well as by transmission electron microscopy on liver lesions for observation of intracytoplasmic proto- zoal structures. Results: On gross examination, the bird was in poor bodily condi- tion and had generalized multifocal white spots in a random pattern on the serosal and cut surfaces of the liver and lung. On histopatho- logical examination, multifocal lytic necrotic areas surrounded by heterophilic and macrophagic inflammatory infiltrate, multinucle- ated cells and intralesional protozoan cysts within epithelial cells and macrophages were observed in liver, lung, intestine, myocardium and brain. IHC confirmed the presence of Toxoplasma spp. antigen and the PCR was positive on both tissues tested for T. DNA. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. gondii infection in a speckled mousebird (Colius striatus). PRELIMINARY DATA REGARDING SYNDROMIC SURVEILLANCE IN CAPTIVE WILD WATERFOWL M. Siteavu, L. Darie, L. Dumitru, G. Dinescu and E. Ciobotaru University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Romania Introduction: Syndromic surveillance can be used for early detec- tion of outbreaks, by identifying disease clusters before diagnoses are confirmed. The importance of necropsy examination as a means of diagnosis in wild birds is linked with their role in transmitting in- fectious diseases. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 10 wild waterfowl from the microreservation of the Natural Sciences Museum Complex Constanta, Romania: two mute swans (Cygnus olor), one ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), two red-breasted geese (Branta ru- ficollis), two gadwalls (Anas strepera), two mandarin ducks (Aix galeri- culata) and two tufted ducks (Aythya fuligula). Necropsy examination was performed on each of the aforementioned cases, followed by sam- pling for routine histopathology. The findings were used for syn- dromic classification based on the pathological profile. Results: Five syndromes were identified. Amyotrophy, gallbladder dilation and intestinal atrophy were consistent with exhaustion syn- drome. Within the miscellaneous syndrome, the lesions were more diverse and included ascites, acute myocarditis, panophthalmitis, cataract and nematode larvae in the gizzard. Right heart dilation, ecchymosis and petechiae, together with liver and spleen congestion, led to the cardiovascular syndrome. A penetrating wound inflicted to the coelomic cavity, hepatic rupture and haemoperitoneum indicated a traumatic syndrome. Hepatic and splenic amyloidosis, hepatic ne- crosis and chronic nephritis led to the syndrome of chronic disease of the liver, spleen and kidney. Conclusions: After the syndromic classification, exhaustion syn- drome, miscellaneous syndrome, cardiovascular syndrome and trau- matic syndrome were represented by one case, respectively. For syndrome of chronic disease of the liver, spleen and kidney, there were six cases. J. Comp. Path. 2019, Vol. 166, 123e151 ESVP, ESTP and ECVP Proceedings 2017 141