Pleurisy and pericarditis in a white-tailed deer

Authors: Andrews JRH
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 20, Issue 10, pp 194, Oct 1972
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Deer, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Alimentary system/gastroenterology, Circulatory system/haematology, Notifiable organisms/exotic disease, Nematode, Parasites - internal, Pneumonia/pleurisy, Disease/defect, Respiratory system, Infectious disease
Article class: Correspondence

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Abstract: In the course of an investigation into the parasites of wild ruminants in New Zealand, the writer had the opportunity of examining six white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from the Lake Wakatipu herd. One of these, a yearling, was in such poor conbition that it was able to be caught by hand. The animal was small for its age and was very thin, with the ribcage showing clearly through the skin. On autopsy, well established pleurisy and pericarditis with adhesions between the lung and chest wall and between the pericardium and the heart were observed. The pleural surfaces were dry and hyperaemic; the pericardium contained a clear greenish fluid, and the heart was covered with strands of fibrinous exudate. These lesions were considered to be several weeks old….

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