Abstract
C. Odocoileus adenovirus 1
B. Prion protein
C. Dictyocaulus eckerti
B. Yersinia pestis
Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is a Gram negative, facultative, non-spore-forming coccobacillus. There are 3 main forms of plague: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Mule deer exhibit a unique ocular form of plague characterized by severe, fibrinonecrotizing and suppurative panophthalmitis, with colonies of coccobacilli. Plague is a zoonotic agent, and this atypical presentation in mule deer is one example of why personnel working with wildlife must always take precautions to prevent exposures to zoonotic diseases. Deer with OHV-2, Moraxella ovis, and Trueperella pyogenes infections can also have ocular lesions but are not characterized by panophthalmitis.
Reference: Edmunds DR, Williams ES, O’Toole D, et al. Ocular plague (Yersinia pestis) in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) from Wyoming and Oregon. J Wildl Dis. 2008;
Contributor: Christina Stevens, Colorado State University
Photo Credit: Karen Fox, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
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