title: Pulmonary infection due to the dassie bacillus (Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex sp.) in a free-living dassie (rock hyrax-Procavia capensis) from South Africa.
abstract: We report a case of extensive necrogranulomatous pneumonia due to infection with the dassie bacillus (Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex sp.) in a free-living pregnant adult female dassie (rock hyrax-Procavia capensis). A juvenile female dassie from the same colony also showed a focal lesion in the lungs suggestive of mycobacterial pneumonia. Our findings indicate the widespread occurrence of the dassie bacillus in free-living dassies and suggest very high infection rates in some populations. The introduction of South African dassies into novel environments should be considered in this light.
authors.affiliation: DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research/MRC Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology/Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Sarah G D
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Quinton
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: William G C
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Horsnell
authors.forename: Tertius A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Gous
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Streicher
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: van Helden
authors.forename: Nicolaas C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Gey van Pittius
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D007043:Hyraxes / Q000382:microbiology*; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013019:South Africa; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*