Disseminated Tuberculosis in Captive Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus)

Abstract

Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an important zoonotic disease that concerns the survival of endangered species and public health aspects. A 17-year-old, female Malayan tapir from a zoo in Thailand died with a sign of panting after anesthesia for the treatment of her oral problems. Grossly, multiple caseous white nodules were scattered throughout the parenchyma and bulged from the capsular surface in affected organs such as
lung, lymph node and liver. Histologic examination revealed multifocal to coalescing granulomas characterized by caseous necrotic center, loosely organized inflammatory zone with low numbers of Langhans’s giant cells and thin fibrotic zone. A few acid fast bacilli were found within the multinucleated giant cells at the periphery of the granulomas. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified from affected organs using specific Rv1970 PCR primer. The
aim of this study is to report a rare case of disseminated tuberculosis caused by M. tuberculosis in a captive Malayan tapir.