PROVENTRICULITIS AND VENTRICULITIS ASSOCIATED WITH ZYGOMYCOSIS IN OSTRICH CHICKS

This report describes eight cases of proventriculitis and ventriculiti s in ostrich chicks less than 2 months old. Clinical signs included ac ute onset of lethargy and anorexia in three cases, and chronic weight loss with lethargy and anorexia in four cases; no history was availabl e in one case. There was limited antibiotic therapy in two cases; a th ird case was treated for giardiasis. Concurrent bacterial, yeast, and viral infections were common. Lymphoid depletion and/or necrosis of bu rsa, thymus, and spleen suggested severe immune challenge or immunosup pression in many cases. Histologically, there was severe ulcerative pr oventriculitis and ventriculitis with intralesional fungal hyphae. In two chicks with granulomatous pneumonia, similar fungal hyphae were al so observed in the lung. Fungal hyphae were rarely septate, with irreg ular, non-parallel walls, and ranged in diameter from 7 to 20 mum. Occ asional globoid distentions of the hyphae were present. Fungi were ide ntified morphologically as species in the Zygomycetes class; in one ca se a Mucor sp. was cultured. Zygomycetes appear to be potentially seri ous opportunistic pathogens of ostrich chicks.