ISOLATION OF BRUCELLA-MELITENSIS FROM ALPINE IBEX

Eleven alpine ibex (Capra ibex) and 27 chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) f rom Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy) were examined in March 1996. A 7-yr-old ibex buck had thick-walled carpal joints and enlargement of the right testicle characterized by necrosis and fibrosis. Microscopic ally, testicular lesions were characterized by large areas of necrosis , fibrosis with irregular aggregates of macrophages and lymphocytes, a nd scattered foci of suppuration. Specimens of the carpal bursae and t esticle were cultured in serum dextrose agar and serum dextrose antibi otic plates. A Gram-negative coccobacillus was isolated from the testi cle and subsequently identified as Brucella melitensis biotype 2. This is the first recognized case of brucellosis in alpine ibex.