Arcanobacterium haemolyticum in a badger (Meles meles)

Abstract

A 7.5-kg female European badger (Meles meles) was submitted under the United Kingdom Government's Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme to the Thirsk Regional Laboratory of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency. Postmortem examination revealed a large, poorly encapsulated retropharyngeal abscess full of necrotic debris and pus. Arcanobacterium haemolyticum was isolated from the lymph node and confirmed by phenotypic profiling and 16S ribosomal RNA DNA sequencing. Workers should be aware of the potential for badgers to harbor zoonoses other than those more traditionally associated with the species. © 2011 American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.