Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Sika Deer ( Cervus nippon yesoensis)

Abstract

In the Hokkaido venison inspection project, veterinary inspectors examined 368 deer and found that 8 had pulmonary abnormalities. The affected deer were captured and fed until they were slaughtered. In 7 of the 8 cases, the lesions were single or multiple firm nodules located in the lung parenchyma, and were histologically characterized by a combination of caseous granuloma or caseous necrosis and intralesional Aspergillus-like fungi. In 3 of the 7 cases, the fungi were identified as Aspergillus fumigatus using molecular biological methods. Accordingly, the 7 deer were diagnosed with pulmonary aspergillosis. Based on its frequency among the detected pulmonary lesions and the severity of the advanced cases, it was concluded that aspergillosis is a significant lung disease in deer. Pulmonary aspergillosis lesions can be readily palpated during manual inspections, and appropriate visceral examinations including palpation are necessary to determine the health status of deer for venison.