Pseudotuberculosis is not just a condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Infection with ''Yersinia pseudotuberculosis'' as a result of direct or indirect contact with infected rodents or wild birds is encountered occasionally. The provision of freshly gathered wild plants or unwashed vegetables must be considered as a source of infection. Clinical signs include cachexia with an enlarged spleen being detected on abdominal palpation. Diagnosis is usually made on post-mortem examination, the organism being isolated from the typical lesions - necrotic foci in the lymphoid tissue of the spleen, caecum and ileo-caecal. Treatment and prevention of spread of the infection to contact animals is by the use of oral fluoroquinolones. Further prevention is via rodent control. | Pseudotuberculosis is not just a condition of the gastrointestinal tract. Infection with ''Yersinia pseudotuberculosis'' as a result of direct or indirect contact with infected rodents or wild birds is encountered occasionally. The provision of freshly gathered wild plants or unwashed vegetables must be considered as a source of infection. Clinical signs include cachexia with an enlarged spleen being detected on abdominal palpation. Diagnosis is usually made on post-mortem examination, the organism being isolated from the typical lesions - necrotic foci in the lymphoid tissue of the spleen, caecum and ileo-caecal. Treatment and prevention of spread of the infection to contact animals is by the use of oral fluoroquinolones. Further prevention is via rodent control. |