Published Date: 2000-07-07 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH> Trypanosomiasis, bengal tigers - India (Orissa)
Archive Number: 20000707.1131

TRYPANOSOMIASIS, BENGAL TIGERS - INDIA (ORISSA)
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[1]
Date: 5 Jul 2000 09:52:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: Cara Johnson <caraboo@rocketmail.com>, Lynn Caporale
<lcaporale@nyc.rr.com>, and Marjorie P. Pollack <pollackmp@mindspring.com>
Source: Associated Press, 5 Jul 2000 [edited]

NEW DELHI, India -- Ten Royal Bengal tigers died at an Indian zoo and more
are struggling for life in a case baffling veterinarians. The cause of the
deaths was not immediately known.
Workers at Nandankanan Zoo said the tigers had been suffering from jaundice
and were given medication on empty stomachs.
S.C. Sharma, a wildlife expert, said the tigers could be suffering from a
bacterial infection spread by tsetse flies. He said crowding at the zoo
could have resulted in poor hygiene, which spreads the infection.
Veterinarians were reportedly prescribing anitbiotics to the animals.
The Nandankanan Zoo, in Bhubaneshwar, capital of Orissa state, has India's
largest collection of Royal Bengal tigers and the world's largest
collection of white tigers, the United News of India reported.
The 10 dead animals were among 17 tigers vaccinated on Monday. The 7 others
remained in critical condition Wednesday.
--
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[The article refers to "a bacterial infection caused by tsetse flies".
Could they be referring to trypanosomiasis (not bacterial)? - MPP and Mod.TG]
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[2]
Date: 6 Jul 2000 06:29:16 -0400
From: Marjorie P. Pollack <pollackmp@mindspring.com> and M. Cosgriff
<mcosgriff@hotmail.com>
Source: AP Online, and The DallasNews.com, 6 Jul 2000, [edited]

11th Bengal Tiger Dies in India
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BHUBANESHWAR, India -- Another Royal Bengal tiger died of sleeping sickness
Thursday, raising the death toll to 11 in an eastern Indian zoo known for
the world's largest collection of white tigers, a top state official said.
After the first tiger died 23 Jun 2000, veterinarians administered
antibiotics to some of the remaining 55 tigers in the zoo's collection.
On Wednesday, 9 of them, including 7 rare white tigers, died one by one at
the Nandankanan Zoo in this capital of southeastern Orissa state. The 11th
tiger died Thursday morning and 6 were being treated at the zoo hospital,
including 2 in critical condition, said a top state official.
Veterinarians found the animals had contracted sleeping sickness, or
trypanosomiasis, an illness spread by tsetse flies.
The zoo housed 56 Royal Bengal tigers, including 32 whites, before the
deaths began.
S.K. Patnaik, chief wildlife warden at the zoo, said preliminary necropsies
indicated all the tigers died of the same disease, despite the antibiotics.
"It's a curable disease provided it is diagnosed early. In this case, it
was very difficult to find out if they were sick," said Dr. B.K. Das, a
veterinary surgeon at the zoo.
The zoo has been struggling to care for its animals since a devastating
cyclone hit the area last year.
S.C. Sharma, a wildlife expert, said crowding at the zoo in one of India's
poorest states could have resulted in poor hygiene, which spread the infection.
The government set up a committee of experts from several veterinary
colleges in the state to try to save the other tigers.
The National Geographic Society estimates that while 100 000 tigers roamed
free at the turn of the century, only 5 000 to 7 000 exist in the wild
today, about half in India.
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[The group of diseases caused by protozoa of the genus _ Trypanosoma_
affects all domestic animals and a variety of wild animals as well as
humans. Some infections with _Trypanosoma_ species can be transmitted by
the tsetse fly.
Severity of disease varies with species and age of the animal infected and
the species of trypanosome involved. The incubation period is usually 1 to
4 weeks. The primary clinical signs are intermittent fever, anemia and
weight loss.
A presumptive diagnosis is based on finding an anemic animal in poor
condition in an endemic area. Confirmation depends on demonstrating
trypanosomes in stained blood smears or wet mounts.
Several drugs can be used in the treatment. The drugs used would depend
upon the species being treated. Drug resistance occurs and should be
considered in refractory cases.
Control is ideally achieved by combining methods to reduce the tsetse
challenge and by enhancing host resistance with prophylactic drugs. - Mod.TG]
...............................tg/ds
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