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1 July 2006 Plague as a Mortality Factor in Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Reintroduced to Colorado
Margaret A. Wild, Tanya M. Shenk, Terry R. Spraker
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Abstract

As part of a species recovery program, 129 Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) originating from British Columbia, the Yukon, Manitoba, and Quebec, Canada, and Alaska, USA, were reintroduced to southwestern Colorado, USA, from 1999 to 2003. Of 52 lynx mortalities documented by October 2003, six lynx, including a female and her 5-mo-old kitten, had evidence of Yersinia pestis infection as determined by fluorescent antibody test and/or culture. Postmortem findings in these lynx were characterized by pneumonia, ranging from acute suppurative pneumonia, to multifocal necrotizing pneumonia, to fibrinous bronchopneumonia. Histopathologic examination of lung revealed multiple areas of inflammation and consolidation, areas of edema and hemorrhage, and bacteria surrounded by extensive inflammation. Spleens had severe lymphoid depletion and hypocellular red pulp. Lymphadenomegaly was observed in only one plagueaffected lynx. We hypothesize that these Canada lynx were exposed to Y. pestis by infected prey, and these are the first reports of plague in this species.

Wild, Shenk, and Spraker: Plague as a Mortality Factor in Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Reintroduced to Colorado
Margaret A. Wild, Tanya M. Shenk, and Terry R. Spraker "Plague as a Mortality Factor in Canada Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Reintroduced to Colorado," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 42(3), 646-650, (1 July 2006). https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-42.3.646
Received: 8 September 2005; Published: 1 July 2006
KEYWORDS
Canada lynx
Lynx canadensis
mortality factors
plague
Yersinia pestis
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