Abstract:
Avian mycobacteriosis (AM) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mycobacterium avium complex
(MAC), which can spread from avians to other farmed animals such as cattle and pigs as
well as to humans. This study is the first report of granulomatous inflammation, as a result of
avian mycobacteriosis, in the follicular pharyngeal tonsils of a farmed ostrich. The head of an
apparently healthy farmed adult ostrich was obtained after slaughter. Each pharyngeal fold
displayed a large tissue mass. This tissue was routinely prepared for light microscopy and
stained with haematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid Schiff, Grocott methenamine silver, Gram
and Ziehl-Neelsen. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were
performed to identify Mycobacterium spp. and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, respectively.
Histologically, the tissue masses consisted of confluent mature micro-granulomata that
were characterised by central caseous necrosis surrounded by multinucleated giant cells,
macrophages and lymphoid cells and an outer mature fibrous connective tissue capsule.
Within some foci of caseous necrosis were variably sized colonies of small, Gram-negative,
acid-fast bacilli, which showed positive IHC labelling for Mycobacterium spp., leading to a
presumptive diagnosis of AM. PCR thus proved useful in excluding the presence of notifiable
Mycobacterium spp. The significance and role of the pharyngeal tonsils of ratites in diseases
such as AM warrant specific attention. Moreover, as ratites are known to present with AM
infections with apparently no visible loss in body condition, as presumably occurred in the
present case, it is imperative that unusual masses in apparently healthy ratites be thoroughly
investigated.
