Chlamydiosis in a springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis)

Chlamydiosis was diagnosed in a 3-month-old springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) on a farm where 46 out of 65 springbok died over a period of 3 months. Nervous signs, which included circling, opisthotonus, loss of balance, recumbency and intermittent paddling movements of the legs were seen in lambs and adult animals. Gross lesions consisted of a fibrinous peri- and epicarditis and interstitial nephritis, while the microscopical lesions were characterised by multifocal encephalomyelitis and meningitis, interstitial pneumonia, and vasculitis in the brain, spinal cord and myocardium. Colonies of suspected chlamydial organisms were seen in a few mononuclear cells and tubular epithelium in the kidneys. Ultrastructurally the colonies were composed of 3 morphological types of particles, consistent with the different stages in the life cycle of the chlamydiae.