Fatal gangrenous dermatitis with necrotising cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis associated with clostridial organisms in a captive greater rhea (Rhea americana)
5 affiliations
- 1Graduate Program in Animal Science (PPGCAn), Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil
- 2Center for Agricultural Sciences, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil
- 3Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- 4Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- 5PatoBiology Laboratory, Graduate Program in Animal Science, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Areia, Paraíba, Brazil
Abstract
Clostridial gangrenous dermatitis is an acute, often fatal, necrotising soft-tissue disease well recognised in commercial poultry, but it is rarely documented in non-poultry avian species and has not been reported as a peer-reviewed case in greater rheas (Rhea americana). This report describes a fatal case of gangrenous dermatitis with severe necrotising cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis associated with clostridial organisms in an adult captive female greater rhea. The bird developed acute anorexia, depression, inability to stand, loose stools and a focally extensive, irregular, moderately demarcated lesion in the dorsal pelvic region, characterised by dark-red to black discolouration, multifocal bluish-green areas and feather loss shortly after transport with two other adult rheas, and was submitted for post-mortem examination less than 1 h after death. Grossly, the dorsal pelvic, pericloacal, tail-base and proximal hindlimb regions had extensive necrotising dermatitis, emphysematous cellulitis and fasciitis, and haemorrhagic myonecrosis of the affected skeletal muscle. Histologically, there was severe acute necrotising dermatitis, cellulitis, fasciitis, panniculitis and myonecrosis, with oedema, fibrin, haemorrhage, gas spaces, heterophilic inflammation and numerous bacilli within necrotic subcutaneous and fascial tissues. Impression smears contained numerous rod-shaped bacilli compatible with spore-forming bacteria. Anaerobic culture of affected deep subcutaneous/fascial tissue yielded Clostridium perfringens type A, C. septicum and C. chauvoei, with PCR confirmation performed on bacterial growth/isolates. Histological Gram staining demonstrated Gram-positive rod-shaped bacilli within the necrotic tissue matrix. Aerobic culture and Gram staining of cytological smears were not performed. The findings support a fatal gangrenous dermatitis with necrotising cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis associated with clostridial organisms, although the involvement of aerobic or facultative co-pathogens cannot be completely excluded. This case expands the pathological spectrum of gangrenous soft-tissue disease in ratites and indicates that gangrenous dermatitis with deep cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis should be considered in captive greater rheas with acute emphysematous and necrohaemorrhagic soft-tissue lesions.
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BibTeX
@article{eloy2026fatal,
title = {{Fatal gangrenous dermatitis with necrotising cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis associated with clostridial organisms in a captive greater rhea (Rhea americana)}},
author = {Lilian Rayanne de Castro Eloy and Markyson Tavares Linhares and Hodias Sousa de Oliveira Filho and João Victor Ferreira Campos and Rodrigo Otávio Silveira Silva and Carlos Augusto de Oliveira Junior and Lucas Rannier Ribeiro Antonino Carvalho and Ricardo Barbosa Lucena},
journal = {Frontiers in Veterinary Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fvets.2026.1936302},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1936302},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fatal gangrenous dermatitis with necrotising cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis associated with clostridial organisms in a captive greater rhea (Rhea americana)
AU - Lilian Rayanne de Castro Eloy
AU - Markyson Tavares Linhares
AU - Hodias Sousa de Oliveira Filho
AU - João Victor Ferreira Campos
AU - Rodrigo Otávio Silveira Silva
AU - Carlos Augusto de Oliveira Junior
AU - Lucas Rannier Ribeiro Antonino Carvalho
AU - Ricardo Barbosa Lucena
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Frontiers in Veterinary Science
DO - 10.3389/fvets.2026.1936302
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2026.1936302
AB - Clostridial gangrenous dermatitis is an acute, often fatal, necrotising soft-tissue disease well recognised in commercial poultry, but it is rarely documented in non-poultry avian species and has not been reported as a peer-reviewed case in greater rheas (Rhea americana). This report describes a fatal case of gangrenous dermatitis with severe necrotising cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis associated with clostridial organisms in an adult captive female greater rhea. The bird developed acute anorexia, depression, inability to stand, loose stools and a focally extensive, irregular, moderately demarcated lesion in the dorsal pelvic region, characterised by dark-red to black discolouration, multifocal bluish-green areas and feather loss shortly after transport with two other adult rheas, and was submitted for post-mortem examination less than 1 h after death. Grossly, the dorsal pelvic, pericloacal, tail-base and proximal hindlimb regions had extensive necrotising dermatitis, emphysematous cellulitis and fasciitis, and haemorrhagic myonecrosis of the affected skeletal muscle. Histologically, there was severe acute necrotising dermatitis, cellulitis, fasciitis, panniculitis and myonecrosis, with oedema, fibrin, haemorrhage, gas spaces, heterophilic inflammation and numerous bacilli within necrotic subcutaneous and fascial tissues. Impression smears contained numerous rod-shaped bacilli compatible with spore-forming bacteria. Anaerobic culture of affected deep subcutaneous/fascial tissue yielded Clostridium perfringens type A, C. septicum and C. chauvoei, with PCR confirmation performed on bacterial growth/isolates. Histological Gram staining demonstrated Gram-positive rod-shaped bacilli within the necrotic tissue matrix. Aerobic culture and Gram staining of cytological smears were not performed. The findings support a fatal gangrenous dermatitis with necrotising cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis associated with clostridial organisms, although the involvement of aerobic or facultative co-pathogens cannot be completely excluded. This case expands the pathological spectrum of gangrenous soft-tissue disease in ratites and indicates that gangrenous dermatitis with deep cellulitis, fasciitis and secondary myonecrosis should be considered in captive greater rheas with acute emphysematous and necrohaemorrhagic soft-tissue lesions.
SN - 2297-1769
ER -