Fatal Protozoan Infection of a Young Red-crowned Crane(Grus japonensis)in Captivity

Abstract

A captive 75-day-old male red-crowned crane(EimeriaGrus japonensis)showed sudden weakness and died the day after medical treatment. A hemogram of the crane showed severe leukocytosis. A large number of comma and round shaped protozoan parasites were found in the cytoplasm of the monocytes and/or lymphocytes. The protozoa was similar to Hepatozoon sp.morphologically but it could not be defined because of the possibility of parasitemia caused by Eimeria sp. Pathological changes consisted of severe hepatosplenomegaly. Histopathologically, a focal necrosis in the liver and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the spleen with numerous protozoan parasites were observed. Protozoan infection of cranes must be considered in zoo and wild life management.