168 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1961 



In the report for 1960 it was stated that attempts were being made 

 to develop a diagnostic test for tuberculosis in wild hoofed animals 

 through serum antibodies. Blood samples were obtained from two 

 elands and a giraffe suspected of being infected with this disease. 

 These samples were checked serologically by investigators of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, whose preliminary report indicated that no 

 specific antibodies for the tuberculosis antigen were present in the 

 serums of these animals. Since the samples were examined, all three 

 animals have died with the necropsy diagnosis of pulmonary tuber- 

 culosis. These patliological findings have been supported by reports 

 from Dr. Alfred G. Karlson of the Mayo Foundation, who isolated and 

 identified the bovine variety of the tuberculosis organism from tissues 

 of these animals. 



A lammergeyer, or bearded vulture {Gypaetus harhatiis) , which was 

 acquired from a dealer in West Germany in June 1960, developed 

 wartlike lesions on both feet after one month in the collection. In 

 two more days similar lesions were noticed on the lower lid of the 

 right eye. The left eyelid became involved in another three weeks. 

 The growths were fleshy in nature with no vesicle formation noted, 

 although there did appear to be some secondary infection and dis- 

 charge from the sites. Except for an erratic appetite, which may 

 have been caused by shipment, it was not apparent that this condition 

 had any general debilitating effect on the bird. The largest growth was 

 easily removed from the eyelid for pathological examination; the 

 smaller "nodules" all dropped off after three or four weeks. As this 

 bird was returning to normal, similar lesions were noticed on a king 

 penguin. Again the condition occasioned the bird no distress and dis- 

 appeared in about one month. While the penguin was recovering, a 

 black-footed albatross developed some nodules in and around the beak 

 which disappeared in about six weeks. Finally an xldelie penguin 

 was found with numerous growths around the beak and eyelids. 

 Whereas the aforementioned birds recovered, this penguin died before 

 the lesions had disappeared. The pathologists found pathognomonic 

 evidence of fowl-pox infection in this penguin and in the tissue sub- 

 mitted from the lammergeyer vulture. It is probable that the virus 

 was introduced from the vulture brought from overseas by air ship- 

 ment. The black-footed albatross and the king penguin are also 

 presumed to have been infected with this virus. There has been no 

 subsequent appearance of this condition to date. 



Two three-toed sloths {Brady pus tridactylus) were acquired during 

 the past year from South America : a male, which lived only four days 

 after arriving in poor condition, and a female, which lived from 

 September until February 1961 and produced a baby, which lived for 

 14 days. Both the adult sloths had severe anemias and bone marrow 

 hypoplasia, according to the pathologists' report. 



