Abdominal Hernia in a Moose from Alaska

Received for publication 10 May 1982. 26 puffins inhabiting the Honn#{248}ya Island. Neither Yersinia enterocolitica nor Salmonella spp. were encountered in this study. All isolates, except one, belonged to the biotype NARTC (Nalidixic Acid Resistant Thenmophilic Campylobactens) proposed by Skinnow and Benjamin (Skirrow and Benjamin, 1980a, J. Clin. Pathol. 33: 1122). One puffin harbored two distinct biotypes (NARTC and C. coli). NARTC strains have occasionally been recovered from human clinical specimens, but the clinical significance is dubious (Skirnow and Benjamin, 1980b, J. Hyg. Camb. 85: 427=442). This biotype, however, seems to be prevalent among binds associated with marine ecosystems (Kapperud and Rosef, unpubi. data; Skirrow and Benjamin, 1980b, op. cit.). The adult puffins examined were apparently healthy when captured. There is some evidence, however, that juvenile birds are more susceptible to campylobacteniosis than adults (Ruiz-Palacios et al., 1981, Infect. Immun. 34: 250=255). A causal relationship between chick mortality and campylobacter infection cannot be established at the present time. The critical factor responsible for the mortality was most probably a substantial reduction in the food supply (Lid, 1980, op. cit.). However, the possibility that bacterial infections may have contributed to increased mortality cannot be excluded. Latent infections may become manifest under conditions of stress due to starvation.