AN OUTBREAK OF TUBERCULOSIS IN A CAPTIVE HERD OF ARABIAN ORYX (ORYX LEUCORYX) - MANAGEMENT

An outbreak of tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in a herd of Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) was managed by sanitary and medical measures. The sanitary measures included the isolation of infected animals, the monitoring of animals with a range of diagnostic tests and the hand-rearing of the progeny of the infected herd. All the infected oryx mere treated with a mixture of isoniazid at 10 mg/kg bodyweight, ethambutol hydrochloride at 15 mg/kg bodyweight and rifampicin at 10 mg/kg bodyweight administered daily in the drinking mater. These measures resulted in the cessation of mortalities, a decrease in the numbers of moderate and high risk animals and the production of tuberculosis-free animals for reintroduction into the mild.