Figure 5-26 Ultrasound image showing fl uid collection within
the gular pouch.
bacterial species do pose a zoonotic risk and should be
characterized.
Culture samples should be collected from any abnormal
lesions or fl uids, abnormal organs identifi ed on postmortem,
and for blood culture (tryptic soy broth or thioglycollate
broth). Skin lesion cultures may lead to the characterization of
an organism, although more commonly, superfi cial surface
samples can be diffi cult to interpret as they are frequently
overwhelmed by contaminants. Deep integumentary swabs are
recommended. Avoid the perimeter of the skin when swabbing
a lesion. Alternately, a second culture of normal skin can be
taken as a comparison, but this may not be practical under
some circumstances. Fecal culture is often unrewarding (unless
it is a pure culture of a single organism) because the indigenous
fl ora can include Salmonella sp., Aeromonas sp.,24 and other
bacteria considered to be opportunistic pathogens. If any bacterial
epizootic occurs in a collection, consider culturing the
soil, food, and water to identify a potential source of the
Infections.