TAPIR FIELD VETERINARY MANUAL - Tapir Specialist Group

Non-Infectious Diseases
“Vesicular Dermatitis”. Research of the condition termed “vesicular dermatitis” currently
occurring in captive tapirs. A syndrome termed “vesicular dermatitis” was first described by
Finnegan et al. (1993). Although the syndrome continues to affect captive tapirs, its etiology
has not been identified yet. Ideally, skin biopsies of affected areas should be collected and
preserved in 10% buffered formalin. A histopathologic examination of the samples is
necessary to diagnose this syndrome.
Iron Storage Disease (in captive tapirs). There is some evidence that the iron levels in
captive tapirs are significantly higher than in their free-ranging counterparts (Dr. Don Paglia,
pers. comm.). This may potentially be the same situation for black rhinos. In order to
elucidate whether this is a pathologic condition in captive tapirs, histopathologic evaluation of
tapir’s liver is recommended.
Parasitic and Rickettsial Diseases
Ectoparasites. The identification of ectoparasites such as ticks and flies in free-living tapirs
may permit the establishment of the interaction between tapirs and livestock. If this interaction
occurs, then the risk of mutual transmission of diseases may exist and sudden outbreaks of
unusual diseases in both tapirs and livestock that may lead to high mortalities may occur. It is
also possible to identify those parasitic genera that naturally infest tapirs. Furthermore, their
analysis may help in the establishment of the role of tapirs as potential reservoirs of some
diseases.
Endoparasites. As with the ectoparasites, endoparasites may be studied in order to identify
those that naturally infest tapirs, and differentiate between those that were acquired from
livestock. In the same way there are some parasites potentially highly pathogenic, in which
cycles the tapirs may play an important role. This is the case of Toxoplasma sp., whose high
prevalence has been reported in free-ranging ungulates from French Guiana. Since prevalence
was significantly linked to ground-dwelling behavior of animals (de Thoisy et al. 2003), tapirs
may be infected.
Rickettsial Diseases and Hemoparasites. Free-ranging tapirs are parasitized with several
species of ticks known to be vectors of a wide variety of rickettsial and hemoparasitic diseases.
To date, there are no reports of rickettsial disease in tapirs; however, given that the
importation of tapirs from Latin America may be needed to improve the genetic stock of the
North American captive population, it would be imperative to study these issues to avoid any
inadvertent disease introduction and to predict and prevent potential morbidity/mortality from
such diseases during periods of stress due to shipping.