In the 1960s, the American alligator population was at critically low levels. Conservation efforts, such as a 10-year ban on harvest and a significant increase in captive alligator farming operations, contributed the species’ recovery. In addition to revitalizing the species, alligator farms led to an advancement of medical knowledge. Thanks to frequent health assessments and captive rearing, medical knowledge on alligators have significantly advanced. Current knowledge suggests bacterial disease is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in farmed alligators. However, there is little research to suggest Yokenella regensburgei plays a pathogenic role in infections among alligators.
Recently, a group of professionals across multiple disciplines at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) published an article in the Journal of Veterinary Pathology encouraging the addition of Y. regensburgei in the differential diagnosis of septicemia and acute death in alligators. Over the course of two years, increased acute mortality was observed in American alligators at two farms in Louisiana. Y. regensburgei was isolated from all alligators submitted for postmortem diagnostic testing.
Learn more about this study by visiting the Journal of Veterinary Pathology.
