STAPHYLOCOCCUS INTERMEDIUS DERMATITIS IN DENNING NEW JERSEY BLACK BEARS (Ursus americanus)

On 18 March 2006, during annual den research, personnel from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Black Bear Project examined a 5-yr-old female and three yearling black bears (Ursus americanus) with severe dermatitis. The female and three yearlings all exhibited weight loss. Deep skin scrapings were taken and examined under a stereomicroscope. The skin of each bear was swabbed with BBL CultureSwabs. No mites were found in the skin scrapings. Staphylococcus intermedius was the only bacterial species isolated from the four bears. To our knowledge this is the first report of non-mange related dermatitis caused by S. intermedius in black bears. New Jersey black bears (Ursus americanus) are found primarily in the northern portion of the state but the population has been steadily moving south. The average New Jersey black bear litter size is 2.7 cubs. They den in rock cavities, brush piles, felled trees, and open nests (Carr and Burguess, 2004).