Aims: To demonstrate cilia-associated respiratory (CAR) bacillus associated with chronic pneumonia in wild and pet rats in New Zealand.
Methods: A range of tissues from 4 rats were examined grossly and by light microscopy and affected lungs were examined by transmission electron microscopy.
Results: All 4 rats had moderate to severe cranioventral bronchopneumonia with bronchiectasis and large numbers of argentophilic bacteria resembling CAR bacillus, intimately associated with the bronchial epithelium.
Conclusions: CAR bacillus infection should be considered as a differential diagnosis for pneumonia in rats in New Zealand.