Eosinophilic enterocolitis in a juvenile orangutan.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
M Bush
Publications and source records attributed to M Bush.
Genetic basis for species vulnerability in the cheetah.
A population genetic survey of over 200 structural loci previously revealed that the South African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) has an extreme paucity of genetic variability, probably as a consequence of a severe population bottleneck in its recent past. The genetic monomorphism of the species is here extended to the major histocompatibility complex, since 14 reciprocal skin grafts between unrelated cheetahs were accepted. The apparent consequences of such genetic uniformity to the species include (i) great difficulty in captive breeding, (ii) a high degree of juvenile mortality in captivity and in the wild, and (iii) a high frequency of spermatozoal abnormalities in ejaculates. The species vulnerability of the cheetah was demonstrated by an epizootic of coronavirus-associated feline infectious peritonitis in an Oregon breeding colony in 1983. Exposure and spread of the coronavirus, which has a very low morbidity in domestic cats (approximately 1 percent), has decimated a heretofore productive and healthy captive population. The extreme genetic monomorphism, especially at the major histocompatibility complex, and the apparent hypersensitivity of the cheetah to a viral pathogen may be related, and provide a biological basis for understanding the adaptive significance of abundant genetic variation in outbred mammalian species.
Acinonyx↗
Fruit and vegetable consumption and cardiovascular mortality.
A steady fall in mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has been reported recently in the United States. This study tests the hypothesis that fruits and vegetables had a protective effect against cardiovascular mortality among the American population from 1964-78. Special attention was focused on more specific groups of fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in vitamin C, to examine the effect of consumption of these foods on cardiovascular mortality rates. These data showed that the consumption of fruits and vegetables, particularly those rich in vitamin C (based on content and consumption), may have offered a protective effect against deaths from CVD. Increased fruit and vegetable consumption appeared to contribute significantly to the reduction of CVD mortality in the American population in recent years.
Ascorbic Acid↗
Phenotypic delineation of ring chromosome 15 and Russell-Silver syndromes.
A male child with features of the Russell-Silver syndrome, including pre- and postnatal growth delay, triangular facies, bilateral fifth finger clinodactyly, and disproportionate lower extremities, was found to have a ring chromosome 15 in all peripheral leucocytes examined. Review of the reported cases of ring chromosome 15 defines a malformation syndrome with a characteristic facies related to deletion of the 15q26.2----qter region. Russell-Silver and ring 15 syndromes share clinical features such as growth deficiency, triangular facies, digital anomalies, and café-au-lait spots. Microcephaly, mental retardation, facial dysmorphology, limb anomalies, and cardiac defects are more striking in ring chromosome 15 patients and are indications for karyotyping when found in conjunction with the Russell-Silver phenotype.
Chromosome Aberrations↗
Toxicity potential of absorbed-retained ethylene oxide residues in culture dishes on embryo development in vitro.
Four hundred eight-cell mouse embryos were cultured in vitro in either polystyrene (plastic) dishes (Exp. 1) or watch glasses (Exp. 2) to analyze the toxicity potential of absorbed-retained ethylene oxide (EtO). Culture dishes were gas-sterilized with Anprolene equipment and allowed to aerate (21 C) for varying durations. Post-sterilization EtO residues, as determined by weight measurement, were eluted from polystyrene dishes at an exponential rate. After 1 wk of aeration, .625 mg EtO was retained/g of polystyrene product. To determine the effect of EtO residue on in vitro culture, embryos were collected from superovulated donor mice (C57BL/6N), pooled in a modified Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (PBI) medium and then randomly allotted to dishes subjected to various aeration durations. Embryos were cultured in Whitten's medium +3 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA) under a humidified 5% CO2 in air atmosphere at 37 C. Gross assessments of embryo development were made using standard morphology and quality grading systems and a fluorescein diacetate staining assay. In Exp. 1, embryo development was retarded at the 8- to 16-cell stage when less than or equal to 12 h aeration of polystyrene dishes was permitted. Aeration for 24 and 36 h resulted in suboptimal embryo development with fewer (P less than .01) blastocysts and greater degeneration rates at 48 h of in vitro culture compared with the control (manufacturer-packaged dishes, no EtO) and 1-wk aeration treatment groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Air↗
The interaction of aortic glycosaminoglycans and 3H-inulin endothelial permeability in cholesterol induced rabbit atherogenesis.
Male Dutch-belted rabbits were fed a pelleted 0.5% cholesterol diet for 8 weeks. A control group was maintained on basal pelleted diet for the same period of time. Prior to sacrifice both groups received i.v. 3H-inulin. Plasma and aortic sections were assayed for 3H-inulin activity. Aortic sections were also analyzed for glycosaminoglycan concentrations. A ratio of the aortic 3H-inulin activity to the plasma 3H-inulin activity was calculated and expressed as a permeability index. Mean plasma activity of 3H-inulin was significantly lower in the control group, suggesting increased aortic permeability in the cholesterol-fed animals. Glycosaminoglycan concentrations were significantly higher in the control group, and significant negative correlations were detected between glycosaminoglycan concentrations and permeability index in all animals. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that sufficient glycosaminoglycan levels are important to maintaining the permeability characteristics of the endothelial layer.
Animals↗
Anemia and renal failure in a giant panda.
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Acute Kidney Injury↗
Dystocia and fatal hyperthermic episode in a giraffe.
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Anesthesia↗
Adrenal-testicular-pituitary relationships in the cheetah subjected to anesthesia/electroejaculation.
The influence of electroejaculation on the acute response in serum cortisol, testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) was studied in the South African cheetah . Males were either anesthetized with CT-1341 and 1) serially bled only (controls, n = 7) or 2) serially bled during and following a regimented protocol of rectal probe electroejaculation (n = 14). In the control cheetahs , mean cortisol concentrations declined over time (P less than 0.05) and neither testosterone nor LH varied over the 145-min sampling interval. Serum cortisol rose immediately in electroejaculated cheetahs , peaked at the end of electroejaculation in 13 of 14 males and then declined during the next 90 min. Temporal profiles and serum levels of testosterone and LH were similar in the electroejaculated and control groups (P greater than 0.05). Within individual cheetahs , serum levels of LH and testosterone were highly correlated (r = 0.77, P less than 0.01). Awake (n = 2) and CT-1341 anesthetized (n = 2) cheetahs also were bled and then challenged with an i.m. injection of 25 IU adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, Cortrosyn). Serial blood samples were collected during the next 2 h and assayed. Cortisol concentrations prior to ACTH administration were greater in awake than in anesthetized males. In all animals, cortisol rose immediately and peaked within 30-60 min of injection. Whereas all 4 ACTH-treated cheetahs produced cortisol titers in excess of 200 ng/ml, only 4 of 14 electroejaculated males produced cortisol levels comparable to this concentration range. Neither testosterone nor LH profiles were affected by ACTH-induced elevations in cortisol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Acinonyx↗
Electroejaculation, semen characteristics and serum testosterone concentrations of free-ranging african elephants (Loxodonta africana).
A regimented electroejaculation protocol (120 electrical stimulations; 10-30 V) was used to collect semen and characterize ejaculate quality from 9 adult, free-ranging African elephants under anaesthesia. Eight of the 9 ejaculates contained high concentrations of progressively motile spermatozoa. The overall mean ejaculate volume, sperm concentration/ml ejaculate, sperm motility, sperm status and ejaculate pH were 93.3 ml, 2408.6 X 10(6) spermatozoa/ml, 70%, 3.9 and 7.4, respectively. A high percentage (mean 77.5%) of spermatozoa within each ejaculate was morphologically normal. Of the aberrant spermatozoa, 72% had a cytoplasmic droplet defect. When sperm viability was tested in vitro at 37 degrees C, sperm motility rating declined by at least half of the initial assessment within 3.5 h of semen collection. Generally, spermatozoa maintained motility in vitro for less than 6 h. Serum testosterone ranged from 1.4 to 8.2 ng/ml in 4 males evaluated in the morning (07:30-08:00 h). In 4 of the 5 bulls assessed in the afternoon (15:00-18:00 h), testosterone levels were less than 0.9 ng/ml. The remaining bull, evaluated at 16:00 h, had exceptionally high testosterone concentrations (peak 25.6 ng/ml) and a preputial discharge potentially indicative of 'musth'. The present study demonstrates that high quality semen can be collected consistently from the African elephant and that striking differences exist in serum testosterone amongst free-ranging males which may be due, in part, to a diurnal rhythm.
Animals↗
Pituitary and gonadal response to LH releasing hormone administration in the female and male cheetah.
Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH, 50 micrograms) or saline was administered (i.m.) to adult female and male cheetahs under anaesthesia to evaluate pituitary and gonadal response. Serum LH levels did not fluctuate over a 120-min sampling period in saline-treated animals. Serum LH concentrations were raised (P less than 0.05) in both female and male cheetahs after LHRH injection, the temporal response being similar to previously reported results in unanaesthetized, domestic carnivores. The magnitude of the LHRH-induced LH response was sex-dependent. Over a 120-min post-injection period both saline control and LHRH-induced LH levels were about twofold greater in males than females. Although LHRH had no acute influence on ovarian oestradiol-17 beta production in the female, serum testosterone levels were raised (P less than 0.05) in male cheetahs by 60 min after treatment. This study (1) provides introductory endocrine information on the cheetah, an endangered species, and (2) indicates that exogenous LHRH is effective in acutely altering pituitary (female) and pituitary/gonadal (male) function in an anaesthetized, non-domestic felid.
Acinonyx↗
Fine structure analysis and surface characteristics of mouse mammary gland adenocarcinomas.
Mammary adenocarcinomas from C3H/HeJ mice carrying the mammary tumor virus were studied by means of light, transmission, and scanning electron microscopy. The histological appearance of the tumors was variable; however, 60% were classified as type B adenocarcinomas, while 20% were type A and 20% were composed of equal regions characteristic of both types. Four populations of tumor cells were observed with the TEM. The most abundant of these, primitive glandular cells, were characterized by large, regular, euchromatic nuclei and cytoplasm containing numerous free ribosomes, little rough endoplasmic reticulum, few mitochondria, small Golgi complex and a variable number of type A virus particles. Specialized glandular cells contained highly pleomorphic nuclei, many lysosomes, lipid droplets, multivesicular bodies, profiles of rough endoplasmic reticulum and granules resembling secretory proteins. Myoepithelial cells and dark glandular cells with abundant organelles, large Golgi complexes, dense cytoplasmic matrix and very heterochromatic nuclei were observed infrequently. The SEM revealed tumor cells to be variable in size, shape and surface characteristics. Most cells were rough in texture, displaying irregular ridges, small blebs and a few short microvilli. The contours of some cells were smooth, and a few cells had short, irregular microvilli on limited regions of their surfaces. Cells lining ducts within the tumor had microvilli on their apical surface, but the number, size, shape and distribution of microvilli varied considerably. Cells lining ducts from non-tumor-bearing animals displayed less variation in size, shape and surface morphology.
Adenocarcinoma↗
Clinical trials with canine distemper vaccines in exotic carnivores.
Two types of killed canine distemper virus (CDV) vaccine and a modified-live CDV vaccine were clinically evaluated in four species of exotic carnivores. In 16 trials in which 13 red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) were given the killed vaccine, only 1 animal had a virus-neutralization titer that exceeded 1:100. A red panda given modified-live CDV vaccine deemed safe for gray foxes and ferrets died of bacterial pneumonia 16 days later. There was no pathologic evidence of canine distemper in that panda. The same modified-live vaccine proved to be immunogenic and safe in 12 bush dogs (Speothos venaticus), 5 maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus), and 3 fennec foxes (Fennecus zerda) in which virus-neutralization titers often exceeded 1:512 and persisted for several months after vaccination.
Animals↗
Toxicity and efficacy of ivermectin in chelonians.
Five red-footed tortoises (Geochelone carbonaria) treated for intestinal nematode parasitism with a single IM injection of ivermectin (0.4 mg/kg) were found in a state of extreme paresis or flaccid paralysis. One tortoise recovered normal motor function over the next 7 to 10 days. The remaining tortoises died within 3 days of receiving the ivermectin. The only consistent postmortem finding was a marked fatty change in the liver. Studies in the red-footed tortoise showed that some paresis will occur with dosages as low as 0.05 mg/kg. At least 3 other species of chelonians were found to be susceptible to ivermectin toxicosis at similar dosages (0.1 mg/kg or less). The leopard tortoise (Geochelone pardalis) appeared to be the most susceptible of the species tested, consistently developing mild paresis with a dosage of 0.025 mg/kg. Death occurred with dosages as low as 0.3 mg/kg. A dosage of 0.05 mg/kg was found to be safe in red-footed tortoises, provided that treatment was not repeated at intervals of less than 7 days. Shedding of nematode larvae and eggs in the feces of parasitized red-footed tortoises was prevented with 2 to 6 weekly IM injections of ivermectin at a dosage of 0.05 mg/kg, but limited necropsy findings indicated that elimination of adult nematodes from the intestines was incomplete.
Animals↗
Unique seminal quality in the South African cheetah and a comparative evaluation in the domestic cat.
Analysis of 40 semen samples collected by electroejaculation from 18 cheetahs revealed no major differences in seminal traits among Transvaal, South West (Namibia) or hybrid (Transvaal X South West) males. However, mean spermatozoal concentration (14.5 X 10(6) spermatozoa/ml of ejaculate) and percent motility (54.0%) were less in cheetahs than in domestic cats (147.0 X 10(6) spermatozoa/ml of ejaculate, 77.0% motility) subjected to the same electroejaculation regimen. On the average, cheetah ejaculates contained 71.0% morphologically abnormal spermatozoa compared to 29.1% aberrant spermatozoal forms in the domestic cat. These results indicate that seminal characteristics in the cheetah are markedly inferior compared to the domestic cat, particularly with respect to the incidence of pleiomorphic spermatozoa. Because a recent parallel study demonstrates that the cheetah lacks genetic variation, it appears likely that spermatozoal abnormalities are a genetic consequence of genomic homozygosity characteristic of this endangered species.
Acinonyx↗
Electroejaculation and semen analysis and freezing in the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).
Semen was collected by a standardized electroejaculation procedure from a giant panda on 4 occasions. Ejaculate volume, sperm count and % sperm motility were 2.3-3.6 ml, 62-562 x 10(6) spermatozoa/ml and 45-85%, respectively. The results, although limited to a single male, suggested a seasonal influence on ejaculate and gonadal parameters with improved ejaculate volume, sperm motility and increased testicular size in the season proximate to the female's oestrous period. Frozen-thawed spermatozoa were motile with no apparent abnormalities induced by the freezing procedure.
Animals↗
Male mouse accessory sex glands in organ culture.
Explants of epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicle, and coagulating gland from 10-12-week-old and 7-8-month-old male Swiss Webster mice were maintained in synthetic media without serum or hormones for up to 28 days. Differences were observed in the survival and responses of each gland and the behavior of the principal and basal cells. Epithelial cell migration was pronounced in the vas, moderate in the epididymis, and low in the seminal and coagulating gland. The incidence of basal cell proliferation, hyperplasia, and squamous metaplasia usually was positively related to the frequency of basal cells in the zero-time explants. Few differences were observed between the survival or responses of explants from young and old animals; however, explant culture appears useful for exploring fundamental properties of each accessory sex gland, especially the properties of basal cells.
Age Factors↗