Intrathoracic haemangiosarcoma in an ostrich (Struthio camelus).
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Animals↗
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Confirmation of H5N1 avian influenza in Africa.
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Animals↗
Isolation and characterization of 70 novel microsatellite markers from ostrich (Struthio camelus) genome.
Microsatellite markers are widely used in linkage mapping, parentage testing, population genetic studies, and molecular evolution studies in many agricultural species, while only a limited number of ostrich (Struthio camelus) microsatellites have been isolated. Thus, we constructed a random small-insert genomic library and a microsatellite-enriched library containing CA repeats. Fourteen clones containing CA repeats were isolated from 3462 clones in the non-enriched library by radioactive screening and 248 positive clones were isolated from 300 sequenced clones from the enriched library by PCR screening. After the enrichment procedures, the proportion of clones containing CA repeats was raised to 78.8%, compared with 0.4% in the non-enriched libraries, indicating that the enrichment value approaches 200 fold, which decreased the time and cost of cloning. The number of complete simple CA repeats in these positive clones ranged from 5 to 29. The primers for 94 of these microsatellites were developed and used to detect polymorphisms, of which 61 loci exhibited length polymorphisms in 17 unrelated ostrich individuals. The new polymorphic microsatellite markers we have identified and characterized will contribute to the ostrich genetic map, parentage testing, and comparative genomics between avian species.
Animals↗
Quantitative analysis of the retinal ganglion cell layer in the ostrich, Struthio camelus.
The total number, distribution and peak density of ganglion cells were evaluated in the Nissl-stained retina of the ostrich (Struthio camelus). The mean (n = 4) total number of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) was estimated at 2,274,128 (s.d. = 273, 152). The ostrich retina exhibited a prominent horizontal visual streak along which a central area located nasal to the pecten had a peak density of 9,500 cells/mm2. A high concentration of cells with a peak density of 2,646 cells/mm2 was also observed in the temporal retina, slightly dorsal to the visual streak. The results further showed that the ostrich eye has a 15-mm pupil entrance diameter, its mean axial length is 39.81 mm, the estimated retinal magnification factor is 0.4075 mm/deg and the maximum visual acuity along the well-defined visual streak was estimated to be 19.32 cycles/deg. The latter component of the retina might subserve vision along the horizon while the temporal region mediates binocular processing. The data also showed that the degree of retinal illumination in this bird could be comparable to that noted in some nocturnal species. The findings in this study suggest that the ostrich might not be restricted to diurnal activity.
Algorithms↗
Head injury caused by an ostrich: A rare entity.
Human injuries caused by animals are not uncommon and have been reported in the literature on many occasions. Most of the animals commonly involved are dogs, cats, cows, horses and camels. Injuries are usually on the trunk or limbs and sometimes on the face. Human injuries caused by an ostrich are rare and only three cases have been reported with severe ocular injury. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of head injury caused by an ostrich in a child.
Adolescent↗
Turlock-like bunyavirus associated with encephalomyelitis and myocarditis in an ostrich chick.
In the fall of 1995, a 20-day-old female ostrich chick, 1 of a group of 20, was presented live with clinical signs of 2 days duration characterized by unsteady gait, circling to the left, and walking backward. Another bird with similar clinical signs had died and another had recovered. The bird was euthanized and examined at necropsy. Twenty-five milliliters of serous fluid was in the abdominal cavity and there was increased pericardial fluid. Histopathology of the brain revealed mild to moderate nonsuppurative encephalitis characterized by mild multifocal malacia, perivascular cuffing by lymphocytes, and gliosis. The heart had multifocal infiltrations of lymphocytes mixed with macrophages and a few plasma cells throughout the myocardium. Cytopathic effects were observed in primary chicken embryo liver cells following inoculation with a tissue homogenate prepared from the brain of the affected ostrich. Virus particles the size and morphology of the family Bunyaviridae were observed in cell culture lysate by negative-stain electron microscopy. Viral characterization demonstrated that the virus isolate is a previously unknown serotypic variant (subtype) of Turlock virus. Twelve of 65 sera collected over a 3-year period from ostriches aged from 1 month to 4 years were positive for neutralizing antibody to both the Turlock prototype strain and the new subtype of Turlock virus described in this report.
Animals↗
Selected hematologic values of farmed ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Botswana.
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Aging↗
Evaluation of the potential beneficial effects of ostrich eggshell combined with eggshell membranes in healing of cranial defects in rabbits.
Potential beneficial effects of outer and inner ostrich eggshell membranes alone and in combination with the shell powder on bone regeneration in cranial defects of 18 rabbits were investigated using radiological, clinical and histological methods. Three 6 mm wide, half-thickness defects were made in the calvarial bones of each rabbit. One defect remained empty as a control; prepared eggshell membranes were extended across the other two defects; and prepared eggshell powder was inserted inside the membrane in one case. Either alone or in combination with eggshell powder, the outer and inner ostrich eggshell membranes produced little adjunctive effect under the conditions and duration of this experiment.
Animals↗
Large scale sex typing of ostriches using DNA extracted from feathers.
BACKGROUND: Ostrich (Struthio camelus) breeds have been gaining increasing significance around the world. The large-scale sex determination of chicks is an important task in the development of these breeds. To date, two PCR-based methods have been established for ostrich sex typing, neither of them intended for large-scale analyses. Here, we report on a protocol adapted to carry out large-scale gender scoring using DNA obtained from chick feathers. RESULTS: The DNA was extracted using a fast and simple alkaline extraction protocol that provided sufficient template for an early diagnosis. Tests with several primer sets enabled us to determine the best internal control primers associated with the sex-specific primers, avoiding spurious bands. Using DNA extracted from a single bulb and the best set of primers, we applied this protocol to simultaneously sex-type 96 individuals accurately. CONCLUSION: We have established a fast, safe, accurate and inexpensive procedure for large-scale sex typing of ostriches using DNA extracted from feathers. This procedure is useful for the gender identification of chicks in the first days of nestling life.
Animals↗
Biochemical and structural comparative study between bird and mammal pancreatic colipases.
Three colipases were purified from pancreas of two birds (ostrich and turkey) and one mammal (dromedary). After acidic and/or heat treatment and precipitation by sulfate ammonium and then ethanol, cofactors were purified by Sephadex G-50 gel filtration followed by ion-exchange chromatography first on Mono S and then on Mono Q. One molecular form was obtained from each species with a molecular mass of approximately 10 kDa. Cofactors were not glycosylated. The N-terminal sequences of the three purified cofactors showed high sequence homology. A 90 amino acid sequence of the ostrich cofactor was established based on peptide sequences from four different digests of the denaturated protein using trypsin, chymotrypsin, thermolysin, or staphylococcal protease. This sequence exhibited a high degree of homology with chicken and mammal cofactors. Bile salt-inhibited pancreatic lipases from five species were activated to variable extents by colipases from bird and mammal origins. The bird pancreatic lipase-colipase system appears to be functionally similar to homologous lipolytic systems from higher mammals. Our comparative study showed that mammal colipase presents a lower activation level toward bird lipases than the bird counterpart. Three-dimensional modeling of ostrich colipase suggested a structural explanation of this fact.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Variability in brain and arterial blood temperatures in free-ranging ostriches in their natural habitat.
We used implanted miniature data loggers to measure brain (in or near the hypothalamus) and carotid arterial blood temperatures at 5 min intervals in six free-ranging ostriches Struthio camelus in their natural habitat, for a period of up to 14 days. Carotid blood temperature exhibited a large amplitude (3.0-4.6 degrees C) circadian rhythm, and was positively correlated with air temperature. During the day, brain temperature exceeded carotid blood temperature by approx. 0.4 degrees C, but there were episodes when brain temperature was lowered below blood temperature. Selective brain cooling, however, was not present in all ostriches, and was not tightly coupled to the prevailing body temperature. Brain temperature was maintained within narrow daily limits of approx. 2 degrees C, and varied significantly less than blood temperature at short time scales of 5 to 20 min. At night, brain temperature exceeded blood temperature by as much as 3 degrees C. We attribute the elevated brain temperatures to warming of cerebral arterial blood, by reduced heat exchange in the ophthalmic rete or possibly heat gain from cranial structures, before supplying the hypothalamus. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the significance of such variations in brain temperature and the importance of selective brain cooling in free-living birds.
Animals↗
Three-dimensional kinematics of skeletal elements in avian prokinetic and rhynchokinetic skulls determined by Roentgen stereophotogrammetry.
Several different types of cranial kinesis are present within modern birds, enabling them to move (part of) the upper bill relative to the braincase. This movement of the upper bill results from movement of the quadrate and the pterygoid-palatine complex (PPC). The taxon Palaeognathae is characterised by a very distinct PPC and a special type of cranial kinesis (central kinesis) that is very different from that found in the Neognathae. This has led some authors to hypothesise that there is a functional relationship between the morphology of the PPC and the type of cranial kinesis. This hypothesis is tested here by analysing the movement pattern of both the upper bill and the PPC in birds with three different types of cranial kinesis: prokinesis, distal rhynchokinesis and central rhynchokinesis. Movement patterns were determined using a Roentgen stereophotogrammetry method, which made it possible to detect very small displacements (0.5 mm) of bony elements in three dimensions, while the jaw muscles and ligaments remained intact. We found that in all types of kinesis investigated the movements of the quadrate, jugal bars and PPC are similar. Movement of the quadrate is transferred to the upper beak by the jugal bar and the PPC, which moves almost exclusively forwards and backwards, thereby elevating or depressing the upper bill. The differences between the types of kinesis lie only in the position of the point of rotation. These findings indicate that there is no correlation between the specific morphology of the PPC and the type of cranial kinesis. Several other factors, including the external forces applied during food acquisition, may influence the morphology of the PPC. Differences in PPC morphology therefore appear to be the result of different functional demands acting on the system simultaneously but with different strengths, depending on the species.
Animals↗
A qualitative and quantitative study of the lung of an ostrich, Struthio camelus.
The ostrich lung, with its lack of interparabronchial septa, the presence of very shallow atria and exceptional morphometric refinement, structurally resembles those of small, energetic flying birds, whereas it also displays features characteristic of the flightless ratites in which the neopulmo is relatively poorly developed and a segmentum accelerans may be generally lacking. The large size of the bronchial system of the ostrich may help explain the unique shifts in the airflow pathways that must occur from resting to panting breathing, explaining its insensitivity to acid-base imbalance of the blood during sustained panting under thermal stress. The mass-specific volume of the lung is 39.1 cm(3)kg(-1) and the volume density of the exchange tissue is remarkably high (78.31%). The blood-gas (tissue) barrier is relatively thick (0.56 microm) but the plasma layer is very thin (0.14 microm). In this flightless ratite bird, the mass-specific surface area of the tissue barrier (30.1 cm(2)g(-1)), the mass-specific anatomical diffusing capacity of the tissue barrier for oxygen (0.00 22 ml O(2) s(-1) Pa(-1) kg(-1)), the mass-specific volume of pulmonary capillary blood (6.25 cm(3)kg(-1)) and the mass-specific total anatomical diffusing capacity for oxygen (0.00073 ml O(2) s(-1) Pa(-1) kg(-1)) are equivalent to or exceed those of much smaller highly aerobic volant birds. The distinctive morphological and morphometric features that seem to occur in the ostrich lung may explain how it achieves and maintains high aerobic capacities and endures long thermal panting without experiencing respiratory alkalosis.
Animals↗
Enzymatic properties of rhea lysozyme.
Rhea lysozyme was analyzed for its enzymatic properties both lytic and oligomer activities to reveal the structural and functional relationships of goose type lysozyme. Rhea lysozyme had the highest lytic activity at pH 6, followed by ostrich and goose at pH 5.5-6, whereas the optimum of cassowary was at pH 5. pH profile was correlated to the net charge of each molecule surface. On the other hand, the pH optimum for oligomer substrate was found to be pH 4, indicating the mechanism of rhea catalysis as a general acid. The time-course of the reaction was studied using beta-1,4-linked oligosaccharide of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) with a polymerization degree of n ((GlcNAc)n) (n=4, 5, and 6) as the substrate. This enzyme hydrolyzed (GlcNAc)6 in an endo-splitting manner, which produced (GlcNAc)3+(GlcNAc)3 predominating over that to (GlcNAc)2+ (GlcNAc)4. This indicates that the lysozyme hydrolyzed preferentially the third glycosidic linkage from the nonreducing end. Theoretical analysis has shown the highest rate constant value at 1.5 s-1 with (GlcNAc)6. This confirmed six substrate binding subsites as goose lysozyme (Honda, Y., and Fukamizo, T., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1388, 53-65 (1998)). The different binding free energy values for subsites B, C, F, and G from goose lysozyme might responsible for the amino acid substitutions, Asn122Ser and Phe123Met, located at the subsite B.
Animals↗
An outbreak of necrotic enteritis in the ostrich farm in Korea.
An acute disease with high mortality occurred in the ostrich farm and characterized by depression, severe diarrhea and sternal recumbency. Four dead ostriches of the farm were submitted to the National Veterinary Research & Quarantine Service, and diagnosed as necrotic enteritis. In the gross and histopathological examination, extensive diffuse fibrinonecrotic enteritis was found in the small intestine, especially jejunum. Clostridium perfringens was isolated from a pure culture from the duodenum and jejunum of these birds. Based on our current knowledge, this is the first report of an outbreak of necrotic enteritis in the ostrich in Korea.
Animals↗
Aspergillus fumigatus infection in an ostrich (Struthio camelus).
An 11-month-old female ostrich (Struthio camelus) had become gradually emaciated over a 2-week period and subsequently died. Necropsy revealed white to green mold growth on the walls of caseous thickened air sac membranes and multiple white necrotic foci in the lungs and liver. Histologically, the multiple exudative, necrotic and granulomatous lesions were compatible with mycotic infection in the air sacs and lungs, and hyphae positively reacted with a monoclonal antibody (Mab-WF-AF-1) to Aspergillus fumigatus wall fractions. Multifocal hepatic necrosis was also found, and several spores were observed in the blood vessels. Fungal culture of these lesions yielded pure growth of A. fumigatus. This is an established case of fatal A. fumigatus infection in an ostrich reared in Japan.
Animals↗
Serological and virological studies of Newcastle disease and avian influenza in slaughter-age ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Japan.
Serum samples from 191 ostriches (Struthio camelus) in Japan were tested for antibodies to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and avian influenza virus (AIV). Twenty-two (12%) contained NDV-specific neutralizing antibodies by a virus-neutralization (VN) test without vaccination. Antibodies to AIV were not detected in the any sera by an agar gel precipitation test. Seven serum samples that had vaccinated with live NDV by eye drop were all positive by the VN test at 1 month post vaccination. A haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test for NDV seemed not to be suitable for ostriches because of non-specific agglutination of chicken red blood cells. No haemagglutinating viruses were isolated. This is the first report on detection of antibodies against NDV in ostriches in Japan.
Animals↗
Antibody responses in ostriches (Struthio camelus) vaccinated with commercial live and killed Newcastle disease vaccines.
Three ostriches (Struthio camelus) were immunized with commercially available live and killed Newcastle disease (ND) vaccines for chickens and the antibody responses to the ND vaccines were evaluated by a virus-neutralization (VN) test. Primary vaccination with the live vaccine, B1, by eye drop was followed with two shots of alum-precipitated killed vaccine via subcutaneous injection in the neck. As a final booster, another live vaccine, Clone 30, was used by eye drop. A VN antibody titer, more than 1:10 was observed for 6 months. This is the first report on the use of a live vaccine by eye drop as a booster in ostriches as well as evaluating responses to ND vaccines using the VN test in this avian species.
Animals↗