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PubMed2004

Transmission of Neospora caninum between wild and domestic animals.

To determine whether deer can transmit Neospora caninum, brains of naturally infected white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were fed to 4 dogs; 2 of these dogs shed oocysts. Oocysts from 1 of the dogs were tested by polymerase chain reaction and found to be positive for N. caninum and negative for Hammondia heydorni. The internal transcribed spacer 1 sequence of the new strain (designated NC-deer1) was identical to N. caninum from domestic animals, indicating that N. caninum is transmitted between wild and domestic animals, often enough to prevent divergent evolution of isolated populations of the parasite. NC-deerl oocysts were administered to a calf that developed a high antibody titer, providing evidence that N. caninum from wildlife can infect cattle. In addition, N. caninum antibody seroprevalence was detected in 64/164 (39%) free-ranging gray wolves (Canis lupus), 12/113 (11%) coyotes (Canis latrans), 50/193 (26%) white-tailed deer, and 8/61 (13%) moose (Alces alces). These data are consistent with a sylvatic transmission cycle of N. caninum between cervids and canids. We speculate that hunting by humans favors the transmission of N. caninum from deer to canids, because deer carcasses are usually eviscerated in the field. Infection of canids in turn increases the risk of transmitting the parasite to domestic livestock.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence of antibodies to Neospora caninum in wild animals.

Antibodies to Neospora caninum were determined in several species of wild animals in the United States by the Neospora agglutination test (NAT). Antibodies (NAT 1:40 or higher) were found in 5 of 249 bison (Bison bison), 5 of 160 caribou (Rangifer tarandus), 4 of 162 moose (Alces alces), 4 of 122 wolves (Canis lupus), and 1 of 224 musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) but not in 197 black bears (Ursus americanus). To our knowledge, this is the first report of antibodies to N. caninum in bison and caribou. The total absence of N. caninum antibodies in black bears indicates that bears are not a host for N. caninum and that there is no cross-reactivity between the NAT and the modified agglutination test (MAT) for Toxoplasma gondii, because more than 80% of black bears in eastern United States have MAT antibodies at a 1:25 serum solution.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Death of a wild wolf from canine parvoviral enteritis.

A 9-mo-old female wolf (Canis lupus) in the Superior National Forest of Minnesota (USA) died from a canine parvovirus (CPV) infection. This is the first direct evidence that this infection effects free-ranging wild wolves.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Rabies virus in the decomposed brain of an Ethiopian wolf detected by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

Approximately 75 individuals from a population of 111 Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) died or disappeared from the Bale Mountains National Park (Ethiopia) between 1988 and 1992 during two significant population declines. Confirmation of rabies virus in two carcasses was based on the fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and the mouse inoculation test (MIT). In an Ethiopian wolf brain previously designated rabies negative by both FAT and MIT, rabies virus was identified by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and confirmed by Southern blot hybridization. These methods were successfully used on a highly decomposed brain sample which had been stored in 20% dimethyl sulfoxide. This test system allows early and sensitive detection to be undertaken to more effectively prevent spread of disease and thus protect surviving animals.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Lawsonia intracellularis in wild mammals in the Slovak Carpathians.

Feces of wild mammals were collected in the Bukovské Vrchy Hills (north-eastern Slovakia) in January and February 2002. The feces were examined for Lawsonia intracellularis by means of nested polymerase chain reaction. A total of 194 samples of feces from red deer (Cervus elaphus), 46 samples from roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), 31 samples from red fox (Vulpes vulpes), 23 samples from gray wolf (Canis lupus), and 12 samples from brown hare (Lepus europaeus) were examined. Lawsonia intracellularis was found in two samples from wolves, in two samples from foxes, and one sample from red deer. This is the first description of L. intracellularis in these three species.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Helminthologic survey of the wolf (Canis lupus) in Estonia, with an emphasis on Echinococcus granulosus.

Carcasses of 26 wolves were collected during the 2000/2001 and 2003/2004 hunting seasons and examined for helminths. Thirteen helminth species were recorded: one trematode (Alaria alata), seven cestodes (Diphyllobothrium latum, Mesocestoides lineatus, Taenia hydatigena, Taenia multiceps, Taenia ovis, Taenia pisiformis, and Echinococcus granulosus), and five nematode species (Uncinaria stenocephala, Toxascaris leonina, Toxocara canis, Trichinella nativa, and Trichinella britovi). The most common species were A. alata and U. stenocephala. Mature Echinococcus granulosus was found and described for the first time in Estonia, and its identity verified using PCR-RFLP analysis. Sequencing a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA NADH dehydrogenase 1 (mtND1) gene showed that the E. granulosus strain from Estonia was identical to strain G10, recently characterized in reindeer and moose in Finland.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

A comparison of bitemark injuries between fatal wolf and domestic dog attacks.

Bitemark patterns in adult human victims following a fatal wolf pack attack and a domestic dog pack attack are compared. Both victims exhibited a concentration of wounds to the extremities, left and right torso, but not to the groin or internal organs. The neck and face of the domestic dog attack victim were primary sites of attack while the feral wolf pack victim was spared damage to the neck, but had facial tissue destroyed postmortem. Most punctures were found on the ventral aspect of the domestic victim and dorsal aspect of the feral victim. It is speculated that most wounds were attributable to dominant animals of both packs and in both victims and this suggests a co-ordination of activity between. Differences in bitemark patterns may well have been caused in part by differences in genetics, training, breeding, socialization and impetus of attack between wolves and dogs. Distinct differences in bitemark patterns were found in these two human victims of a wolf and domestic dog attacks.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A novel method for forensic DNA investigations: repeat-type sequence analysis of tandemly repeated mtDNA in domestic dogs.

A highly variable and heteroplasmic tandem repeat region situated in the mitochondrial mt DNA control region (CR) in domestic dogs and wolves was studied to evaluate its suitability as a forensic genetic marker for analysis of single hairs. The tandem repeat array is composed of three 10-bp repeat types that are distributed so that a secondary DNA sequence is formed. Thus, the region presents two levels of variation: variation in the number of repeats and variation in the secondary DNA sequence of repeat types. Two analysis methods were therefore tested; fragment length analysis and analysis of the sequence of repeat types. Fragment analysis produced unique profiles that could be used to discriminate between blood samples from maternally closely related individuals. However, different hairs from one individual did not have the same fragment profile, and the method is, therefore, not suitable for analysis of single hairs. In contrast, analysis of the repeat type sequences (array types) is highly informative. When different hairs from one individual were studied, identical array types were found. The repeat-type sequence variation was studied among individuals having identical nonrepetitive CR mtDNA sequence variants. Seven, six, and two individuals, representing three different sequence variants, respectively, were analyzed. All these individuals had different array types, which implies a very high genetic variation between individuals in this region. The analysis method considerably improves the exclusion capacity of mtDNA analysis of domestic dogs compared with sequence analysis of non-repetitive DNA.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[Biology of aggression in dogs].

The science of ethology is concerned with the way external stimuli and internal events cause animals to fight in a particular way. The classification of dog breeds with respect to their relative danger to humans makes no sense, as both, the complex antecedent conditions in which aggressive behaviour occurs, and its ramifying consequences in the individual dog's ecological and social environment, are not considered. From a biological point of view, environmental and learning effects are always superimposed upon genetic influences. Based on the recent developments in the study of ethology, aggression of wolves (Canis lupus L.) and domesticated dogs (Canis lupus f. familiaris) was put into context with respect to other aspects of the lifestyle of wild and domestic canids. Aggressive behaviour does not occur in a biological vacuum. This is also true for domestic dogs and their relationship to human partners. Individual dogs can become highly aggressive and dangerous. Their development and social situation will be presented and discussed in case studies. Finally, there is the question about defining "normal aggression" versus symptoms for maladaptive aggression resp. danger to humans as conspecifics. It is possible to protect the safety of the public and at the the same time practise animal care. Effective animal control legislation must focus on responsible ownership and socialisation of pups f.e. Problems are not unique to some breeds.

Aggression↗
PubMed2004

Echinococcus granulosus in the wolf in Italy.

During the period 1987-1999, 119 wolf cadavers were examined and checked for the presence of Echinococcus granulosus. All the animals were retrieved along the whole Apennines range of distribution of the species in Italy and most of them were illegally killed. Eighteen wolves resulted positive (15%). The mean intensity was 697.5. The force of infection for prevalence was 8.2 year(-1). The prevalence of the parasite was significantly and positively influenced by the local prevalence of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in sheep. Mean intensity was significantly and positively influenced by both the age of the wolf and the prevalence of CE in sheep. A deterministic model was used in order to simulate a purely theoretical sylvatic cycle of the parasites having the wolf as the only definitive host with 15% of prevalence. The expected prevalence of CE in wild intermediate species ranges between 10% and 25%. This prevalence overlaps the one observed in sheep. Even if both the wolf and the wild ungulate populations are increasing, the wolf still acts as a part of the main dog-sheep cycle of the parasite.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1999

Forensic evidence based on mtDNA from dog and wolf hairs.

In six forensic cases involving murder, bank robbery, theft and poaching, evidence material comprising shed hairs supposedly originating from dogs or wolves was analyzed by mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequencing. A 79 bp segment of the control region was amplified, sequenced, and compared with an established database of the domestic dog and wolf populations. In three murder cases exclusions of all eight suspects could be made. Furthermore, two of the murders could be linked to each other by a rare sequence variant, and the breed of the dog was indicated. In a theft case and a bank robbery a link could be established between the evidence material and the suspects. In a case of suspected wolf poaching, it could be established that the evidential material was of dog rather than wolf origin. We conclude that single hairs from common pets are suitable for DNA analysis and that the described method has proved to be a valuable tool for forensic investigations.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Evolution of coalitionary killing.

Warfare has traditionally been considered unique to humans. It has, therefore, often been explained as deriving from features that are unique to humans, such as the possession of weapons or the adoption of a patriarchal ideology. Mounting evidence suggests, however, that coalitional killing of adults in neighboring groups also occurs regularly in other species, including wolves and chimpanzees. This implies that selection can favor components of intergroup aggression important to human warfare, including lethal raiding. Here I present the principal adaptive hypothesis for explaining the species distribution of intergroup coalitional killing. This is the "imbalance-of-power hypothesis," which suggests that coalitional killing is the expression of a drive for dominance over neighbors. Two conditions are proposed to be both necessary and sufficient to account for coalitional killing of neighbors: (1) a state of intergroup hostility; (2) sufficient imbalances of power between parties that one party can attack the other with impunity. Under these conditions, it is suggested, selection favors the tendency to hunt and kill rivals when the costs are sufficiently low. The imbalance-of-power hypothesis has been criticized on a variety of empirical and theoretical grounds which are discussed. To be further tested, studies of the proximate determinants of aggression are needed. However, current evidence supports the hypothesis that selection has favored a hunt-and-kill propensity in chimpanzees and humans, and that coalitional killing has a long history in the evolution of both species.

Aggression↗
PubMed1999

Origin, genetic diversity, and genome structure of the domestic dog.

Comparative analysis of mammalian genomes provides important insight into the structure and function of genes. However, the comparative analysis of gene sequences from individuals of the same and different species also provides insight into the evolution of genes, populations, and species. We exemplify these two uses of genomic information. First, we document the evolutionary relationships of the domestic dog to other carnivores by using a variety of DNA-based information. A phylogenetic comparison of mitochondrial DNA sequences in dogs and gray wolves shows that dogs may have originated from multiple wolf populations at a time much earlier than suggested by the archaeologic record. We discuss previous theories about dog development and evolution in light of the new genetic data. Second, we review recent progress in dog genetic mapping due to the development of hypervariable markers and specific chromosome paints. Extensive genetic homology in gene order and function between humans and dogs has been discovered. The dog promises to be a valuable model for identifying genes that control morphologic differences between mammals as well as understanding genetically based disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Topography of ganglion cells in the dog and wolf retina.

The topographical distribution of retinal ganglion cells in seven breeds of dog (Canis lupus f. familiaris) and in the wolf (Canis lupus) was studied in retinal wholemounts stained with cresyl violet or with a reduced silver method. A prominent feature of all wolf retinae was a pronounced "visual streak" of high ganglion cell density, extending from the central area far into both temporal and nasal retina. By contrast, either a pronounced or a moderate visual streak was found in dog retinae. It is hypothesized that a pronounced streak is an archetypal feature of Canis lupus, and that the moderate streak in some dogs is a corollary of breeding during domestication. Irrespective of the differences in streak form and retinal area, the estimated total number of ganglion cells was about 200,000 cells in the wolf and 115,000 in the dog. Ganglion cell density maxima in the central area of the wolf were about 12,000-14,000/mm2, and in the dog they ranged from 6,400/mm2 to 14,400/mm2. This implies individual differences in visual acuity. Alpha ganglion cells constituted 3-14% of all ganglion cells in the dog and 1-18% in the wolf, depending on retinal location. A distinct feature of all dogs and wolves was the absence of alpha cells in a substantial region of temporal peripheral retina. This has not been found in any other mammalian species and suggests corresponding functional deficits.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Scent-marking by coyotes, Canis latrans: the influence of social and ecological factors

We observed 49 coyotes, Canis latransfrom five resident packs for 2456 h and five transient coyotes for 51 h from January 1991 to June 1993 in the Lamar River Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, U.S.A. During these observations we recorded 3042 urinations, 451 defecations, 446 ground scratches and 743 double-marks. The rate of scent-marking (via urination) was influenced by the social organization (resident versus transient) to which the coyote belonged, the social class (alpha, beta or pup) of the animal and the time of the year. Transient coyotes scent-marked at a lower rate than did members of a resident pack. Within the resident packs, alpha coyotes scent-marked at a higher rate than beta coyotes (adults and yearlings subordinant to alphas, but dominant over pups) and pups. Alpha coyotes increased their rate of marking during the breeding season; beta and pup coyotes performed scent-marks at a relatively constant rate throughout the year. There was no influence of social class or time of year on the rate of defecation. The rate of double-marking was highest among alpha coyotes with a peak during the breeding season. Alpha coyotes ground-scratched at a higher rate than did beta and pup coyotes. Alpha and beta coyotes scent-marked more than expected along the periphery of the territory compared to the interior; pups marked in the interior and edge in proportion to expected frequencies. Double-marking and ground-scratching were higher than expected along the periphery of the territory. The distribution of defecations was not different from expected along the edge versus the interior of the territory. Pack size did not influence the rate of scent-marking performed by individuals in the pack or by the alpha pair. We concluded that alpha coyotes were the primary members of the resident pack involved in scent-marking. The large coyote packs and the high rate of marking by the alpha pairs were parallel to the scent-marking behaviour displayed by wolves, C. lupusto a greater extent than previously reported. Scent-marks appear to provide internal information to the members of the resident pack (internal map of territory, breeding condition, reproductive synchrony) and enhance demarcation of territorial boundaries.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Canine oral papillomavirus genomic sequence: a unique 1.5-kb intervening sequence between the E2 and L2 open reading frames.

The canine oral papillomavirus (COPV) is associated with oropharyngeal papillomatosis in dogs, coyotes, and wolves. We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of COPV, the largest of all known PV genomes (8607 bp). The genomic architecture of the COPV genome is similar to that of other PVs except for a unique and large noncoding region of 1.5 kb between the end of the early region (E2) and the beginning of the late region (L2) and a small (345 bp) upstream regulatory region between the end of L1 and the beginning of E6. Although COPV displays a primarily mucosal tropism, the COPV nucleotide sequence showed the highest overall similarity to cutaneous papillomaviruses such as HPV-1, HPV-63, CRPV (cottontail rabbit PV), FdPV (Felis domesticus PV), and MnPV (Mastomys natalensis PV).

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

The 'individualization' of large North American mammals.

The enforcement of wildlife laws and the captive breeding of threatened/endangered species requires the ability to identify individual animals. DNA profiles of a variety of large North American mammals, birds, and fish were generated using ten different oligonucleotide probes. The probes tested were four multilocus probes [33.6, 33.15, JE46, and (TGTC)5] and six 'human unilocus' probes [MS1 (D1S7), CMM101 (D14S13), YNH24 (D2S44), EFD52 (D17S26), TBQ7 (D10S28), and MS43 (D12S11). Each of the probes was chemically synthesized, and labeled by the attachment of alkaline phosphatase; after hybridization, the probes were detected by chemiluminescence catalyzed by the enzyme. Initial screening against zoo blots including samples of bear, wolf, large cat, wild sheep, deer, birds, marine mammals, and fish indicated that three multilocus probes [33.15, 33.6, (TGTC)5] gave informative patterns containing 15-40 bands for most or all of the animals tested, as did two of the 'human unilocus' probes (MS1 and CMM101). The other five probes appeared informative only in some species (for example, YNH24 against canids). Subsequent screenings of populations within species were used to determine genetic diversity by analysis of observed bandsharing (S). Large heterologous populations, such as white-tailed deer, exhibited highly diverse band patterns (S < or = 0.2). Geographically isolated and/or genetically constricted animals, such as endangered Mexican wolves, Tule elk, and Columbian white-tailed deer, exhibited much higher frequencies of bandsharing (0.6 < or = S < or = 0.95).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Hydatidosis: dynamics of transmission.

Hydatidosis is a widespread zoonosis infecting a large number of animals and humans. Echinococcus granulosus has the smallest taenia adult of the cestodes but with the largest larva. Its morphologic and biologic features were identified with DNA analysis. Different strains were separated according to the intermediate hosts: sheep, cattle, pigs, horses, camels. Definitive host are canids, mostly dogs, where the worm grows to adulthood in several months. The eggs are scattered in the pasture by wind and water and are ingested by various hosts. The larvae migrate through the intestinal wall and penetrate the organs, mostly liver and lungs. The eggs survive several days outside, depending on the temperature, but numerous eggs die in nature because they cannot resist desiccation and extreme temperatures. Dissemination is accomplished by dogs. In Turkana (Kenya) the incidence of hydatidosis is high because of the close relationship between the population and dogs and the habit of leaving their dead bodies in the grasslands. In rural areas, the custom of slaughtering sheep at home, among the dogs, is an important dissemination factor. The circumstances of transmission vary according to the country. In Europe the natural life cycle of E. granulosus granulosus involves dogs as the definitive host and sheep as the intermediate host. In northern Europe E. granulosus borealis infects the canids and deer. E. granulosus canadensis infects wolves and reindeer, but there are no human cases. In the endemic Mediterranean area, sheep and dromedaries are the intermediate hosts. In South America, the life cycle of E. granulosus develops among several definitive and intermediate hosts. Hence the dynamics of transmission vary according to the countries with different hosts.

Animals↗