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[Keeping of bears and big cats in the zoo and circus].

The exhibition of bears and big cats in zoo and circus causes regular criticism, justified and unjustified, by people engaged in the prevention of cruelty to animals. Main points of critique are holding conditions, feeding and health status of the animals. The official veterinarian involved in the supervision often needs the cooperation of a specialised zoo veterinarian. In most cases the clinical examination of bears and big cats requires an immobilisation. This article will enter into some of the most common holding problems and diseases of big carnivores in zoo and circus.

Animal Diseases↗

Piccadilly Circus legionnaires' disease outbreak.

BACKGROUND: An outbreak of legionnaires' disease occurred in central London in January and February 1989. An Infection Control Committee was established to investigate the outbreak and institute control measures. The objective of this paper is to describe the investigation and control of the outbreak. METHODS: An epidemiological survey and case-control study were carried out. The subjects were cases of community acquired pneumonia associated with central London with onset of illness in January and February 1989. RESULTS: Thirty-three confirmed cases, including five deaths, and ten suspected cases, including three deaths, were identified with dates of onset from 1 January to 11 February. A clustering of visits by cases to the vicinity of Piccadilly Circus was noted, and a case-control study demonstrated a strong association between illness and visits to this area in the two weeks before onset of symptoms. The causative organism, Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, was isolated from six patients. Legionella pneumophila of the same serogroup was isolated from water samples from five wet cooling systems (cooling towers) in the area under investigation, but in only two systems was the organism indistinguishable by subtyping from the patients' strains. Many of the cooling towers examined were inadequately maintained, including one of the two above a building adjacent to Piccadilly Circus from which a strain indistinguishable from the outbreak strain was isolated. All cooling towers in the area were shut down until inspected, and only allowed to restart after appropriate maintenance had been instigated. CONCLUSIONS: This outbreak showed the continuing risk of legionnaires' disease posed by wet cooling systems, including cooling towers, and highlighted the need to assess this risk so that appropriate maintenance is carried out. Regulations have recently been introduced, under the Health and Safety at Work Act, requiring notification of all wet cooling systems to the local authority to facilitate the investigation of outbreaks of legionnaires' disease.

Adolescent↗

Phase 2 reentry as a mechanism of initiation of circus movement reentry in canine epicardium exposed to simulated ischemia.

OBJECTIVES: Myocardial ischemia results in an early phase of arrhythmias that primarily involves reentrant mechanisms. However, the trigger that initiates reentry remains unknown. We studied the initiation of reentry attending the development of electrical heterogeneity during simulated ischemia in isolated canine right ventricular subepicardium. METHODS: Preparations consisted of thin epicardial sheets in which action potentials were recorded at 4 sites with intracellular microelectrodes. Tissues were superfused with a hyperkalemic, hypoxic and acidotic 'ischemic' solution. RESULTS: Simulated ischemia produced a 40-70% abbreviation of the action potential at some epicardial sites but not others, primarily by suppressing development of the action potential plateau (or dome). This typically created a marked dispersion of repolarization within the preparation. Local re-excitation ensued when the action potential dome propagated from sites where it was maintained to sites where it was abolished. This mechanism, termed 'phase 2 reentry', produced an extrasystole which then initiated one or more cycles of circus movement reentry. Tachycardias consisting of repetitive reentry occurred in larger tissues. The window for reentry occurred over a range of stimulation rates that shifted to faster rates as ischemia progressed. The transient outward current blocker, 4-aminopyridine, restored the dome at all sites by reversing the ischemia-induced abbreviation of the action potential. Thus, block of the transient outward current restored electrical homogeneity and abolished all reentrant activity within the epicardial preparations. CONCLUSION: Our results implicate phase 2 reentry as a new mechanism for genesis of extrasystoles during simulated ischemia and identify this mechanism as a trigger of circus movement reentry. Validation of this hypothesis awaits the results of future studies using high-resolution recording techniques.

Action Potentials↗

Noninvasive evaluation of pacemaker circus movement tachycardias.

Ventriculoatrial (VA) conduction was studied in 11 patients before DDD pacemaker implantation by incremental right ventricular pacing while recording right atrial endocavitary signals. After implantation and at 3-month outpatient visits, VA conduction and ability to initiate and sustain pacemaker circus movement tachycardia (PCMT) were systematically assessed noninvasively by testing the response of the pacemaker to asynchronous and single synchronized chest wall stimuli, muscle signals, and programmer pertubations. VA conduction was demonstrated in 3 of 11 patients before implantation as well as by noninvasive techniques after implantation with induction of PCMT. VA conduction became apparent in 2 additional patients after implantation. One of the 2 patients presented clinically with PCMT. In both patients, PCMT could be induced noninvasively. The presence or absence of VA conduction was variable, as was the rate of right ventricular pacing at which VA block occurred. In conclusion, (1) noninvasive testing techniques were effective in inducing PCMT in all patients with VA conduction and helpful in determining control of PCMTs, and (2) thorough preimplantation and repeated postimplantation assessment is needed to control and prevent PCMT.

Adult↗

Significance of pacing cycle lengths in manifest entrainment of orthodromic circus movement tachycardia by ventricular pacing.

The physiology of entrainment of orthodromic circus movement tachycardia (CMT) was studied using ventricular pacing during 18 episodes of induced CMT in 7 patients with atrioventricular (AV) accessory pathways. The first paced impulse was delivered as late as possible in the tachycardia cycle (mean 88 +/- 5% of the spontaneous cycle length [CL]). Entrainment was demonstrated by the following criteria: 1:1 retrograde conduction via the accessory pathway; capture of atrial, ventricular and His bundle electrograms at the pacing rate; and resumption of tachycardia at its previous rate after cessation of pacing. The number of ventricular paced impulses ranged from 5 to 14 (mean 8 +/- 3), and entrainment occurred in 2 to 7 paced cycles (mean 4 +/- 2). Orthodromic activation of a major part of the reentry circuit (manifest entrainment) was demonstrated during 9 episodes by the occurrence of His bundle electrogram preceding the first CMT QRS at the time anticipated from the last paced beat. In the 9 other episodes, persistent retrograde His bundle activation and AV nodal penetration by each paced impulse caused a delay (mean 79 +/- 25 ms) in activation of the His bundle preceding the first CMT QRS after the last paced beat. The mean pacing CL achieving manifest entrainment was 92 +/- 3% of the tachycardia CL, compared with 84 +/- 3% for retrograde AV nodal penetration (p less than 0.01). In conclusion, manifest entrainment of orthodromic CMT can be demonstrated by ventricular pacing at very long CLs; shorter CLs may cause CMT termination due to retrograde AV nodal penetration.

Adult↗

Morphology of Blastocystis sp. isolated from circus animals.

Blastocystis sp. is reported for the first time from faecal samples collected from a camel, a llama, a highland bull and a lion in a travelling circus. Fresh faecal specimens were examined by light and electron microscopy, and vacuolar and cyst forms of similar morphology were present in all three ungulates. These cells were smaller than cultured vacuolar cells of Blastocystis hominis isolated from humans and contained only a single vacuole in comparison to the multivacuolar cell found in fresh human faeces. The taxonomic relationship of Blastocystis isolated from humans and ungulates remains to be determined. The number of parasites present in the lion sample was too small to make valid comparisons.

Animals↗

1981 circus fire disaster in Bangalore, India: causes, management of burn patients and possible presentation.

The circus fire disaster claimed 92 lives and 300 others were injured. A total of 119 patients were treated in the Burns centre at Victoria Hospital. Forty-two patients were treated as outpatients and 77 cases were admitted. Fourteen patients with more than 80 per cent burns of the body surface died within 48 hours of the disaster. Three patients out of the remaining 63 cases died in the course of treatment, 32 patients were operated by escharectomy and skin grafting or flap procedures. Proper medical assessment, early fluid therapy and respiratory care saved many critical patients. Human Antitetanus toxin and Pseudomonas hyper Immune globulin seem to have a definite role in the prevention and control of infection with Clostridium tetani and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 'Furacin' was found to be a valuable topical agent.

Adolescent↗

Stimulation of circus movement by activin, bFGF and TGF-beta 2 in isolated animal cap cells of Xenopus laevis.

Lobopodium is a hyaline cytoplasmic protrusion which rotates circumferencially around a cell. This movement is called circus movement, which is seen in dissociated cells of amphibian embryos. Relative abundance of the lobopodia-forming cells changes temporally and spatially within Xenopus embryos, reflecting stage-dependent difference of morphogenetic movements. The lobopodia-forming activity of dissociated animal cap cells was stimulated strongly by activin and bFGF, and weakly by TGF-beta 2. In addition, activin A was found to stimulate cellular attachment to the substratum when the cultivation lasted long. Thus, mesoderm-inducing growth factors stimulate lobopodia formation and cellular movements which may be necessary for gastrulation and neurulation in Xenopus early embryos.

Activins↗

Observations on the antidromic type of circus movement tachycardia in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

In the differential diagnosis of tachycardias showing a wide QRS complex and having a 1 to 1 relation between ventricular and atrial events, a supraventricular tachycardia with anterograde conduction over an accessory pathway and retrograde conduction by way of the specific conduction system must be considered. Five patients showing this type of circus movement tachycardia were studied by programmed electrical stimulation of the heart. Sudden changes in the tachycardia cycle length were observed in these patients that were based on changes in the VH interval. This finding suggested a change in the reentrant circuit with anterograde conduction over the accessory pathway but retrograde conduction sometimes occurring over the right bundle branch and at other times over one of the two divisions of the left bundle branch system. Characteristically, the tachycardia cycle length changed suddenly depending on the bundle branch used in retrograde direction. In one patient, an important difference was also observed between the anterograde effective refractory period of the accessory bypass (280 ms) and the shortest RR interval between preexcited QRS complexes during atrial fibrillation (measuring 190 ms). It is postulated that the short RR intervals during atrial fibrillation in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome could result from bundle branch reentry after activation of the ventricles over the accessory pathway.

Adolescent↗

Multiple circus movement tachycardias with multiple accessory pathways.

A patient with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome manifesting four types of tachycardia is described. The location and the participation during tachycardia of two different types of accessory atrioventricular pathways were documented during a programmed stimulation study. Unusual modes of initiation of tachycardias were observed, such as the initiation of an orthodromic circus movement tachycardia by an atrial premature beat that conducted in anterograde direction down the accessory pathway.

Amiodarone↗

High-resolution mapping of tachycardia originating from the superior vena cava: evidence of electrical heterogeneity, slow conduction, and possible circus movement reentry.

Superior Vena Cava Reentry. High-resolution mapping of a tachycardia originating from the superior vena cava (SVC) in a patient with atrial fibrillation is described. Unidirectional circuitous repetitive activation encompassing the full tachycardia cycle length was documented around a line of block within the myocardial sleeve of the SVC. Intermittent conduction to the right atrium resulted in an irregular atrial tachycardia. Evidence of electrical heterogeneity and slow conduction persisted in sinus rhythm and was exaggerated by premature stimulation but did not reproduce the activation pattern during tachycardia. All the available evidence is best compatible with circus movement reentry within the SVC, with marked slow and anisotropic conduction responsible for the restricted dimensions of the reentrant circuit. These findings may suggest a similar substrate and arrhythmia mechanism in the myocardium of the pulmonary veins.

Atrial Fibrillation↗

The scavenging behaviour of ferrets (Mustela furo), feral cats (Felis domesticus), possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) and harrier hawks (Circus approximans) on pastoral farmland in New Zealand: implications for bovine tuberculosis transmission.

AIMS: To identify species that scavenge carcasses in pastoral habitats in New Zealand; to determine whether there were interspecific or intraspecific differences in scavenging behaviour and; to document any interspecific or intraspecific interactions occurring at carcasses. METHODS: Scavenging by ferrets (Mustela furo), feral cats (Felis domesticus), possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) and harrier hawks (Circus approximans) was studied from autumn to midwinter on pastoral farmland near Palmerston (45S, 170E), Otago, New Zealand. Time-lapse video recorders and camera lens mounted with infra-red light illumination were used to monitor carcasses of 10 ferrets, 12 possums, 2 hedgehogs and 7 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) until they were totally scavenged. RESULTS: Ferrets scavenged 5/8 ferret carcasses, 8/9 possum carcasses and 6/7 rabbit carcasses encountered. Feral cats scavenged 3/8 ferret carcasses, 5/7 rabbit carcasses, and 3/8 possum carcasses encountered. Possums scavenged 1/2 ferret carcasses and 3/4 rabbit carcasses encountered. The proportion of encounters resulting in feeding on ferret carcasses differed between ferrets (45.7%) and possums (6.3%), and between possums and cats (29.7%). Similarly, for possum carcasses, differences were found between ferrets (76.6%) and possums (0%), ferrets and cats (60.6%) and possums and cats. No interspecific differences were found in the proportion of encounters that resulted in feeding on rabbit carcasses between ferrets (85.2%), possums (75%) and cats (73.1%). In 8/12 instances of ferrets coming into contact with other ferrets whilst feeding, ferrets fed together at the carcass. On 1 occasion, 4 ferrets were recorded feeding together. In 7/8 instances where cats and ferrets came into contact over carrion, ferrets maintained possession or displaced the cat from the carcass. CONCLUSIONS: Communal carrion feeding by ferrets may facilitate intraspecific and interspecific transmission of bovine tuberculosis (caused by Mycobacterium bovis) by the consumption of contaminated carrion, fighting, or close-contact activities. Cannibalism may be one mechanism by which tuberculosis is transmitted within ferret populations. Our results also suggest that possums may acquire infection from carrion, despite being mainly herbivorous.

Journal Article↗

Energy requirements for growth in relation to sexual size dimorphism in marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus nestlings.

Food consumption was measured in six female and seven male hand-raised marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) nestlings. Females consumed on average 4,321 g and males consumed 3,571 g of food during the nestling stage from 0 to 36 d. Total consumption until 56 d was 6,960 g and 5,822 g for females and males, respectively. On the basis of Fisher's sex ratio theory, this food intake ratio of 0.46 (intake male/[intake male + female]) would explain the observed male-biased fledging sex ratio of 55% males in marsh harrier broods. Growth, gross energy intake, and metabolizable energy intake were measured, along with metabolism of the nestlings, enabling us to determine energy allocation. The assimilation quotient (Q = 0.72) did not differ systematically between the sexes. Differences in metabolic rates between males and females at 15 and 30 d of age were fully attributable to the difference in body mass. Sexual size dimorphism in marsh harriers (female body mass around 60 d of age is 1.28 times greater than male mass) did not fully explain the difference in food intake between male and female nestlings: an analysis of energy requirements for growth and body mass in 16 avian species shows that energy intake was less than proportional to the average body mass at release. The data presented in this study are in agreement with Fisher's theory of inverse proportionality between the sex-specific ratios of energy requirements for growth and of offspring numbers in the marsh harrier population.

Animals↗

Observations on mechanisms of circus movement tachycardia in the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Role of different tachycardia circuits and sites of block in maintenance of tachycardia.

Different mechanisms of block of impulse propagation in several re-entrant circuits resulted in a major discordance between the "echo-zone" and the "tachycardia-zone" in a patient with intermittent Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, dual atrioventricular nodal pathways, and bundle branch re-entry. This case illustrates the delicate balance in electrophysiological properties required between the tissues incorporated in a re-entrant circuit to initiate and sustain the arrhythmia. It also shows how the presence of several reentrant pathways can lead to refractoriness in the circuit responsible for the circus movement tachycardia.

Atrioventricular Node↗

Management of pacemaker circus movement tachycardias.

DDD pacemakers were implanted in 11 patients of whom 5 had the capacity to conduct retrogradely to the atrium. Methods to prevent or terminate pacemaker circus movement tachycardia ( PCMT ) were evaluated in these patients. V-A conduction was assessed before implantation by incremental right ventricular pacing while recording right atrial electrograms. Following implantation and at quarterly outpatient clinic visits, V-A conduction and ability to initiate and sustain PCMT were systematically assessed by non-invasive techniques. PCMT could be induced non-invasively in all 5 patients. The methods used to reduce and terminate the incidence of PCMT were: 1) decreasing the atrial sensitivity; 2) stressing the V-A conduction system by programming a high upper rate with an appropriately short A-V interval; 3) programming a low lower rate; 4) avoiding the Wenckebach response (by programming a high upper rate); 5) medication; and 6) occasionally by using a magnet. PCMT was controlled in all patients, in 2 patients by programming measures only and in 2 with the addition of medication. One patient who refused medication had to be programmed into another pacing mode. We conclude that: 1) the presence of V-A conduction is not an absolute contraindication to the use of a DDD pacing system; 2) pacing the ventricle early enough to cause V-A block was the most useful method to terminate PCMT ; 3) future generation DDD pacemakers should prevent initiation of PCMTs while maintaining the possibility to synchronize to exercise-induced high atrial rates.

Adult↗

Right atrial-ventricular dissociation and entrainment while pacing from high right atrium and coronary sinus during circus movement tachycardias.

Thirteen patients with circus movement tachycardias (CMT) were studied. Twelve had left-sided, and one, right-sided, accessory pathways. Entrainment was possible during overdrive high right atrial stimulation in 13/13 patients, and during coronary sinus pacing in 10/12 patients. The minimal pacing rates required for this to occur were 10 to 31 beats/min faster than those of the tachycardias. Short episodes of right atrial-ventricular dissociation occurred while pacing from the high right atrium (6/13 patients), but not from the coronary sinus (0/13 patients). It is possible to explain this phenomenon by postulating the existence of two distinct atrioventricular (AV) nodal inputs (one for right-sided and the other for left-sided impulses); it could also have been an expression of the close distance existing between the AV node and the coronary sinus. Entrainment, by defining a range of pacing rates followed by resumption of the tachycardia upon the cessation of stimulation, indicated that faster rates were needed for the CMT to be interrupted. However, regardless of the pacing rate and pacing site, tachycardia termination occurred when an anterograde impulse was blocked at the AV node. The information obtained from this study suggests that some patients with drug-resistant CMT may benefit from pacing modes capable of terminating the arrhythmia "through entrainment" at the slowest atrial rate at which this is possible.

Adolescent↗

Artificial circus movement tachycardias: incidence, mechanisms, and prevention.

In a group of 45 patients treated with Medtronic 7000 and 7100 pulse generators for sick sinus syndrome or second or third degree atrioventricular block, an atrial synchronous mode of pacing was programmed in 34 cases and spontaneously occurring artificial circus movement tachycardias (ACMTs) were observed in nine. An analysis of conditions of occurrence, triggering mechanisms and patterns of ACMT, is presented. Various modalities of prevention are discussed. They resulted in suppression of ACMT in five patients and decrease of incidence in a sixth; the three remaining subjects were managed by definitive reprogramming in the DVI mode. Our conclusion is that correct prevention of ACMT requires the use of dual chamber pulse generators with programmable atrial refractory periods. For patients in whom a unit has already been implanted, careful observation of the triggering mechanism and pattern of ACMT may help in determining the most suitable way to prevent and suppress the arrhythmia.

Adult↗

Merits of various antipacemaker circus movement tachycardia features.

Pacemaker circus movement tachycardia (PCMT) was a significant problem in first generations of DDD pacemakers. Programmability of the atrial refractory period proved to be an effective tool to prevent PCMT except in patients with very long ventriculoatrial (V-A) conduction intervals, because a long atrial refractory period severely limits the maximum tracking rate. In these patients, extension of the atrial refractory period after a VPB, bipolar atrial sensing, adaptation of atrial refractory period to atrial rate, and VPB synchronous atrial stimulation helped limit the incidence of PCMT. Rate smoothing and fallback behavior have given rise to other forms of PCMT. Once initiated, PCMT can be terminated by a single P wave or by means of an appropriately timed atrial stimulus. Recognition by means of continued upper rate pacing may not be helpful in patients with a long V-A conduction interval because their PCMT rate will be low, thus requiring a low upper rate to trigger. Therefore, absolute prevention of PCMT has not yet been achieved, but PCMT is no longer a significant problem in DDD pacing; recognition of PCMT should not be related to the ventricular upper rate limit.

Atrioventricular Node↗