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At least 829 records · Page 46Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Vaccine-induced protection against anthrax in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis).

Institution of a policy of vaccination in endangered species with a vaccine not previously administered to it cannot be undertaken lightly. This applies even more in the case of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) with their unusually monomorphic gene pool and the potential restrictions this places on their immune responses. However, the recently observed mortalities from anthrax in these animals in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, made it imperative to evaluate vaccination. Black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), another endangered species in the park, have been vaccinated for over three decades but the effectiveness of this has never been evaluated. Passive protection tests in A/J mice using sera from 12 cheetahs together with enzyme immunoassay indicated that cheetah are able to mount seemingly normal primary and secondary humoral immune responses to the Sterne 34F2 live spore livestock vaccine. Overall protection rates in mice injected with the sera rose and fell in concert with rises and declines in antibody titres, although fine analysis showed that the correlation between titre and protection was complex. Once a high level of protection (96% of mice 1 month after a second booster in the cheetahs) had been achieved, the duration of substantial protection appeared good (60% of the mice 5 months after the second booster). Protection conferred on mice by sera from three of four vaccinated rhino was almost complete, but, obscurely, none of the mice receiving serum from the fourth rhino were protected. Sera from three park lions with naturally acquired high antibody titres, included as controls, also conferred high levels of protection. For the purposes of wildlife management, the conclusions were that vaccination of cheetah with the standard animal anthrax vaccine causes no observable ill effect in the animals and does appear to confer protective immunity. At least one well-separated booster does appear to be desirable. Vaccination of rhino also appears to be justified from the limited data obtained.

Acinonyx↗
PubMed2006

Detection and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in captive non-domestic mammals.

Shiga toxin producing-Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important emerging pathogen, and ruminants are recognized as their main natural reservoir. The aim of this work was to establish the frequency of STEC in non-domestic mammals of the Zoo and Botanical Garden of La Plata City, Argentina, and to pheno-genotypically characterize STEC isolates. By polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Shiga toxin (stx) gene sequences were detected in 50.8% of 65 fecal samples. Twenty-five STEC strains were isolated from 38.5% of the Zoo's animals. Ten species of order Cetartiodactyla and one species of order Rodentia were recognized as new STEC carriers. STEC strains belonged to 7 different serotypes including new serotypes O12:H25 and O13:H6. Serotype O146:H28, previously associated with human infections, represented 24% of STEC isolates. The most frequent Shiga toxin identified were type 1c and type 2c. Nineteen strains were positive for iha gene, 8 strains were positive for ehxA gene. Moreover, all strains were positive for lpfAO113 and negative for rfbO157, eae, saa, lpfAO157/OI-141, lpfAO157/OI-154, efa1, and toxB genes. Results obtained by XbaI-pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (XbaI-PFGE) confirmed the transmission of STEC strains among different animal species and suborders. In addition, we observed a potential association between STEC-harboring animal and factors such as belonging to order Cetartiodactyla, living in a pit, and belonging to a non-autochthonous species. This is the first work developed with zoological mammals and STEC in Argentina.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

A 12-month survey of the gastro-intestinal helminths of antelopes, gazelles and giraffids kept at two zoos in Belgium.

Faecal egg count patterns and clinical signs associated with gastro-intestinal (GI) nematodes of 107 zoo ruminants were monitored at fortnightly intervals for 1 year. The ruminants in this study were kept under different husbandry conditions at two sites of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, the Antwerp Zoo and the Animal Park Planckendael. Artiodactylids involved were Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah), bongos (Tragelaphus euryceros isaaci), sitatungas (Tragelaphus spekii gratus), common eland (Taurotragus oryx), impala (Aepyceros melampus), slender-horned gazelles, (Gazella leptoceros), blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus taurinus), Kordofan giraffes (Giraffe camelopardalis antiquorum) and okapi (Okapia johnstoni). Nematode eggs were recovered from 586 of 1606 (36.5%) individual faecal samples, using flotation techniques. Infection levels were distinctly low at Antwerp Zoo, probably due to zero grazing and daily dung removal. At Planckendael, the herds of Arabian oryx, scimitar-horned oryx and slender-horned gazelles showed markedly higher egg counts than the other herds, with more than 10% of the faecal egg counts having more than 100 eggs per gram (epg) and maximum faecal egg counts of 600, 750 and 1350 epg, respectively. Faecal egg counts increased during the mid-grazing season (July) and peaked at the end of the grazing season (October). No clinical signs, such as loss of faecal consistency, could be correlated with faecal egg counts (P > 0.05). With the exception of significantly more Nematodirus spp. eggs that were present in juvenile eland, no differences in faecal egg counts could be found between the sexes and different age groups. Abomasa and intestines of 17 animals that died during the survey were available for total worm counts. In one Arabian oryx, four slender-horned gazelles and one sitatunga low burdens ranging from 200 to 14,300 were found. Nematode species recovered were Camelostrongylus mentulatus from the abomasa and Trichostrongylus retortaeformis, Nematodirus fillicollis, Capillaria spp. and Trichuris spp. from the intestines. Our findings suggest different nematode infection levels between herds, which are mainly due to husbandry conditions but to a lesser extent to species- or individual susceptibility. Identification of ungulates that are highly infected and knowledge of the seasonal variation of their helminths can contribute greatly to a well-adjusted species-specific management and helminth control program.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Babesiosis of wild carnivores and ungulates.

Although large and small piroplasms have been reported from various wild carnivore and ungulate species, relatively few have been named. In the past, mere presence of a piroplasm in a specific host frequently prompted naming of a new species. Descriptions were often inadequate or lacking altogether. Currently, demarcation of species relies heavily on molecular characterisation. Even serological evidence is deemed insufficient. Experimental transmission of Babesia spp. from domestic to wild animals is usually only successful in closely related species, or after splenectomy. There are indications that endemic stability, similar to the situation in livestock, is the general pattern in Babesia sp. infections in wildlife. All lions in Kruger National Park were found to be infected with B. leo, which did not lead to clinical disease manifestation in artificially infected lions. Under stressful conditions, infections could flare up and be fatal, as purportedly happened to the famous lioness "Elsa". Similarly black rhinos, which can harbour Babesia bicornis without ill effects, may develop clinical babesiosis during confinement after capture. Zoo-bred animals, which were not exposed to Babesia spp. at a young age, may be fully susceptible when released into a natural environment where other members of their species occur. This could have major implications for ex situ conservation programmes aimed at bolstering natural wildlife populations.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Fecal steroid analysis of female giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) reproductive condition and the impact of endocrine status on daily time budgets.

Gestation and lactation can impose substantial energetic costs on female mammals. We developed a non-invasive means to determine reproductive condition in female giraffe using fecal steroid analysis. Giraffe may be especially challenged during their reproductive cycle because of two characteristics: they are impregnated while lactating and they do not breed seasonally. We studied the social behavior and endocrinology of seven female giraffe in a large naturalistic outdoor enclosure in order to chart connections between maternal physiology and behavior across the reproductive cycle. We found that giraffe gestation averages 448 days among females producing a calf that survived, with fecal pregnane concentrations reaching a zenith during the last trimester of pregnancy. Resumption of ovarian cyclicity following parturition was accelerated after neonatal calf mortality, but ovarian cycles resumed as early as 39 days postparturition while nursing. Although time spent feeding was unaffected by reproductive state, pregnant females significantly reduced time allocated to social behavior and had a tendency to locomote less than when cycling or acyclic. We suggest that modifications in foraging strategies as a function of reproductive state among wild giraffe derive from antipredator activity rather than from metabolic demands. Female giraffe probably cope with simultaneous lactation and gestation by producing high quality milk for neonatal calves commensurate with slow fetal growth and accelerating fetal growth simultaneous with weaning of nursing calves.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Ovarian features of the wild collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) from the northeastern Peruvian Amazon.

In this study, the ovaries of 27 wild collared peccaries (Tayassu tajacu) from the Amazonian region of northeastern Peru were examined macroscopically and microscopically, and expression of major steroidogenic enzymes was detected by immunohistochemistry. Our observations suggest a mean ovulation rate of 2.3 +/- 0.6 follicles and a low rate of reproductive wastage (0.4 +/- 0.6 oocytes or embryos per pregnancy). The collared peccary seems to exhibit follicular waves involving the synchronous growth of a cohort of follicles, several of which seem to attain selection. The presence of antral follicles in pregnant females suggests that follicular turnover continues during pregnancy. In cyclic animals, corpora lutea were characterised by the presence of distinct large and small luteal cell populations. The luteal volume in pregnant females was larger than that recorded for non-pregnant females. Through immunohistochemistry, it was observed that luteal cells from active corpora lutea exhibit intensive 3beta-HSD expression in advanced stages of pregnancy. This suggests that the corpora lutea seems to remain steroidogenically active throughout pregnancy and likely contribute to progesterone production during pregnancy.

3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗
PubMed2006

Sociosexual behavior, male mating tactics, and the reproductive cycle of giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis.

Female distribution exerts a major impact on male mating tactics. Giraffe cows have a reproductive cycle, and a social system, that should favor a male roaming reproductive tactic. We conducted a 2-year study of female Rothschild's giraffe (G. c. rothschildi) reproductive endocrinology in order to characterize attributes of the reproductive cycle and investigate how female endocrine and behavioral cues influence mating activity. We used non-invasive fecal steroid methods to determine reproductive state among females residing in a herd in a large outdoor enclosure. We found that females had an estrous cycle of 14.7 days and that they regularly had multiple ovarian cycles prior to conception. Adult males were more likely to associate with, and sexually investigate, females when they were cycling than when they were either pregnant or acyclic. During the estrous cycle, male-female proximity and sociosexual behavior were more pronounced during the probable fertile phase than the rest of the cycle. Sexual activity between giraffe coincided with the periovulatory period, with male interest in females peaking during the fertile window in the absence of proceptive behavior by females. We conclude that males detect reliable cues revealing female reproductive status and partition their reproductive effort in response to such cues. We propose that male giraffe adopt a roaming reproductive strategy with their large size, enabling them to search for and mate guard fertile females while minimizing metabolic costs.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Nuclear and mitochondrial evolutionary analyses of Collared, White-lipped, and Chacoan peccaries (Tayassuidae).

The three extant peccary species, the Chacoan (Catagonus wagneri), the White-lipped (Tayassu pecari) and the Collared (Pecari tajacu), are morphologically and chromosomally distinct and confined to the New World. There is ongoing paleontological, cytogenetic, and molecular debate about phylogenetic relationships among them. To contribute to the understanding of Tayassuidae phylogeny, three mitochondrial (control region, cytochrome b, and 12S rRNA) and five nuclear (K-casein, thyrotropin, tyrosinase, and swine short interspersed nuclear elements PRE-1 P27 and P642) peccary DNA fragments were amplified, cloned and sequenced from Chacoan, White-lipped, and Collared peccaries. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using maximum likelihood and neighbor joining methods. K-casein, thyrotropin, and tyrosinase sequences did not resolve the phylogeny, while control region, cytochrome b, 12S rRNA, and PRE-1 P27 and P642 sequences were more informative in deciphering phylogenetic relationships. When pig and warthog were used as an outgroup, Chacoan and White-lipped peccaries clustered distinct from Collared peccaries. Furthermore, control region and cytochrome b sequence variation within Collared peccaries was as extreme as that between White-lipped and Chacoan peccaries, supporting subspecific and possibly even specific variation within the widely distributed Collared peccary. This study supports the existence of two independent genera within the Tayassuidae family consisting of Collared and Chacoan/White-lipped peccaries, in contrast with classical morphological taxonomy which clusters White-lipped and Collared peccaries in the genus Tayassu or which alternatively clusters the Collared peccary in the genus Dicotyles as a related sister clade of the Chacoan peccary (genus Catagonus).

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Phylogenetic divisions among Collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) detected using mitochondrial and nuclear sequences.

The Collared peccary (Pecari tajacu) is one of the three extant recognised species of the family Tayassuidae, living in the Americas. To understand phylogenetic relationships among Collared peccaries, the entire mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b as well as partial nuclear GPIP and PRE-1 P27, PRE-1 P642 and TYR sequences from specimens from Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, United States and Australian zoo animals of unknown origin were analysed. Separate and combined analyses of the mitochondrial sequences provided good resolution of Collared peccary relationships. Nuclear sequences were partially informative when combined sequence analyses were performed. Maximum Likelihood analyses of mitochondrial sequences showed that Collared peccaries clustered in two major clades, representing North-Central American and South American specimens. Collared peccaries from Colombia are paraphyletic. Statistical Parsimony analysis of combined nuclear sequences showed a distribution of DNA variants consistent with mitochondrial sequence analyses. However, there is an uncoupling of nuclear and mitochondrial sequence variation in two specimens from Colombia. The present study suggests the recent contact of isolated populations within Colombia and possible mitochondrial introgression between the North/Central clade and the South clade. Pairwise genetic distances comparison of mitochondrial sequences show that divergence between the two major clades of the Collared peccary was higher and comparable respectively with that within and between the other two recognised peccary species. Divergence between the two major clades of the Collared peccary was also higher than that observed within and even between recognised species of the Suidae family. The divergence within the major clades of the Collared peccary showed comparable values with those observed within the other two species of Tayassuidae and within six species of Suidae. The results show that the geographically widespread and phenotypically diverse Collared peccary consists of two species or at least subspecies with implications for management of wild, zoo and captive populations.

Americas↗
PubMed1997

Extreme bilateral molar rotation in Monodelphis domestica (Marsupialia: Didelphidae).

Rotation of a tooth around an axis perpendicular to the occlusal plane through angles approaching 180 degrees is a rare anomaly found in the mammalian dentition. A specimen of Monodelphis domestica was found to show such extreme rotation of both lower last molars, with consequent disruption of normal occlusion and wear. A review of the literature discovered 41 other reported cases of extreme rotation, from four different orders of mammals. The distribution of extreme rotation within the dentition can be summarized as follows. It is found only in isolated teeth or in contralateral pairs of teeth. Bilateral rotation is far more common than would be expected based on the chance of the independent occurrence of two rotations. Extreme rotation has a significantly higher frequency in upper rather than lower teeth, in premolars rather than other teeth, and on the left- rather than the right--hand side. The incidence of extreme rotation across mammals was estimated to be approx. 1 in 5850.

Animal Diseases↗