Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine最新文献

Elephants have unique leukocyte morphology, making automated differentiation challenging and unreliable. Manual white blood cell (WBC) differentials are the gold standard in these species. Automated blood film reading systems are now available for blood smear evaluation. The CellaVision^® DC-1V is a computer-controlled microscope that allows WBC preclassification by digital capture and cell recognition, and clinician verification and correction to ensure result accuracy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of this analyzer in captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana) as compared to the gold standard. Sixty blood smears from 7 captive elephants were blindly analyzed twice by 3 observers (MAN: manual counts), and the analyzer (RAW: raw CellaVision DC-1V counts). Analyzer's counts were corrected by each operator (MOD: modified CellaVision DC-1V counts). Linear regressions and correlation coefficients were used to compare MAN, RAW, and MOD. Statistical differences were observed across cell types between all 3 methods (p < 0.01). Heterophil and band heterophil counts were more consistent across observers and methods than lymphocyte and monocyte counts. MOD were considered acceptable for monocytes, but not granulocytes and lymphocytes when compared to limits established for domestic species. The discrepancy between consistency and acceptability may stem from elephants being a monocyte-predominant species, suggesting that limits of acceptability could differ from those applied to domestic species. Time required for the differentials was significantly shorter (p < 0.01) and differentials were subjectively easier to perform when using the analyzer (MOD). The CellaVision^® DC-1V may be a useful tool for WBC differentials in African elephants, improving both accuracy and time efficiency when corrected by a trained observer.

Automated reading systems have recently been developed for differential leukocyte counts in veterinary patients and showed good correlation with manual readings in human medicine and in some animal species. Differential leukocyte counts were performed on 127 banked blood smears from captive Felidae (46 individuals from 10 species) manually by one human operator and by the CellaVision DC-1 VET^®. Excellent correlation (r > 0.90) was observed for neutrophils and lymphocytes. Lower correlations were seen for eosinophils (r = 0.47) and monocytes (r = 0.43), but reclassification by the human operator improved the correlation to very high. Despite good correlations, only neutrophil results were acceptable according to the American Society for Clinical Veterinary Pathology (ASCVP) guidelines. The performance of the CellaVision was overall better for Felinae (n = 63) compared with Pantherinae (n = 64), except for eosinophils. The correlations between the manual and the CellaVision readings were overall higher for animals with a normal medical status compared with animals with an abnormal status (mostly infectious and degenerative diseases). Differential leukocyte counts were performed significantly quicker by the CellaVision. The CellaVision is a time-efficient tool in the determination of leukocyte differential counts in non-domestic felids. A control of the leukocyte preclassification by a human operator is necessary for lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils, particularly for samples collected from Pantherinae and clinically unhealthy animals.

The flattened musk turtle (Sternotherus depressus) is a stream-dwelling species that inhabits a small range in the Upper Black Warrior River water basin system in AL and is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The stripe-necked musk turtle (Sternotherus peltifer) has a broader range, surrounding and slightly overlapping that of the flattened musk turtle in the southeast United States, and is classified as least concern. Ongoing conservation efforts for flattened musk turtles have, thus far, been limited to population surveys; however, the conservation action plan for the species calls for health and infectious disease surveys. Flattened musk turtles (n = 35) and stripe-neck musk turtles (n = 4) in the Black Warrior River water basin system and the Coosa River water basin in AL were tested for frog virus 3 virus, Mycoplasmopsis spp., herpesviruses, and adenoviruses by using oral and cloacal swabs. All samples were negative for all pathogens, suggesting this is a naïve population, sampling occurred when individuals were not shedding nucleic acids, or the concentration of DNA was below the level of detection.

This retrospective study aims to determine physiologic measurements of major organs (heart, liver, and kidneys) on radiographs of wild rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) to define reference intervals for each organ. High quality radiographs of wild rainbow lorikeets that had no major clinical or radiographic lesions were selected for this study. The widths of the heart, liver, thorax, and coelomic cavity along with the height and length of the kidneys, and the width of the femur and the length of the first coccygeal vertebrae were measured from 45 radiographic studies. Correlations between the measured structures and with the thoracic and coelomic cavity were explored. The cardiac width was 63% (55%-71%) of the thoracic width, liver width resulted in 74% (52-90%) of the coelomic width. Kidney length and width resulted in 73% (61-87%) and 11% (7-14%) of the coelomic width, respectively. Similar to previous studies in different avian species, the correlation between heart width and thorax width was confirmed. However, the ratio of heart width to thorax width in wild rainbow lorikeets was found to be slightly higher than those published in captive avian species, suggesting that wild birds might have comparably larger hearts than captive birds. The reference intervals established in this study may assist clinicians in identifying changes in the measured organs when enlargement or reduction in size is observed on radiographs of wild rainbow lorikeets.

Previous retrospective studies on common morbidities and mortalities of jaguars (Panthera onca) provided information that led to changes in preventive medicine protocols and proactive medical care.^8,11 However, new disease trends and medical conditions may emerge, change over time, or change location. Medical records from 139 jaguars housed in 35 North American zoological facilities between 2003 and 2023 were reviewed. Common morbidities and mortalities in different age groups were identified. Most morbidities involved the integumentary system (n = 173) in this study population, followed by the digestive (n = 163) and musculoskeletal systems (n = 86). Other notable morbidity findings included presumed exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in four jaguars but with normal pancreas on histopathology, and all degenerative joint diseases (n = 8, 14.5%) and urinary (n = 17, 30.9%), and ocular conditions (n = 10; 7.2%) were found in geriatric jaguars. Renal disease (n = 22) and neoplasia (n = 21) were the leading causes of mortality in this study population. Compared to previous studies, there appeared to be more cases of self-trauma involving the skin (n = 90; 32.3%) in this study population (P = <0.0001), particularly in adult jaguars, but significantly fewer cases of hepatic conditions (n = 4, P = 0.0096). Neoplasia was an important cause of death with ovarian cystadenocarcinoma being more prevalent than mammary adenocarcinoma in this study. As morbidity and mortality trends change, medical and husbandry protocols may need to adjust to manage and decrease the prevalence of medical conditions.

Coagulation testing may aid veterinarians in the early identification and management of disease. Clinical application of these diagnostics may be hampered by delays associated with transporting samples to central veterinary laboratories, especially when working in remote locations. The objective of this study was to compare prothrombin times (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin times (aPTT) in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) determined by a point-of-care (POC) analyzer to those determined by a standard laboratory unit. Captive elephants (n = 64) of both sexes and three age classes (juvenile, adult, and geriatric) in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, underwent venipuncture during routine clinical assessment. PT and aPTT were determined immediately using a handheld POC device (qLabs Coag Panel 2, Micropoint Biotechnologies Inc., Shekou, Shenzen, Guandong 518067, China). Citrated plasma was used to determine PT and aPTT at the veterinary diagnostic laboratory at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, on a standard analyzer (Sysmex Automated Blood Coagulation Analyzer CA-500 Series, Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Hyogo 651-0073 Japan) 24-31 h following venipuncture. Results were compared by Bland-Altman plots and Passing-Bablock regression analyses. There were significant systematic, constant and proportional biases for PT and aPTT for both analyzers. The POC analyzer significantly overestimated PT and aPTT values by a mean of 11.9 s (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.4-12.4 s) and 117.6 s (95% CI, 115.0-120.1 s), respectively. The results of this study show a large discrepancy between PT and aPTT values between a POC coagulometer and standard analyzer, confirming the need for analyzer-specific reference intervals for their use in clinical care.

Giraffe anesthesia is considered high risk due to inherent challenges associated with their distinctive anatomy and physiology. This retrospective study (January 2014-January 2024) in zoo-housed giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) evaluated three thiafentanil-medetomidine-ketamine based protocols without the aid of a giraffe restraint device (GRD) for induction of anesthesia (66 events, 45 individuals, 15 facilities). Individuals were categorized as either adult (≥1 yr old) (n = 52) or juveniles (1 mon to <1 yr old) (n = 14). Three protocols included: thiafentanil 7.4 ± 1.1 µg/kg, medetomidine 15.1 ± 2.1 µg/kg, and ketamine 0.7 ± 0.1 mg/kg as sole agents (TMK; 45/66) or with the addition of butorphanol 0.02 ± 0.01 mg/kg in both a one-stage (TMKB; 9/66) or two-stage (MB-TK; 12/66) induction protocol. Adult giraffes were induced in indoor and outdoor holdings (typically padded, 42/52, 81%) or pasture setting (10/52, 19%), intubated, and ventilated. Time between darts was 13.3 ± 3.5 min for MB-TK. Adult median antagonist ratios were 5 mg atipamezole (range 4-15 mg) per 1 mg medetomidine IM, 32 mg naltrexone (range 10-214 mg) per 1 mg thiafentanil IM/SC/IV, and additional 3 mg naltrexone (range 0-34 mg) per 1 mg butorphanol IM/SC/IV. Median total anesthesia length (initial dart to antagonist administration) was 81.0 mins (range 26.0-162.0 mins) across all procedures. Time to recumbency varied between one and two dart protocols. Recovery parameters after antagonists included time to extubation (6.0 ± 4.6 min), head control (12.5 ± 8.6 min), and standing (21.9 ± 19.9 min). Adult mortality attributed to anesthetic complications was 2% (1/52), juvenile mortality was 0%. This study and others support a decreasing risk of mortality during giraffe anesthesia (0-2%), compared with historical publications.

Wildlife rehabilitation facilities contribute to scientific research through clinical case reports, experimental studies, and retrospective reviews; however, the amount and type of this research has not been quantified. A literature search was performed to identify recent trends in wildlife rehabilitation research over a six-year period (2017-2022). The following data was evaluated from a total of 526 articles: publishing journal, taxonomic class and order, article sponsorship, contributing institutions, country of origin, and paper topic. Journals with a focus on animals, zoos, wildlife, and veterinary medicine published the greatest number of articles about wildlife rehabilitation. Mammals and birds, particularly birds of prey, were the most common subjects. Academic institutions were the largest sponsorship group, followed by wildlife rehabilitation facilities themselves. Publications were globally distributed, with the United States, Brazil, and Australia producing the greatest number of articles. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to identify wildlife rehabilitation facilities as a major sponsor for scientific research. Although the impacts from the field of wildlife rehabilitation are difficult to quantify, the information presented in this study may serve to acknowledge wildlife rehabilitation facilities as research partners, inform research projects, and serve as a database for future studies.

The microbiome plays a crucial role in human and animal health and welfare; however, no data exists regarding the gibbon microbiome. This study offers the first comprehensive analysis of the gut microbiome of 4 gibbon species in a managed setting, exploring the effects of controlled environmental and dietary conditions on microbial diversity and composition. Three fecal samples were collected from 24 healthy individuals from 4 gibbon species (Hoolock leuconedys, n = 7; Nomascus leucogenys, n = 9; Hylobates pileatus, n = 6; and Hylobates moloch, n = 7) over the course of 1 month. All animals were housed in a single facility with identical environmental conditions and diet. The gut microbiomes were characterized using 16s amplicon sequencing, revealing significant differences in microbial richness across species, with Javan gibbons exhibiting the highest mean diversity (Shannon: 5.347, SD = 0.201) and pileated gibbons the lowest (Shannon: 5.167, SD = 0.241; p < 0.05). Analysis identified 4,070 distinct Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) assigned to 18 phyla, with 70.5% shared across species. Unique microbial genera (ranging from 1%-4.9%) were exclusive to each species, indicating distinct gut microbiome configurations. Additionally, although common microbial genera were found across all species, significant variations in specific bacterial taxa's abundance were observed. This highlights the uniqueness of each species' gut microbiome and challenges the assumption of homogeneity in captive primate microbiomes. Investigations into the enclosure soil microbiomes suggest a minimal impact on the gibbon gut microbial composition. This research emphasizes the complexity of gibbon microbiomes and offers novel insights into their health, management, and conservation.

Within 1 yr, two cases of iron storage disease (hemochromatosis) were identified in a breeding colony of endangered Amargosa voles (Microtus californicus scirpensis). This study was designed to investigate the extent of excessive hepatic iron accumulation (iron overload with or without tissue damage) in the colony and identify risk factors such as age, sex, parity, lineage, diet, or housing that could influence management decisions for a population meant to propagate a vanishing species. The two affected voles had periportal to panlobular hepatocellular and Kupffer cell Prussian blue-positive pigment accumulation associated with hepatocellular degeneration and necrosis. By mass spectroscopy, hepatic iron content in the two affected voles was 34,000 and 6,100 parts per million (ppm) compared with 6,800 and 400 ppm in two unaffected voles. To determine the prevalence and identify risk factors, a study set of 45 voles from the pathology archives was selected within representative age groups and between sexes. The paraffin-embedded liver from study set voles was stained with Prussian blue for ferric iron. Prussian blue-positive staining was semiquantitatively scored and quantified using automated image analysis of binary pixels per region of interest. Four additional voles with excessive hepatic iron accumulation were identified within the study set. Age, diet, and types of housing were not risk factors, but female sex and lineage were risk factors. All six voles with elevated hepatic iron as measured by digital analysis or mass spectroscopy or both were female. Excluding affected voles, females had a significantly higher hepatic Prussian blue-positive signal than males. No association was identified between hepatic Prussian blue-positive signal and parity. Pedigree analysis revealed that five of six voles with elevated hepatic Prussian blue-positive signal were related to a single male founder (identification 4585). Excessive hepatic iron accumulation in this captive Amargosa vole colony is, thus, associated with female sex and was potentially heritable.