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At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
USGS1994

Nutritional restriction and acid-base balance in white-tailed deer

We examined the effect of progressive nutritional restriction on acid-base balance in seven captive, adult white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) from 4 February to 5 May 1988 in north central Minnesota (USA). Metabolic acidosis was indicated by low mean blood pH (7.25 to 7.33) in deer throughout the study. Mean urinary pH values declined ( P = 0.020) from a mean (±SE) baseline of 8.3 ± 0.1 to 6.7 ± 0.3 as restriction progressed. Acidemia and aciduria were associated with significant variations in mean blood CO 2 ( P = 0.006) and pO 2 ( P = 0.032), serum potassium ( P = 0.004) concentrations, and with a significant ( P = 0.104) handling date × group interaction in urinary potassium : creatinine values. Mean bicarbonate : carbonic acid ratios were consistently below 20:1 during nutritional restriction. Mean packed cell volume increased ( P = 0.019) and serum total protein decreased ( P = 0.001); thus there was evidence for progressive dehydration and net protein catabolism, respectively. Blood pCO 2 , serum sodium, and urinary sodium : creatinine were stable throughout the study. We propose that acidosis and aciduria are metabolic complications associated with nutritional restriction of white-tailed deer.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1994

Isolation of Aeromonas salmonicida from paddlefish, Polyodon spathula

Aeromonas salmonicida was isolated from paddlefish ( Polyodon spathula ) mortalities collected during an epizootic of furunculosis at the Spring River State Hatchery, Arkansas (USA), in 1992. Isolates of the bacterium were obtained from culture of gill and kidney tissue. This is the first epizootic of bacterial etiology to be reported in paddlefish.

Arkansas↗
USGS1994

Use of sentinel mallards for epizootiologic studies of avian botulism

Captive-reared mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were used as sentinels to study the epizootiology of avian botulism at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, Willows, California (USA) from 1986 to 1989. Sentinel mallards were wing-clipped, and 40 to 50 birds were confined in 1.6-ha enclosures in 11 selected wetlands (pools). Enclosures were searched intensively three to four times weekly from July through October. Sick and dead wild and sentinel birds were collected, necropsied, and tested for type C botulism toxin. Botulism epizootics occurred in sentinel mallards in 1986, 1987, and 1989, but only a few isolated cases of botulism were detected in 1988. In most epizootics, botulism also was detected simultaneously in wild birds using the same pool outside the enclosure. Epizootics in sentinels were initiated and perpetuated in the absence of vertebrate carcasses. A sex-specific trend in the probability of intoxication was detected, with males contracting botulism at a higher rate than females. Daily mortality rates of sentinels during botulism epizootics ranged from 0.0006 to 0.0600, with a mean of 0.0190. These rates would result in the daily loss of 0.6 to 60 birds per thousand at risk. The use of sentinel birds provided an effective means of gathering site-specific epizootiologic data.

California↗
USGS1994

Relationship between resistance of salmonids to furunculosis and recovery of Aeromonas salmonicida from external mucus

Fish were sampled at the Ed Weed State Fish Hatchery (South Hero, Vermont, USA) in September 1992. Aeromonas salmonicida was common, with concentrations as high as 10 5 to 10 7 colony-forming units per gram of mucus, and readily recovered from most mucus samples obtained from furunculosis-sensitive populations of brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ), lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ), and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) . The pathogen was the predominant microorganism and accounted for greater than 85% of the total number of bacteria isolated from the mucus of these fish. By comparison, A. salmonicida was recovered only from two rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ), and bacterial frequencies did not exceed 10 3 colony-forming units per gram of mucus. The pathogen was not recovered from the mucus of steelhead ( O. mykiss ) or Rome brown trout ( Salmo trutta ) selectively bred for resistance to furunculosis, even though there was widespread contagion throughout the hatchery and fish were cultured on a common, unprotected water supply.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1995

Survey for blood parasites in redheads (Aythya americana) wintering at the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana

We detected no infections with species of Plasmodium , Haemoproteus , Leucocytozoon , Sarcocystis or Trypanosoma in blood smears, liver and spleen impressions, and muscle tissue from 136 redheads ( Aythya americana ) collected or captured at the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana (USA), during three winters (1987 to 1990). One bird, a juvenile male, was infected with an unidentified species of microfilaria. Thus, we found no evidence that hematozoa had an effect on redheads during the course of the study.

Louisiana↗
USGS1995

Lead poisoning of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) and of a common eider (Somateria mollissima) in Alaska

Lead poisoning was diagnosed in four spectacled eiders ( Somateria fischeri ) and one common eider ( Somateria mollissima ) found dead or moribund at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska (USA) in 1992, 1993, and 1994. Ingested lead shot was found in the lower esophagus of one spectacled eider and in the gizzard of the common eider. Lead concentrations in the livers of the spectacled eiders were 26 to 38 ppm wet weight, and 52 ppm wet weight in the liver of the common eider. A blood sample collected from one of the spectacled eiders before it was euthanized had a lead concentration of 8.5 ppm wet weight. This is the first known report of lead poisoning in the spectacled eider, recently listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Alaska↗
USGS1995

An alternative bacteriological medium for the isolation of Aeromonas spp.

Two solid bacteriologic media were compared for cultivating Aeromonas spp. from piscine sources: the Rimler-Shotts (RS) medium and a starch-glutamate-ampicillin-penicillin-based medium (SGAP-10C) used for the recovery of Aeromonas spp. from water samples. The selective and differential capacities of the media were assessed March through October 1992 by recovery rate and phenotype of 99 isolates representing 15 genera of bacteria. Recovery frequency of Aeromonas spp. ( n = 62) was similar at 97% on RS and 95% on SGAP-10C. The SGAP-10C medium proved to be more specific than RS toward Aeromonas species (P ≤ 0.005). Use of SGAP-10C at 24 C for 48 hr offers a better choice for the laboratory recovery of Aeromonas spp. from clinical fish specimens.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1995

Bothrigaster variolaris (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae) infection in two Florida snail kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus)

Two Florida snail kites ( Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus , Say) collected in August and December 1993 from Osceola County (28°15′N, 81°17′W) and Glades County (26°45′N, 81°10′W), Florida (USA), respectively, were infected with Bothrigaster variolaris (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae); this parasite has not been reported previously from birds in the United States. One bird, a fledgling female, harbored 270 specimens of B. variolaris ; the helminths caused airsacculitis and bronchitis, possible contributing factors in the death of this bird. The other bird, a subadult female, was infected with 40 trematodes and had gross and microscopic lesions consistent with trauma as the cause of death.

Florida↗
USGS1996

Mortality of passerines adjacent to a North Carolina corn field treated with granular carbofuran

Red-winged blackbirds ( Agelaius phoeniceus ) were collected during an epizootic in southeastern North Carolina (USA). Activity of brain cholinesterase (ChE) was inhibited by 14 to 48% in three of five specimens, and returned to normal levels after incubation. Gastrointestinal tracts were analyzed for 30 anti-ChE agents. Carbofuran, the only compound detected, was present in all specimens at levels from 5.44 to 72.7 μg/g wet weight. Application of granular carbofuran in an adjacent corn field, results of necropsy examinations, and chemical analyses are consistent with a diagnosis of carbofuran poisoning in these specimens.

North Carolina↗
USGS1996

Exposure of wild waterfowl to Mycoplasma anatis

We developed an ELISA procedure to assess the presence of M. Anatis-specific serum antibody in ducks. Sera from exposed and unexposed Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were used to standardize tile ELISA and to establish reference ranges to classify ELISA results as exposed or not exposed. We conducted serological surveys of female waterfowl in the central and eastern United States between 1988 and 1992 to assess the frequency of exposure in wild waterfowl. Adult breeding mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), wintering mallards, and black ducks (Anas rubripes) had high prevalences of exposure to M. Anatis (25% to >80%). In comparison, none of the breeding adult canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) had serum antibody levels indicating exposure. Approximately 50% of the juvenile mallards and black ducks were exposed to M. Anatis by 8 months of age, indicating high transmission rates among wild birds.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1996

Diagnostic criteria for selenium toxicosis in aquatic birds: dietary exposure, tissue concentrations, and macroscopic effects

A feeding study with mallard ducks ( Anas platyrhynchos ) was conducted during March to July 1988 in Laurel, Maryland (USA), to identify diagnostic criteria for selenium toxicosis in birds. One-year-old male mallards in groups of 21 were fed diets containing 0, 10, 20, 40, or 80 parts per million (ppm) selenium, as seleno-DL-methionine, for 16 weeks. All ducks receiving 80 ppm died. Ducks receiving 40 or 80 ppm selenium consumed less feed than ducks in the other treatment groups. Body weights of ducks receiving 40 or 80 ppm selenium declined during the study. The post-breeding molt was delayed in ducks receiving 40 ppm; most ducks receiving 80 ppm selenium died prior to the onset of molt. At necropsy, numerous abnormalities were observed in ducks that died but only a small number of abnormalities were observed in ducks surviving to the end of the study in the 40 ppm group. Weights of the heart, spleen, and pancreas were mostly lower and weights of the kidney were higher for ducks dying during the study than for euthanized ducks. Liver weights were unaffected. Selenium accumulated in soft tissues approximately in proportion to dietary concentrations. Selenium concentrations in tissues of all ducks that died were different from those of surviving ducks in the 0, 10, and 20 ppm groups, but were not different from those of surviving ducks in the 40 ppm group. Proposed diagnostic criteria for fatal chronic selenosis were derived from body weight, macroscopic abnormalities, organ weights, and concentrations of selenium in the liver. Proposed diagnostic criteria for non-fatal chronic selenosis were derived from body weight, plumage condition, macroscopic abnormalities, concentrations of selenium in the liver, reproductive failure, and alterations of blood and tissue chemistries. Lead or dioxin poisoning have diagnostic criteria most similar to selenium toxicosis.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1996

Weights, hematology and serum chemistry of seven species of free-ranging tropical pelagic seabirds

I established reference values for weight, hematology, and serum chemistry for seven species of free-ranging Hawaiian tropical pelagic seabirds comprising three orders (Procellariiformes, Pelecaniformes, Charadriiformes) and six families (Procellariidae, Phaethontidae, Diomedeidae, Sulidae, Fregatidae, and Laridae). Species examined included 84 Hawaiian dark-rumped petrels ( Pterodoma phaeopygia ), 90 wedge-tailed shearwaters ( Puffinus pacificus ), 151 Laysan albatrosses ( Diomedea immutabilis ), 69 red-footed boobies ( Sula sula ), 154 red-tailed tropicbirds ( Phaeton rubricauda ), 90 great frigatebirds ( Fregata minor ), and 72 sooty terns ( Sterna fuscata ). Hematocrit, total plasma solids, total and differential white cell counts, serum glucose, calcium, phosphorus, uric acid, total protein, albumin, globulin, aspartate aminotransferase and creatinine phosphokinase were analyzed. Among and within species, hematology and chemistry values varied with age, sex, season, and island of collection. Despite this variation, order-wide trends were observed.

Hawai'i↗
USGS1997

Toxicity of white phosphorus to waterfowl: Acute exposure in mallards

As part of an effort to understand extensive, white phosphorus (P4)-induced waterfowl mortality at Eagle River Flats, Fort Richardson, Alaska, we conducted a number of acute toxicity tests using penned mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in 1993 and 1994. The 24-hr median lethal dose (LD50) for P4 dissolved in oil was 6.46 mg/kg in adult males and 6.96 mg/kg in adult females. Although the median lethal doses were not statistically different, the female dose-response curve had a statistically shallower slope than that of males. The LD50 for the ecologically more relevant pelletized form of P4 in adult males was 4.05 mg/kg. In mallards, one mechanism of P4 toxicity caused rapid (3 to 10 hr) mortality and had signs consistent with anoxia. A second, slower acting mechanism resulted in hepatic and renal pathology including extensive fat deposition in the liver and cellular necrosis. White phosphorus accumulated in adipose tissues, but only for a few days.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1997

Efficacy of eastern encephalitis immunization in whooping cranes

An epizootic of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC), Laurel, Maryland (USA), in 1989 provided an opportunity to determine if EEE immunization protected whooping cranes ( Grus americana ). Based on seroconversion of 31% of sympatric hatch-year sandhill cranes, Grus canadensis , and a previous 35% case fatality rate in whooping cranes, 17 (37%) of the 46 susceptible whooping cranes should have been exposed to virus and six should have died. As there were no deaths in these birds, the EEE vaccination program appeared to be efficacious in this whooping crane population.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases↗
USGS1997

Pasteurella multocida serotype 1 isolated from a lesser snow goose

Pharyngeal swabs were collected from 298 lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) at Banks Island (Northwest Territories. Canada) in the summer of 1994. Pasteurella multocida serotype 1 was isolated from an adult male bird and P. multocida serotype 3 was isolated from an adult female goose. Pathogenicity of the serotype 1 isolate was confirmed by inoculation in Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos). The serotype 3 isolate was non-pathogenic in Pekin ducks. This is the first documented isolation of pathogenic P. multocida serotype 1 from apparently healthy wild snow geese.

Northwest Territories↗