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At least 667 records · Page 37Linked to original sources
USGS1968

Some metabolic effects of bacterial endotoxins in salmonid fishes

Coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) and rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) were highly resistant to endotoxins from both Escherichia coli and Aeromonas salmonicida (a fish pathogen) at 14 and 18 C.This resistance was investigated with liver tryptophan pyrrolase, liver glycogen depletion in vitro, and the arterial blood pressure as indicators. Liver glycogen depletion was accelerated by both endotoxins, but there was no significant cardiovascular response or effect on liver tryptophan pyrrolase activity. Since the cardiovascular effects of histamine were also limited, it was concluded that the metabolic effects of bacterial endotoxins in salmonids are qualitatively different from those of the higher vertebrates.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
USGS1971

The stress of Formalin treatments in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Changes in gill function, acid–base balance and pituitary activation occurring during standard 200 ppm formalin treatments of juvenile rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) and coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) were compared. Plasma Cl − , Ca ++ , total CO 2 , and interrenal vitamin C in the trout declined continuously and in proportion to the exposure time, but the salmon were able to maintain these metabolic parameters at approximately initial levels. Blood p H and alkaline reserve regulation of the salmon was also less affected by formalin treatments, especially during prolonged exposures. The oxygen consumption of both species was depressed, but substantially more so in the trout than could be accounted for by decreased ventilation rates. Little frank hemolysis occurred in either species, but there was a significant bilirubinemia in the trout.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
USGS1972

Some physiological consequences of handling stress in the juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri)

The stress of handling juvenile coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) and steelhead trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) in soft water and in water with added salts was evaluated using blood and tissue chemistry fluctuations as indices of metabolic and endocrine function. Changes in plasma glucose, chloride, calcium, and cholesterol levels indicated that significant osmoregulatory and metabolic dysfunctions can occur and persist for about 24 hr after handling in soft water. Pituitary activation, as judged by lack of interrenal ascorbate depletion, did not occur. Increasing the ambient NaCl and Ca ++ levels to about 100 milliosmols and 75–120 ppm, respectively, partially or completely alleviated the hyperglycemia and hypochloremia indicating that the stress of handling had been reduced.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
USGS1973

Nutritional factors in the biochemical pathology of Corynebacterial kidney disease in the coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

The influence of diet ingredient on the morbidity and biochemical pathogenesis of corynebacterial kidney disease was investigated using juvenile coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) fed the Abernathy dry ration made up with either corn gluten or cottonseed meal (isoprotein, isocaloric substitution). Evaluation of incidence of infection, pituitary activation and aspects of carbohydrate metabolism, acid-base balance, renal function, and hematopoietic activity showed that the actual disease incidence was about the same for both diets but the nonspecific stress of infection was more severe in fish fed the corn gluten.Discriminant function calculations combining four physiological parameters gave a probability of 0.86 for successfully diagnosing infected fish on the basis of these blood chemistry tests.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
USGS1973

Stress of formalin treatment in juvenile spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri>)

The physiological stress of 200 ppm formalin treatments at 10 C is more severe in the juvenile steelhead trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) than in the spring chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ). In the steelhead, a marked hypochloremia follows a 1-hr treatment and recovery requires about 24 hr. During longer treatments, hypercholesterolemia together with reduced regulatory precision, hypercortisolemia, alkaline reserve depletion, and hypocapnia unaccompanied by a fall in blood p H occur — suggestive of compensated respiratory alkalosis. In the spring chinook, hypochloremia and reduced plasma cholesterol regulatory precision are the significant treatment side effects but recovery requires only a few hours. Formalin treatments also cause epithelial separation, hypertrophy, and necrosis in the gills of both fishes but again, consistent with the physiological dysfunctions, these are more severe in the steelhead.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
USGS1976

Antimycin: Uptake, distribution, and elimination in brown bullheads (Ictalurus nebulosus)

Radioactive antimycin was readily taken up in bile and tissues of brown bullheads ( Ictalurus nebulosus ) exposed to 0.045 μg/ml of 14 C-antimycin for as long as 48 h. Bile contained the most and blood the least radioactivity at all sampling periods. The highest concentration of 14 C-antimycin in muscle was 0.12 μg/g, after 12 h of exposure. The average amount of 14 C-antimycin per fish was 0.94 μg/g. The 14 C-antimycin concentration decreased with the elapse of time in the muscle and in samples of combined head, skin, and viscera. The concentration of l4 C-antimycin in the exposure solution decreased from 0.045 μg/ml to 0.015 μg/ml after 12 h and 0.010 μg/ml after 48 h. The initial half-life of 14 C-antimycin in the exposure solution was about 6.5 h. A second group of fish was exposed to 0.045 μg/ml of l4 C-antimycin for 48 h and then transferred to antimycin-free, flowing water for up to 96 h. The 14 C-activity decreased in muscle tissue from 0.11 μg/g to 0.05 μg/g in 96 h. Half-life of 14 C-antimycin was about 75 h in muscle and 61 h in the combined head, skin, and viscera.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada↗
USGS2003

Eremidrilus n. gen. (Annelida, Clitellata, Lumbriculidae) and new species from California, U.S.A.

A new Nearctic lumbriculid genus, Eremidrilus, includes four new California species (E. elegans, E. coyote, E. ritocsi, and E. felini) plus the new combination of Trichodrilus allegheniensis Cook, 1971 from the eastern U.S.A. Eremidrilus has the Trichodrilus arrangement of reproductive organs, but is distinguished by a filiform proboscis and male pores on folded porophores. A combination of other characters distinguishes most Eremidrilus species from most Trichodrilus species: (i) elongate-tubular thin-walled atria, (ii) posterior vasa deferentia forming a loop in XI, (iii) no posterior blood vessels, (iv) nephridia not present in VII. Spermathecae restricted to the first postatrial segment and laterally displaced spermathecal pores differentiate the western Eremidrilus species from the single eastern species. ?? 2003 NRC.

Canadian Journal of Zoology↗
USGS2003

Use of sulfur and nitrogen stable isotopes to determine the importance of whitebark pine nuts to Yellowstone grizzly bears

Whitebark pine ( Pinus albicaulis ) is a masting species that produces relatively large, fat- and protein-rich nuts that are consumed by grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos horribilis ). Trees produce abundant nut crops in some years and poor crops in other years. Grizzly bear survival in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is strongly linked to variation in pine-nut availability. Because whitebark pine trees are infected with blister rust ( Cronartium ribicola ), an exotic fungus that has killed the species throughout much of its range in the northern Rocky Mountains, we used stable isotopes to quantify the importance of this food resource to Yellowstone grizzly bears while healthy populations of the trees still exist. Whitebark pine nuts have a sulfur-isotope signature (9.2 ± 1.3‰ (mean ± 1 SD)) that is distinctly different from those of all other grizzly bear foods (ranging from 1.9 ± 1.7‰ for all other plants to 3.1 ± 2.6‰ for ungulates). Feeding trials with captive grizzly bears were used to develop relationships between dietary sulfur-, carbon-, and nitrogen-isotope signatures and those of bear plasma. The sulfur and nitrogen relationships were used to estimate the importance of pine nuts to free-ranging grizzly bears from blood and hair samples collected between 1994 and 2001. During years of poor pine-nut availability, 72% of the bears made minimal use of pine nuts. During years of abundant cone availability, 8 ± 10% of the bears made minimal use of pine nuts, while 67 ± 19% derived over 51% of their assimilated sulfur and nitrogen (i.e., protein) from pine nuts. Pine nuts and meat are two critically important food resources for Yellowstone grizzly bears.

Wyoming↗
USGS2007

Variation in winter diet of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears inferred from stable isotope analysis

Ringed seals ( Phoca hispida Schreber, 1775 = Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775)) and bearded seals ( Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777)) represent the majority of the polar bear ( Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) annual diet. However, remains of lower trophic level bowhead whales ( Balaena mysticetus L., 1758) are available in the southern Beaufort Sea and their dietary contribution to polar bears has been unknown. We used stable isotope ( 13 C/ 12 C, δ 13 C, 15 N/ 14 N, and δ 15 N) analysis to determine the diet composition of polar bears sampled along Alaska’s Beaufort Sea coast in March and April 2003 and 2004. The mean δ 15 N values of polar bear blood cells were 19.5‰ (SD = 0.7‰) in 2003 and 19.9‰ (SD = 0.7‰) in 2004. Mixing models indicated bowhead whales composed 11%–26% (95% CI) of the diets of sampled polar bears in 2003, and 0%–14% (95% CI) in 2004. This suggests significant variability in the proportion of lower trophic level prey in polar bear diets among individuals and between years. Polar bears depend on sea ice for hunting seals, and the temporal and spatial availabilities of sea ice are projected to decline. Consumption of low trophic level foods documented here suggests bears may increasingly scavenge such foods in the future.

Canadian Journal of Zoology↗
USGS2008

Dietary biomagnification of organochlorine contaminants in Alaskan polar bears

Concentrations of organochlorine contaminants in the adipose tissue of polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) vary throughout the Arctic. The range in concentrations has not been explained fully by bear age, sex, condition, location, or reproductive status. Dietary pathways expose polar bears to a variety of contaminant profiles and concentrations. Prey range from lower trophic level bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus L., 1758), one of the least contaminated marine mammals, to highly contaminated upper trophic level ringed seals (Phoca hispida (Schreber, 1775)). We used ??15N and ??13C signatures to estimate the trophic status of 42 polar bears sampled along Alaska's Beaufort Sea coast to determine the relationship between organochlorine concentration and trophic level. The ?? 15N values in the cellular portions of blood ranged from 18.2% to 20.7%. We found strong positive relationships between concentrations of the most recalcitrant polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and ??15N values in models incorporating age, lipid content, and ??13C value. Specifically these models accounted for 67% and 76% of the variation in PCB153 and oxychlordane concentration in male polar bears and 85% and 93% in females, respectively. These results are strong indicators of variation in diet and biomagnification of organochlorines among polar bears related to their sex, age, and trophic position. ?? 2008 NRC.

Canadian Journal of Zoology↗
USGS1994

Wolf and bear predation on white-tailed deer fawns in northeastern Minnesota

Whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn mortality was studied during the summers of 1989 and 1990 in northeastern Minnesota. Estimated pooled mortality rates for 21 radio-tagged fawns were 0.44 for the May-June, 0.13 for the July-October, and 0.51 for the May-October intervals. Predation accounted for all mortalities, with wolves (Canis lupus) responsible for 51% of them and black bears (Ursus americanus) for 49%. Fawns from mothers gt 4 years old weighed more and survived better than fawns from young mothers, which weighed less. Of various related factors (doe age, doe mass, fawn mass, fawn birth date, and fawn blood serum urea nitrogen (SUN)), only SUN was significant between surviving and perishing fawns, fawns with low SUN survived significantly less. Fawn SUN may have been only an indirect indicator of a doe physical, or behavioral factor that was more important to fawn survival.

Canadian Journal of Zoology↗
USGS2010

New southeastern Nearctic Rhynchelmis (Rhynchelmoides) species and the description of Pararhynchelmis n. gen. (Annelida: Clitellata: Lumbriculidae)

The first verified records of Rhynchelmis from the southeastern Nearctic represent two new species. Both belong to R. (Rhynchelmoides) (Hrabě) n. comb. , which is defined here. Rhynchelmis bolinensis n. sp. resembles other R. (Rhynchelmoides) species with elongate spermathecae, but differs in details of the reproductive structures. Rhynchelmis croatanensis n. sp. is similar in many respects, but the gonads and male and female pores are shifted anteriad by one segment, a character previously unknown within the genus. Pararhynchelmis murdocki n. gen. , n. sp. has the spermathecal pores in VIII and IX and male pores in X, and the spermathecae connect to the gut. These characters associate the new species with Rhynchelmis , but the combination of differences in morphology or arrangement of atria, spermathecae, blood vessels and nephridia, and the absence of a proboscis, suggest that it be placed in a related genus. Rhynchelmis bolinensis was collected at several sites in North Carolina, but the other two species are known only from single localities.

Zootaxa↗
USGS2014

Rhynchelmis subgenus Sutroa Eisen new rank, with two new species from western North America (Annelida, Clitellata, Lumbriculidae)

The lumbriculid Rhynchelmis subgenus Sutroa Eisen, 1888 new rank is defined for a group of Nearctic species having multiple diverticula originating at the spermathecal ducts and eversible penial bulbs. Characters are confirmed in specimens of the type species, Rhynchelmis (Sutroa) rostrata (Eisen, 1888), collected from the type locality. Rhynchelmis (Sutroa) klamathensis Fend n. sp. is described from open water benthic habitats in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, USA. It resembles other R. (Sutroa) species in the paired spermathecal diverticula, the spermathecal and penial bulbs, the histological structure of the atria, the nonfunctional anterior male funnels, and the arrangement of blood vessels. Rhynchelmis klamathensis differs from all Nearctic Rhynchelmis in lacking a filiform proboscis. The combination of large body size, the elongate spermathecal ducts with paired and usually unbranched diverticula, the highly contorted atria, and the complex male pores with conical penes also distinguish typical R. klamathensis from other Rhynchelmis species. Smaller specimens with otherwise similar morphology, from the Sacramento River Delta, California, are also assigned to this species. Rhynchelmis (Sutroa) diespluviae Fend n. sp. is described from several stream sites, mostly in northern Idaho, USA. Rhynchelmis diespluviae differs from closely related species in morphology of the conical penes, and in the structure and anterolateral position of the paired spermathecae.

Oregon↗
USGS2003

Determination of the median toxic dose of type C botulism in lactating dairy cows

Because of the difficulty in identifying botulinum toxin in cattle, it is hypothesized that cattle are sensitive to levels of toxin below the detection limits of current diagnostic techniques (the mouse protection bioassay and the immunostick enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] for type C botulinum toxin). Using an up-down method for toxicologic testing, the median toxic dose (MTD50) for cattle was determined. Four lactating Holstein cows were dosed at 0.125 or 0.25 ng/kg with Clostridium botulinum type C toxin and failed to develop clinical signs of botulism during the 7-day observation period. Three cows given 0.50 ng/kg of toxin developed clinical signs of botulism. From these results, the MTD50 was calculated at 0.388 ng/kg (3.88 mouse lethal doses/kg) using the trim-logit method. These results suggest that cattle are 12.88 times more sensitive to type C botulinum toxin than a mouse on a per kilogram weight basis. The mouse protection bioassay and the immunostick ELISA for type C botulinum toxin failed to identify the presence of the toxin in the serum, blood, and milk samples taken from all 7 animals.

Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation↗
USGS2016

Identification of the major capsid protein of erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV) and development of quantitative real-time PCR assays for quantification of ENV DNA

Viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) is a disease of marine and anadromous fish that is caused by the erythrocytic necrosis virus (ENV), which was recently identified as a novel member of family Iridoviridae by next-generation sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of the ENV DNA polymerase grouped ENV with other erythrocytic iridoviruses from snakes and lizards. In the present study, we identified the gene encoding the ENV major capsid protein (MCP) and developed a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay targeting this gene. Phylogenetic analysis of the MCP gene sequence supported the conclusion that ENV does not group with any of the currently described iridovirus genera. Because there is no information regarding genetic variation of the MCP gene across the reported host and geographic range for ENV, we also developed a second qPCR assay for a more conserved ATPase-like gene region. The MCP and ATPase qPCR assays demonstrated good analytical and diagnostic sensitivity and specificity based on samples from laboratory challenges of Pacific herring Clupea pallasii . The qPCR assays had similar diagnostic sensitivity and specificity as light microscopy of stained blood smears for the presence of intraerythrocytic inclusion bodies. However, the qPCR assays may detect viral DNA early in infection prior to the formation of inclusion bodies. Both qPCR assays appear suitable for viral surveillance or as a confirmatory test for ENV in Pacific herring from the Salish Sea.

Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation↗
USGS2017

Cyanide poisoning of a Cooper’s hawk ( Accipiter cooperii )

A Cooper’s hawk ( Accipiter cooperii ) was found dead in a ditch leading from a heap leach pad at a gold mine in Nevada. Observations at autopsy included an absence of external lesions, traces of subcutaneous and coronary fat, no food in the upper gastrointestinal tract, and no lesions in the viscera. Cyanide concentrations (µg/g ww) were 5.04 in blood, 3.88 in liver, and 1.79 in brain. No bacteria or viruses were isolated from tissues, and brain cholinesterase activity was within the normal range for a Cooper’s hawk.

Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation↗
USGS2014

White-nose syndrome initiates a cascade of physiologic disturbances in the hibernating bat host

Background The physiological effects of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in hibernating bats and ultimate causes of mortality from infection with Pseudogymnoascus (formerly Geomyces ) destructans are not fully understood. Increased frequency of arousal from torpor described among hibernating bats with late-stage WNS is thought to accelerate depletion of fat reserves, but the physiological mechanisms that lead to these alterations in hibernation behavior have not been elucidated. We used the doubly labeled water (DLW) method and clinical chemistry to evaluate energy use, body composition changes, and blood chemistry perturbations in hibernating little brown bats ( Myotis lucifugus ) experimentally infected with P. destructans to better understand the physiological processes that underlie mortality from WNS. Results These data indicated that fat energy utilization, as demonstrated by changes in body composition, was two-fold higher for bats with WNS compared to negative controls. These differences were apparent in early stages of infection when torpor-arousal patterns were equivalent between infected and non-infected animals, suggesting that P. destructans has complex physiological impacts on its host prior to onset of clinical signs indicative of late-stage infections. Additionally, bats with mild to moderate skin lesions associated with early-stage WNS demonstrated a chronic respiratory acidosis characterized by significantly elevated dissolved carbon dioxide, acidemia, and elevated bicarbonate. Potassium concentrations were also significantly higher among infected bats, but sodium, chloride, and other hydration parameters were equivalent to controls. Conclusions Integrating these novel findings on the physiological changes that occur in early-stage WNS with those previously documented in late-stage infections, we propose a multi-stage disease progression model that mechanistically describes the pathologic and physiologic effects underlying mortality of WNS in hibernating bats. This model identifies testable hypotheses for better understanding this disease, knowledge that will be critical for defining effective disease mitigation strategies aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality that results from WNS.

BMC Physiology↗
USGS2021

Low MSP-1 haplotype diversity in the West Palearctic population of the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum

Background Although avian Plasmodium species are widespread and common across the globe, limited data exist on how genetically variable their populations are. Here, the hypothesis that the avian blood parasite Plasmodium relictum exhibits very low genetic diversity in its Western Palearctic transmission area (from Morocco to Sweden in the north and Transcaucasia in the east) was tested. Methods The genetic diversity of Plasmodium relictum was investigated by sequencing a portion (block 14) of the fast-evolving merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) gene in 75 different P. relictum infections from 36 host species. Furthermore, the full-length MSP1 sequences representing the common block 14 allele was sequenced in order to investigate if additional variation could be found outside block 14. Results The majority (72 of 75) of the sequenced infections shared the same MSP1 allele. This common allele has previously been found to be the dominant allele transmitted in Europe. Conclusion The results corroborate earlier findings derived from a limited dataset that the globally transmitted malaria parasite P . relictum exhibits very low genetic diversity in its Western Palearctic transmission area. This is likely the result of a recent introduction event or a selective sweep.

Malaria Journal↗