Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections in eight species at the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, 1991-2001.

Between 1991 and 2001 a total of 12 cases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in eight different species were recorded in the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria (Tshwane). The genetic relatedness between seven of the M. tuberculosis isolates was determined by IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. For the majority of isolates that were analyzed, a high degree of polymorphism suggested different sources of infection. Evidence of M. tuberculosis transmission between animals is reported in two chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) housed together, from which samples were collected for analysis 29 mo apart.     

Parasites of South African wildlife. X. Helminths of red duikers, Cephalophus natalensis, in Natal

The helminths of the following red duikers, Cephalophus natalensis, were examined: 24 from 3 game reserves in Natal and 1 that had originated from Charters Creek, Natal, shortly before it died in the National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria. The 21 animals from Charters Creek harboured 16 nematode species, a nematode genus, 2 cestode species and paramphistomes. The 2 red duiker from Fanies Island harboured 4 nematode species, 3 nematode genera and 1 cestode species, while the single red duiker from Ndumu was infected with 3 nematode species. The antelope from the National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria, harboured 2 nematode species, 1 nematode genus and 1 cestode species. A race of Cooperia rotundispiculum was the most abundant nematode in duikers from all the reserves. Hyostrongylus rubidus is a new parasite record in South Africa and in red duikers, and was present in 80% of the antelope. Although primarily a parasite of swine, Hyostrongylus rubidus should be regarded as a definitive parasite of these antelope.     

Helminths recovered from the bontbok, Damaliscus dorcas dorcas (Pallas, 1776).

A report is given on the helminths collected from 4 bontbok, Damaliscus dorcas dorcas, which died following capture at the Bontebok National Park, Swellendam, and transfer to the National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria. Seven of these helminths are new host records. Lungworms submitted to the institute for identification over the last 2 years are also reported; these were all Dictyocaulus magna. The various scientific and common names that have been applied to the bontbok in the past are reviewed.     

Toxoplasmosis in Pallas' cats (Otocolobus felis manul) at the Denver Zoological Gardens.

In May 1996 the Denver Zoological Gardens obtained two male and two female Pallas' cats (Otocolobus felis manul) that were wild-caught in the Ukraine. These animals were part of a group of 16 wild-caught adults (eight male and eight female) imported to the United States and Canada between 1995 and 1996. The Denver Zoological Gardens cats were quarantined at the zoo hospital for approximately I mo. During the quarantine period they were immobilized for physical examination, and sera were obtained from them to evaluate for exposure to Toxoplasma gondii. All cats were positive for T. gondii antibodies by latex agglutination (titers from 1:512 to 1:1,024). After being paired for breeding, one pair produced two litters, and another pair produced four litters, a total of 17 kittens between 1997 and 2001. Four kittens and two young adults died from a disseminated granulomatous and necrotizing inflammation consistent with toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma gondii infection was confirmed in all six deceased cats by polymerase chain reaction performed on formalin-fixed tissues. An additional five kittens disappeared and were not available for necropsy. The fatality rate from toxoplasmosis was 35.3% (6/17) for cats that were available for necropsy and could have been as high as 64.7% (11/17) if it were assumed that the disappeared kittens were also affected. The Pallas' kitten survival rate at the Denver Zoological Gardens was 35.3%. This article describes the clinical and pathologic features of toxoplasmosis in a group of Pallas' cats at the Denver Zoological Gardens.     

An early record of Culicoides species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) developing in the dung of game animals in southern Africa

The value of the dung of game animals as a larval habitat for Culicoides species was briefly investigated in 1973/74 in the Kruger National Park, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa. A total of 4 species in the subgenus Avaritia was reared, 3 from elephant dung, 2 from zebra dung and 1 from the dung of buffalo. These early studies have recently led to more intensive rearing and a better understanding of the systematics of this subgenus in the Afrotropical region.     

Evidence for a new field Culicoides vector of African horse sickness in South Africa

Between February and May 1998, approximately 100 horses died of African horse sickness (AHS) in the cooler, mountainous, central region of South Africa. On 14 affected farms, 156,875 Culicoides of 27 species were captured. C. imicola Kieffer, hitherto considered the only field vector for AHS virus (AHSV), constituted <1% of the total Culicoides captured, and was not found on 29% of the farms. In contrast, 65% of the Culicoides were C. bolitinos Meiswinkel, and was found on all farms. Five isolations of AHSV were made from C. bolitinos, and none from 18 other species of Culicoides (including C. imicola).     

Afrotropical Culicoides: a redescription of C. (Avaritia) kanagai Khamala & Kettle, 1971, reared from elephant dung in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

The discovery of Culicoides kanagai in South Africa represents a new record for this species. The female is redescribed, and the male is described for the first time. Culicoides (A.) dasyops Clastrier, 1958 is shown to be closely related to it but C. (A.) alticola is only superficially related. Short notes on the larval habitat of C. kanagai, the dung of the African elephant, Loxodonta africana, are given. The dung of both the white rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum, and the black rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis, is considered to be a possible alternative site for the immatures of C. kanagai.     

Afrotropical Culicoides: C. (Avaritia) loxodontis sp. nov., a new member of the Imicola group (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) associated with the African elephant in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Culicoides (Avaritia) loxodontis sp. nov., is described and illustrated from both sexes collected in South Africa. It is the 5th species of the Imicola group of the subgenus Avaritia to be described from the Afrotropical Region, and is presently known only from the Kruger National Park where it has been collected in light-traps and reared from the dung of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) on various occasions. A number of character states, and statistical analyses of antennal and palpal measurements, are used to separate the new species from its taxonomic congeners C. imicola Kieffer, 1913, C. pseudopallidipennis Clastrier, 1958, C. bolitinos Meiswinkel, 1989 and C. miombo Meiswinkel, 1991. It is suggested that the occurrence of the African elephant is the primary factor that determines the distribution of Culicoides loxodontis sp. nov., and that this close association, coupled with the fact that C. loxodontis sp. nov. can be locally abundant, may result in the cycling of certain arboviruses between this biting midge and the elephant.     

Epidemiology of sarcoptic mange in free-ranging raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Yokohama,Japan

Free-ranging raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) from Nogeyama Zoological Gardens, Kanazawa Zoological Gardens, and Yokohama Zoological Gardens frequently rescued dogs having Sarcoptes scabiei infestation. However, the epidemiology of S. scabiei infestation has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the epidemiology of S. scabiei infestation in raccoon dogs and its influence on the population of masked palm civets in Yokohama, Japan. We examined records of raccoon dog rescue between 1981 and 2010 and classified the dogs into the following 4 categories on the basis of the reason for rescue: dogs with S. scabiei infestation, scabies-infested dogs involved in car accidents, uninfested dogs involved in car accidents, and other reasons for rescue. We found that the number of dogs rescued due to car accidents and other reasons increased from 1989 onwards, and an S. scabiei outbreak was recorded since 1993. The infestation spread from the southern to the northern regions of Yokohama. The total number of raccoon dogs rescued annually peaked in 1995 and declined thereafter. The number of masked palm civets (Paguma larvata) rescued gradually increased with a decline in the number of raccoon dogs rescued. In the present study, we revealed the epidemiology of S. scabiei infestation in the raccoon dog. The outbreak might be induced by the increased population density, and the infestation spread immediately from the southern to the northern regions of Yokohama since 1993. Further, the population of masked palm civets may have increased due to the decrease in the population of the raccoon dog.     

The use of a membrane feeding technique to determine the infection rate of Culicoides imicola (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) for 2 bluetongue virus serotypes in South Africa.

Culicoides spp. in the Lowveld of the northern Transvaal, Republic of South Africa, were fed bluetongue virus serotypes 3 and 6 and African horsesickness virus serotype 1 through latex and chicken skin membranes. After an incubation period of 10 days at 25-27 degrees C, the infection rate of C. imicola for bluetongue virus serotypes 3 and 6 was established at 31% and 24% respectively. No African horsesickness virus could be recovered. The membrane feeding technique and handling procedures proved to be suitable for field studies.     

Rickets in two hand-reared polar bear (Ursus maritimus) cubs.

Two polar bear (Ursus maritimus) cubs born at the Denver Zoological Gardens were abandoned by a primiparous mother. Lethargic and extremely chilled, the cubs were transported to the zoo hospital for intensive care and hand rearing. Both cubs developed rickets. Dietary changes were instituted, and both cubs completely recovered with the exception of a bowed right femur (genu varum) in the female cub.     

The Chimpanzees of the Taï Forest.

This paper reports a previously undescribed form of predation upon the angulate tortoise, Chersina angulata, in the West Coast National Park, South Africa. Twelve recently killed C. angulata were found, within an area of 4–5 hectares, during April 2000. The head and neck were missing from all individuals, while the rest of the body was undamaged. Spoor of the large grey mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, was observed at a freshly killed tortoise and it is argued that this was the predator responsible.     

非洲马瘟疫苗的研究进展

非洲马瘟(African horse sickness,AHS)由非洲马瘟病毒(African horse sickness virus,AHSV)感染马科动物而引起的一种非接触性传播的虫媒病毒病,为世界动物卫生组织法定报告的动物疫病,目前主要流行于亚撒哈拉非洲等地区。库蠓(Culicoides midges)是非洲马瘟的主要媒介昆虫,其在疫区的生长繁殖直接影响着该病的流行状况。非洲马瘟弱毒苗和灭活苗已经商品化并得到广泛地应用,新型基因工程疫苗,如亚单位疫苗、活病毒载体疫苗等,正在研发当中并有望将来进入疫苗市场,作者着重对ASH疫苗的研究现状进行了评述。     

Endophily in Culicoides associated with BTV-infected cattle in the province of Limburg, south-eastern Netherlands, 2006

Culicoides were captured at a BTV-infected dairy near Gulpen in the province of Limburg (south-east Netherlands) between 14 September and 4 October 2006. Onderstepoort-type blacklight traps were used to sample Culicoides both inside and outside a partially open shed housing 11 cattle. A total of 28 light trap collections were made at the shed and yielded: In Europe, the blacklight trap is used widely for the nocturnal monitoring of Culicoides; a drawback to this approach is that this trap cannot be used to sample midges that are active during the day. Because diurnal biting in vector Culicoides may constitute a significant and underestimated component of BTV transmission a novel capture methodology will be required in future and is discussed briefly.     

Comparative descriptions of the pupae of five species of the Culicoides imicola complex (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) from South Africa

The viruses causing the economically important livestock diseases of African horse sickness (AHS) and bluetongue (BT) are transmitted by biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae). In the Old World the most important vectors of these diseases are Culicoides imicola Kieffer, 1913, Culicoides brevitarsis Kieffer, 1917 and Culicoides bolitinos Meiswinkel, 1989. All three of these vectors belong to the Imicola complex of the subgenus Avaritia Fox, 1955. This species complex now comprises 12 sibling species; ten occur in sub-Saharan Africa and are difficult to identify (based mostly on subtle variations in the wing latterns) and so additional methods of reliable identification are needed. The pupal exuviae of the five commonest sibling species (C. imicola, C. bolitinos, Culicoides loxodontis Meiswinkel, 1992, Culicoides tuttifrutti Meiswinkel, Cornet & Dyce, 2003 and Culicoides sp. # 107) harvested from a variety of large herbivore dung types and from decaying fruits, are described and illustrated in detail. It is shown that they can be differentiated clearly on a number of morphological characters and, furthermore, are separable into two distinct groups based (principally) on the shape of the respiratory organ. A key for identifying and differentiating these five pupae is provided. Also, the pupa of the Oriental-Australasian C. brevitarsis was compared with its allopatric sister taxon, C. bolitinos. Because they share a common larval habitat (cattle and buffalo dung) and are almost inseparable in the adult phenotype, the question of their possible synonymy is raised. However, their respective pupae could not be differentiated on gross morphology and so it is argued that this unresolved problem requires a molecular solution.     

Salmonella surveillance in a collection of rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp.).

Over the past 15 yr, Salmonella enterica ssp. arizonae (IIIa) 56:z4,z23:- has repeatedly been isolated from individual Crotalus willardi rattlesnakes with progressively debilitating osteomyelitis at the Knoxville Zoological Gardens. In April 2004, the serotype was linked with a fatal case of septicemia in another Crotalus species in this collection. Although the association of IIIa 56:z4,z23:- with disease in this colony of C. willardi is well established, prior disease or isolation of this serotype outside of the C. willardi colony had not been documented previously, and the serotype's distribution throughout the remainder of the Crotalus collection had yet to be determined. Forty-one fecal samples were obtained from each individual (n = 36) or exhibit group (n = 5) of crotalid snakes, representing nine species, housed at the zoo. Salmonella spp. were isolated from every sample, with 21 different serotypes. The 21 serotypes were distributed among S. enterica ssp. I (24%), IIIa (9%), and IIIb (67%). Although not recovered in the primary study, S. arizonae 56:z4,z23:- was recovered from additional samples taken from two C. willardi willardi. Although the overall recovery rate of this serotype from feces has been low, it seems that its distribution among the Crotalus collection at Knoxville Zoological Gardens remains largely restricted to the C. willardi species.     

Seasonal abundance and parity of Culicoides biting midges associated with livestock at Roma, Lesotho (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

A light-trap survey was undertaken of the species composition, seasonal abundance and parity of Culicoides at Roma, Lesotho, to establish whether the likely vectors for bluetongue and African horse sickness occur in this area as well as the chance of transmission. A total of 34 catches was made between 21 September 1985 and 24 September 1986; 32,819 Culicoides were caught belonging to 19 species. Culicoides numbers rapidly built up from December to a peak in February which implies that this may also be the optimum time for virus transmission. The number of Culicoides dropped sharply in April with the onset of cooler conditions. C. zuluensis was the dominant species forming 69.6% of the totalled catches, followed by C. pycnostictus with 11.7%. C. imicola, the only proven vector of bluetongue, was never abundant representing only 4.4% of the midges caught. The parous rate for each of the 2 commonest species was low, implying a low vector capacity.