Amphibian skin diseases.

Skin diseases in amphibian species seem to carry an additional degree of seriousness compared with those of other vertebrates. Because of the skin's importance in respiration and ion transport, breaching of the integument of these animals can result in fatal septicemias or metabolic disturbances. The timely diagnosis and treatment of these skin lesions is important. A review of the diseases affecting amphibian skin is provided. This article also describes the clinical signs, appropriate diagnostic steps, and treatment and control of amphibian skin diseases.     

Surgery of amphibians.

This article is an introduction to common amphibian surgical techniques. No overwhelming obstacles preclude incorporating amphibian surgeries into the repertoire of veterinary clinicians. With the proper tools and reference materials and a little practice, the skills needed may be readily acquired.     

Advances in Amphibian Clinical Therapeutics

This review covers recent developments in the field of amphibian therapeutics without repeating previous extensive clinical reviews, formularies, and compendia. The information provided in this article would aid the veterinary practitioner treating amphibian species through the use of updated clinical therapeutic techniques and dosages.     

Cytologic diagnosis of disease in amphibians.

Cytology is an inexpensive yet powerful diagnostic tool that allows for rapid diagnosis of many common disease conditions in amphibian patients. Although the emphasis of this article is on infectious diseases, there is great potential for application of cytologic diagnosis to variety of medical conditions as the knowledge base in amphibian medicine and pathology continues to grow. Routine methods used that may fall under the umbrella of cytology range from wet mount examination of skin scrapings (or gill biopsies of larvae) to examination of stained impression smears. Routine Romanowsky's-type stains work well for amphibian samples. Preparation of multiple smears is always recommended to allow for use of special staining procedures.     

Common procedures in reptiles and amphibians.

Reptiles and amphibians continue to be popular as pets in the United States and throughout the world. It therefore behooves veterinarians interested in caring for these exotic species to continually gather knowledge concerning both their proper husbandry and the conditions that require medical and/or surgical intervention.This article covers husbandry, physical examination, and clinical and diagnostic techniques in an effort to present guidelines for the evaluation of the reptile or amphibian patient. Gathering clinical data will aid veterinarians in arriving at the proper diagnosis,increasing the chances of success with treatment protocols, and educating the clients in proper nutrition and husbandry for their pets.     

Anesthetic Considerations for Amphibians

The popularity of amphibians in research, zoological exhibits, and as pets is on the rise. With this increased popularity comes a need for veterinarians to develop methods for managing these animals for various diagnostic and surgical procedures. For many of these procedures, the provision of anesthesia is a must. Fortunately, there are a number of different anesthetics available to the veterinary clinician for anesthetizing amphibians, including tricaine methanesulfonate, clove oil, propofol, isoflurane, and ketamine. In addition to the variety of anesthetics at our disposal, there is also a wider range of methods for delivering the anesthetics than are generally available for higher vertebrates, including immersion, topical, and intracoelomic routes of delivery. The purpose of this article is to review the different methods that can be used to successfully manage an amphibian patient through an anesthetic event.     

Clinical pathology of amphibians: a review

Amphibian declines and extinctions have worsened in the last 2 decades. Partly because one of the main causes of the declines is infectious disease, veterinary professionals have increasingly become involved in amphibian research, captive husbandry, and management. Health evaluation of amphibians, free‐living or captive, can benefit from employing the tools of clinical pathology, something that is commonly used in veterinary medicine of other vertebrates. The present review compiles what is known of amphibian clinical pathology emphasizing knowledge that may assist with the interpretation of laboratory results, provides diagnostic recommendations for common amphibian diseases, and includes RIs for a few amphibian species estimated based on peer‐reviewed studies. We hope to encourage the incorporation of clinical pathology in amphibian practice and research, and to highlight the importance of applying veterinary medicine principles in furthering our knowledge of amphibian pathophysiology.     

Amphibian emergency medicine.

General concepts of amphibian emergency medicine are presented, including a review of patient selection, appropriate history, and helpful equipment. Physical examination procedures, general treatment, and diagnostic techniques are discussed. This is followed by a review of conditions commonly observed in amphibians and specific treatment options.     

Amphibian therapeutics.

The treatment of diseases in amphibians presents unique challenges for the clinician. This article describes the basic principles in selecting and administering therapeutics, and provides drug dose rates used successfully in amphibians. The importance of proper husbandary and hygiene, as it relates to amphibian health and medical management of disease, is also emphasized.     

Histological evidence of chytridiomycete fungal infection in a free-ranging amphibian,Afrana fuscigula (Anura: Ranidae), in South Africa

The 1st recorded histological evidence of chytridiomycete fungal infection in a free-ranging ranid amphibian in South Africa is presented. Literature on causes of a worldwide decline in amphibian populations is briefly reviewed.     

动物抗菌肽的研究进展

抗菌肽 (antibacterialpeptides)是具有抗菌活性的肽类的总称。目前发现抗菌肽或类似抗菌肽的小分子肽类广泛存在于昆虫、两栖类、水产动物及哺乳动物中 ,这种内源性抗菌肽经诱导而合成 ,在机体抵抗病原的入侵方面起着重要的作用。本文介绍了各种动物抗菌肽的来源和种类 ,抗菌肽的作用及其作用机理 ,并指出了抗菌肽的结构对其活性的影响关系 ;最后 ,本文介绍了抗菌肽基因工程方面的研究进展及其应用前景     

Oral biology and conditions of amphibians.

This article reviews the anatomy of the skull and oral cavity in the three amphibian orders. Feeding behavior and feeding physiology are also described. A review is given of reported oral pathology. The pathology is divided into infectious causes (bacterial and parasitic) and noninfectious causes (trauma, neoplasia, and nutritional).     

Amphibian emergency and critical care.

Amphibians present unique challenges for the clinician in the diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening conditions. Their adaptability to both aquatic and terrestrial lifestyles leaves them vulnerable to dehydration and fluid overload, either of which may accompany serious disease. This article presents the most common emergency conditions in amphibians, the physiologic basis of disease, and a guide to the diagnosis and treatment of amphibian emergencies.     

Amphibian virology.

Amphibians are a diverse group of species; much work remains to be done to elucidate the viruses of amphibians. Viral diseases may play an important role in wild and captive amphibian populations. Iridoviruses are a leading cause of wild amphibian mortality events in the United States and are a common cause of amphibian mortality events worldwide. In addition to frank viral diseases, viral infections may play a role in the establishment of bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases and are an underlying cause of neoplasia. It is important for the amphibian clinician to recognize disease syndromes and pathology that are consistent with viral etiology.     

Toll样受体信号通路在两栖类中的研究进展

两栖类处于脊椎动物由水生向陆生进化的过渡阶段,进化地位重要。近年来因疾病的爆发、生境破碎化、环境污染、紫外辐射增加、人为过度捕捉和生物入侵等诸多因素引起的全球范围内两栖类种群数量锐减已引起人们的广泛关注。Toll样受体(Toll-like receptor,TLR)家族是一类从线虫到哺乳动物普遍存在的高度保守的模式识别受体(PRRs),可以识别侵入机体病原体的病原相关分子模式(PAMPs),是两栖类先天性免疫防御系统的重要组成部分。本文结合近些年国内外对两栖类TLRs的研究对两栖类TLRs结构特征、进化特点、在两栖类发育早期的差异表达特征和两栖类TLRs信号通路中相关分子的表达研究进行概述。目前对于两栖类TLRs的研究发现两栖类TLRs兼具鱼类和哺乳类TLRs的特征,并在从鱼类到两栖类到哺乳类的进化过程中,TLRs家族部分成员如TLR2的配体识别功能可能发生了一定程度的特化;在两栖类早期发育阶段,获得性免疫不够完善,以TLRs为主的先天免疫防御系统在抵御病原体的侵袭方面发挥了重要作用;在特定病原菌和病毒的胁迫下,可能激活了TLRs下游不同的途径参与两栖类对病原体的免疫应答反应。     

The amphibian eye.

Knowledge of the anatomy of the amphibian eye is important to differentiate normal from abnormal. Special features of the amphibian eye mark the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life. The most often reported spontaneous ocular disease in the anurans (frogs and toads) is lipid keratopathy. An experimental study showed that high dietary cholesterol played a significant role in the development of corneal lipid infiltration. Other diseases, like panophthalmitis, occur with bacterial septicemia.     

Chytridiomycosis in amphibians--first report in Europe

Declining of amphibian populations is a worldwide phenomenon. A cutaneous mycosis as a cause of death in free-living amphibians as well as in captive ones due to an chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) was reported at first in 1998. This infections were reported hitherto from Australia, North, Central and South America. This is the first report on chytrid infections in captive anurans from Europe. Dendrobates auratus and D. pumilo imported from Costa Rica and P. vittatus imported from French Guayana died with chytridiomycosis within a week after arrival in Europe. Batrachocytrium was also found on captive bred frogs in Germany and Belgium. Clinical signs, diagnosis and conclusions for protecting free-living amphibian populations and captive frogs are discussed.     

Amphibian hematology.

Amphibians are a diverse class of animals with a unique life cycle. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to the wide variability in normal hematologic parameters. Reference values are scarce, and normal hematology of many species is poorly understood. Challenges include analytic obstacles posed by nucleated red blood cells and thrombocytes and potential difficulty with obtaining blood samples of adequate volume and without lymph contamination. Despite these limitations, it is possible to obtain hematologic data that may be useful in assessing an animal's current health, progression of disease, or response to therapy. In this article, amphibian blood sample collection and handling guidelines, hematologic tests, cell morphology and function, hematopoiesis, interpretation of results, and disorders and diseases are described.     

福州市野生动物救护情况的统计分析

福州动物园于2009-2013年共救护野生动物70种1 033只(羽、头、尾),其中福建省有分布的动物种类占70%。在救护种类上鸟类最多有32种,其次为爬行类、兽类、两栖类;而在救护数量上爬行类最多,有633尾,其次为鸟类、两栖类、兽类。救护动物的主要来源为林业执法部门罚没。通过对福州动物园5年来救护动物的种类、数量、保护级别、动物分布情况、救护病因等情况进行总结分析,为今后开展野生动物救护提供一定的思路和对策。     

Combining spawn egg counts,individual photo-ID and genetic fingerprinting to estimate the population size and sex ratio of an endangered amphibian

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, 41% of the world's amphibian species are threatened with extinction, making them more threatened than any other vertebrate group nowadays. Given the global amphibian crisis, comprehensive understanding of demographics and population trends of declining and threatened species is essential for effective management and conservation strategies. Counting egg spawns is widely used to assess population abundance in pond breeding anurans. However, it is unknown how such counts translate into robust population size estimations. We monitored the breeding activity of the Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita), combining egg string counts and individual photo-identification with Capture-Mark-Recapture population size and operational sex ratio estimation. Male Natterjack toads were identified by the pattern of natural markings with repeated ID of the same individual confirmed for 10% of the samples using genetic fingerprinting. We identified 647 unique individuals within a closed study population at Caherdaniel, Co Kerry. Population estimates derived from egg string counts estimated a breeding population of 368 females (95% CI 353–384) and Capture-Mark-Recapture estimated a breeding population of 1698 males (95% CI 1000–2397). The female:male sex ratio was conservatively estimated at 1:5 (95% CI 1:3–1:6) where 62% ± 6% of females were assumed to spawn. These substantially departed from any priori assumption of 1:1 which could have underestimated the breeding population by up to 72%. Where amphibian absolute population size estimation is necessary, methods should include empirical survey data on operational sex ratios and not rely on assumptions or those derived from the literature which may be highly population and/or context-dependent.