Haematological and serum biochemical values of southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica)

Blood samples were taken from 75 free-ranging southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) captured in drive-nets in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain, and 20 haematological and 24 serum biochemical variables were analysed. The values were similar to those of other species of the Caprinae subfamily, except for cortisol, the concentration of which was higher. The red blood cell count (RBC), platelets and leucocytes, and the concentrations of cortisol, lactate, muscular enzymes and gamma-globulins were higher in summer than in spring, whereas the mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, and the concentrations of cholesterol, total bilirubin and creatinine were lower. Adult males had higher RBCs and haemoglobin values than females in summer, and lower leucocyte, lymphocyte and neutrophil counts than females and yearling males. The concentrations of triglycerides, total bilirubin, lactate, creatinine, urea, chloride and alpha2-globulins were higher in adult males than yearling males. In summer the adult females had higher values for platelets, lymphocytes, cortisol, sodium and muscular enzymes.     

Dermatophytosis caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes in the southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) in the Eastern Pyrenees

Two free-ranging southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) - one 4-year-old male and one 3-year-old male - were diagnosed with clinical dermatophytosis in the French and Spanish Eastern Pyrenees respectively. Skin samples were collected for microbiological studies, Trichophyton mentagrophytes being isolated and identified in both animals. The first chamois was found dead at the base of a cliff, and presented with alopecia and scaling on the dorsum and left forelimb. The second chamois showed grey-yellow, rough to raised scaling and crusting skin lesions at the base of the horns, around the eyes, dorsum of the nose, sternum, tail and limbs. Histological examination was carried out only on the second animal. The main lesions were orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis with focal parakeratosis, irregular to papillary epidermal hyperplasia, intracorneal neutrophilic pustules, perivascular to diffuse dermatitis with neutrophilic folliculitis and furunculosis. In those follicles with folliculitis and/or furunculosis, fungal hyphae and arthrospores associated with the follicular keratin and hair shafts were seen.     

Severe outbreak of disease in the southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) associated with border disease virus infection

An outbreak of a previously unreported disease affecting southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) in the central Pyrenees (NE Spain) was recorded in 2001 and 2002. There was a marked temporal distribution, most animals being found between February and June. After the outbreak, the population was found to have decreased by about 42%, most probably due to the disease. We examined 20 affected chamois. Clinical manifestations included depression, weakness and movement difficulties in all cases. Three chamois presented abnormal behaviour, with absence of flight reaction, and 16 showed different degrees of alopecia with skin hyperpigmentation. At necropsy cachexia was observed in all animals, four chamois had abscesses in different parts of the body, four had pneumonia, one had an extensive subcutaneous infection on the head and neck and one had severe orchitis. Microscopic lesions were found in the brain, mainly edema, gliosis, espongiosis, cariorrexis and neuronal multifocal necrosis. A perivascular mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate was present in three of them. Skin lesions included marked follicular atrophy, mild to moderate epidermal hyperplasia with orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis and follicular hyperkeratosis, and hypermelanosis. In 13 chamois there were haemosiderin deposits in the spleen, and in three individuals kidney "cloissone" was observed. Intraeritrocitic parasites were detected either by direct observation or PCR in 8 of 17 chamois. A pestivirus was isolated and detected by RT-PCR from 12 of 13 affected chamois and antigenic characterized as border disease virus by monoclonal antibodies. This is the first time a border disease virus has been associated with an outbreak of a high-mortality disease in a wild species.     

Prevalence of antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum and their clinical relevance in dogs in Munich, Germany

Although prevalences of antibodies against Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi sensu lato (sl) and Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum have been reported to be high in the German dog population, the importance of the diseases caused by both agents is still not well characterized in a field situation.The aim of this study was (1) to determine the prevalence of antibodies to B. burgdorferi sl and A. phagocytophilum in dogs in Munich, Germany, and (2) to assess the clinical presentation and laboratory values of antibody-positive dogs and compare them to a negative control group. In total, 448 randomly selected dogs were screened for antibodies to B. burgdorferi sl and A. phagocytophilum with the SNAP 4Dx assay (IDEXX, Laboratories, Inc., USA). Dogs carrying antibodies against B. burgdorferi sl and/or A. phagocytophilum were classified as "positive"(n=100), the following 100 negative dogs served as control group. In both groups, physical examination and laboratory parameters were compared. 22 (4.9%) dogs had antibodies to B. burgdorferi sl, 78 (19.4%) to A. phagocytophilum, nine (2.0%) to both agents. Bernese Mountain Dogs had significantly more often antibodies against B. burgdorferi sl. Negative dogs were more often diagnosed as "healthy" compared to A. phagocytophilum antibody-positives that showed more often elevated body temperature and poor general condition; beyond that, there were no differences in clinical and laboratory abnormalities between both groups. Although dogs tested negative were more often considered healthy, there were no differences in parameters considered "specific" for both infections between dogs with and without antibodies. Hence, tests detecting antibodies against both agents are not able to detect animals with the clinical disease.     

Retrospective study of pestivirus infection in Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) and other ungulates in the Pyrenees (NE Spain)

In 2001 a new Pestivirus (Family Flaviviridae) was associated with an outbreak of a previously unreported disease in Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) in the Pyrenees (NE Spain). Molecular characterization assigned this virus to the Border Disease Virus (BDV) cluster, BDV-4 genotype. A retrospective study was performed in archived sera and spleen of 74 Pyrenean chamois and in archived sera of 28 mouflon (Ovis ammon), 56 red deer (Cervus elaphus), 43 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and 29 fallow deer (Dama dama) from the Pyrenees between the years 1990 and 2000. Thirty six of 74 (48.6%) sera of Pyrenean chamois, one of mouflon and one of red deer were positive by an ELISA antibody test. Comparative virus neutralization tests were performed on 26 seropositive chamois, one mouflon and one red deer, using five pestivirus strains. An ELISA antigen test was performed on 37 seronegative chamois and yielded positive results in one chamois and inconclusive result in two. RT-PCR and virus isolation performed on spleen samples from these three animals gave positive results in the positive and one inconclusive animal. Sequence analysis in the 5' unstranslated region revealed that they were grouped into the BDV-4 genotype. Virological and serological data of the present study indicate that BDV infection has been present in the chamois population since at least 1990, 11 years before the first outbreak of disease. Therefore, the emergence of the disease in 2001 is apparently due to other factors rather than the introduction of a new virus in the chamois population.     

Transport stress in Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) and its modulation by acepromazine

Chamois have been translocated for more than 100 years but their stress response to transport remains to be elucidated. In this study, 21 free-ranging Southern chamois were captured, physically restrained and then transported. The animals were randomly injected intramuscularly with acepromazine (nine adult males, one adult female and one yearling male) or saline (five adult males, two adult females and three yearling males). Heart rate and body temperature were monitored with telemetric devices, and blood samples were obtained at capture, immediately before and immediately after transport to determine haematological and serum biochemical parameters. Heart rate and blood parameters (erythrocytes, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, leukocytes, monocytes, band neutrophils, lactate, muscular enzymes and creatinine) indicated that transport was more stressful than previous physical restraint. Acepromazine reduced the adverse consequences of transport stress, as demonstrated by heart rate, body temperature, cortisol, creatinine, muscular enzymes, urea, sodium and potassium.     

Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Danish horses

Background

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum are able to infect horses. However, the extend to which Danish horses are infected and seroconvert due to these two bacteria is unknown. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum in Danish horses.

Methods

A total of 390 blood samples collected from all major regions of Denmark and with a geographical distribution corresponding to the density of the Danish horse population were analyzed. All samples were examined for the presence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum by the use of the SNAP^®4DX ^® ELISA test.

Results

Overall, 29.0% of the horses were seropositive for B. burgdorferi sensu lato whereas 22.3% were seropositive for A. phagocytophilum.

Conclusions

Antibodies against B burgdorferi sensu lato and A. phagocytophilum are commonly found among Danish horses thus showing that Danish horses are frequently infected by these organisms.     

Seroprevalence,spatial distribution and risk factors of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in Jordan

Lyme borreliosis has not been studied in Jordan or in much of the Middle East. However, limited research indicates that the tick vector, Ixodes ricinus, exists in the region. This study examined the seroprevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. in Jordan and potential demographic and zoonotic risk factors for seropositivity. Serum samples of 824 apparently healthy participants from 11 governorates in Jordan were tested for B. burgdorferi s.l. using Enzygnost Lyme link VlsE/IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A validated questionnaire was used to collect demographic and animal exposure data. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with seropositivity. The results showed that 11.7 % (95 % CI, 9.3–14.0 %) of the participants were seropositive for B. burgdorferi s.l.. There was a bimodal age distribution of seroprevalence with higher seroprevalence among individuals <20 and>60 years old. After controlling for governorate of residence, females had 2.77 (95 % CI 1.53–5.00) times greater odds of seropositivity compared to males. Individuals living in the southeastern part of Jordan (Ma’an) had 2.32 (95 % CI, 1.02−5.31) greater odds of seropositivity compared to those living in Amman, the Capital of Jordan, while those living in the northeast had significantly lower odds of seropositivity. This study presents the first evidence of B. burgdorferi s.l. seropositivity in Jordan and suggests several risk factors which were reported in studies conducted elsewhere. This study suggests that Lyme borreliosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with skin lesions in Jordan.     

Epidemiological study of border disease virus infection in Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) after an outbreak of disease in the Pyrenees (NE Spain)

In 2001 and 2002, an outbreak of a previously unreported disease, associated with a border disease virus (BDV), caused high mortality in the Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) population in the Alt Pallars-Aran National Hunting Reserve in the Catalan Pyrenees (NE Spain). Between 2002 and 2006, sera and/or tissue samples taken from 116 healthy chamois shot during the hunting season, plus 42 from chamois affected by different diseases, were studied. A blocking enzyme-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to study pestivirus seroprevalence in 114 healthy hunted and 31 diseased chamois, yielding positive results in 73.7 and 22.6% of the chamois, respectively. Comparative virus neutralization tests (VNT) performed on 42 seropositive samples with 6 pestivirus strains yielded statistically higher titres to BDV Spain 97, followed by BDV chamois, BDV 137/4, BDV Moredun, Bovine Diarrhoea virus-1 (BVDV-1) NADL and BVDV-2 atypical. Virological investigations for pestivirus detection were performed using an antigen ELISA test in 82 healthy and 18 diseased chamois, RT-PCR in 16 healthy and in all diseased chamois, and virus isolation in 14 diseased chamois. No viral antigen was detected in any of the healthy animals. A pestivirus, characterized as BDV by monoclonal antibodies, was detected in the 10 chamois showing clinical signs consistent with BDV infection. Sequence analysis in the 5' untranslated region (5'-UTR) revealed that they were grouped into the BDV-4 genotype. In the remaining chamois, infectious keratoconjunctivitis, pneumonia, trauma and contagious ecthyma were diagnosed. The cause of death was unknown in five chamois. The results suggest that the infection has become endemic in the population and that it could have a significant impact on chamois population dynamics.     

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks in relation to the density of wild cervids

Background

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum have been considered as pathogens in animals and humans. The role of wild cervids in the epidemiology is not clear. We analyzed questing Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in spring for these pathogens from sites with high (Fjelløyvær and Strøm) and low density (Tjore, Hinnebu and Jomfruland) of wild cervids to study the spread of the pathogens in questing ticks.

Methods

For detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum a 77-bp fragment in the msp2 gene was used. Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato was performed using the FL6 and FL7 primers according to sequences of conserved regions of the fla gene. The OspA gene located on the linear 49-kb plasmid was used as target in multiplex PCR for genotyping. Genospecies-specific primers were used in the PCR for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii and B. garinii.

Results

Infection rates with Borrelia spp. were significantly lower at Fjelløyvær and Strøm compared to Tjore and Hinnebu; Fjelløyvær vs. Tjore (χ² = 20.27, p < 0.0001); Fjelløyvær vs. Hinnebu (χ² = 24.04, p < 0.0001); Strøm vs. Tjore (χ² = 11.47, p = 0.0007) and Strøm vs. Hinnebu (χ² = 16.63, p < 0.0001). The Borrelia genospecies were dominated by. B. afzelii (82%) followed by B. garinii (9.7%) and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (6.9%). B. burgdorferi s.s. was only found on the island of Jomfruland. The infection rate of Anaplasma phagocytophilum showed the following figures; Fjelløyvær vs Hinnebu (χ² = 16.27, p = 0.0001); Strøm vs. Tjore (χ² = 13.16, p = 0.0003); Strøm vs. Hinnebu (χ² = 34.71, p < 0.0001); Fjelløyvær vs. Tjore (χ² = 3.19, p = 0.0742) and Fjelløyvær vs. Støm (χ² = 5.06, p = 0.0245). Wild cervids may serve as a reservoir for A. phagocytophilum. Jomfruland, with no wild cervids but high levels of migrating birds and rodents, harboured both B. burgdorferi s.l. and A. phagocytophilum in questing I. ricinus ticks. Birds and rodents may play an important role in maintaining the pathogens on Jomfruland.

Conclusion

The high abundance of roe deer and red deer on the Norwegian islands of Fjelløyvær and Strøm may reduce the infection rate of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in host seeking Ixodes ricinus, in contrast to mainland sites at Hinnebu and Tjore with moderate abundance of wild cervids. The infection rate of Anaplasma phagocytophilum showed the opposite result with a high prevalence in questing ticks in localities with a high density of wild cervids compared to localities with lower density.     

Seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in dogs with neurological signs

A retrospective cohort study was carried out to evaluate whether seropositivity for the tick-transmitted bacterial species Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and/or Anaplasma phagocytophilum was associated with one or more specific categories of nervous system disorders in dogs. A total of 248 dogs with nervous system disorders were serotested for these agents and categorised into six main diagnostic categories: degenerative diseases of the spine, epilepsy, inflammatory diseases, neoplasia, peripheral neuropathies, and other diseases. Multivariable analysis using logistic regression was used to model whether a dog was diagnosed as being in any of these categories. The independent variables included were sex, age, year of serological testing, and whether the animal tested positive for B burgdorferi sensu lato and/or A phagocytophilum. In one model, a statistically significant association was found between a positive titre for A phagocytophilum and the risk of a dog developing neoplastic disease. Although statistically significant, it was concluded that the association was not of clinical relevance.     

Effects of sarcoptic mange on serum proteins and immunoglobulin G levels in chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) and Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica)

Three groups of chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) and three groups of Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) were established to study the effects of sarcoptic mange on serum proteins and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels. The first group of chamois consisted of 22 healthy Pyrenean chamois (R. pyrenaica pyrenaica) from a non-infested area, the second group consisted of 20 healthy Cantabrian chamois (R. p. parva) from an area where sarcoptic mange has been reported since 1994 and the third group consisted of 16 Cantabrian chamois from the same area but naturally infested by Sarcoptes scabiei. The first group of Spanish ibex was 39 healthy animals from a sarcoptic mange non-infested area, the second group was 23 healthy animals from a sarcoptic mange infested area and the third group consisted of 20 animals from the same area but naturally infested with the parasite. Blood samples were taken after killing the animals as part of hunting programmes. Values for total proteins, gamma-globulin and IgG were higher in infested and healthy chamois from the infested area compared to healthy chamois from the non-infested area, and IgG levels were higher in infested chamois compared to healthy-exposed chamois. Values for alpha2-globulin were higher in healthy Cantabrian chamois. In Spanish ibex, albumin, alpha2-globulin and IgG levels were lower in the healthy Spanish ibex from the non-infested area than in healthy animals from an infested area. The differences found in the chamois were indicative of the establishment of a humoral antibody response in the animals in contact with the disease. As the IgG levels were not significantly different between healthy and infested Spanish ibex from the same area, a different pattern of chronic infection with humoral response to the disease was suggested.     

Report of a case of bronchopneumonia associated with Moraxella bovis isolation in a chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica)

A case of fibrinopurulent bronchopneumonia associated with Moraxella bovis infection in a chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) is described. The animal, a 4-month-old female, was referred by the staff warden of the National Game Reserve of Freser-Setcases (Catalonia, north-eastern Spain). The animal was in good general condition and was found 4 h before death. On necropsy the lungs were congested and oedematous, with haemorrhagic areas in the cranial and middle lobes. The microscopic lesions were those of a fibrinopurulent bronchopneumonia. Microbiological study of the samples obtained showed numerous small beta-haemolytic colonies in pure culture, identified as Moraxella (Moraxella) bovis.     

Experimental infection of chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) with Sarcoptes scabiei derived from naturally infected goats

Two chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) out of a group of three were experimentally infected with Sarcoptes scabiei derived from a naturally infected domestic goat. One of the chamois presented the first clinical manifestations (papules and desquamation) at 7 days post-infection, after 22 days crusts and alopecia appeared and after 41 days pruritus. The other chamois presented desquamation after 15 days and papules after 21 days and crusts and alopecia after 31 days. All these clinical manifestations continued to spread and when the animals were treated at 84 days post-infection, pruritus, papules and crusts were first to disappear, there being no evidence of their presence at 99 days post-infection, when the second treatment dose was applied. The desquamation and alopecia disappeared at 114 days post-infection, by which stage both animals were considered to have been cured. The results of the skin scraping was negative in both chamois until 54 days post-infection and it became negative again after 84 days, when the first treatment dose was applied. Biopsies showed different levels of hyperkeratosis and a marked epidermic hyperplasia with formation of small crusts. Superficial epidermis presented marked vasodilatation and also infiltrated inflammation. None of the biopsies carried out showed the presence of parasites. The non-infected chamois, which was kept in the same compound as the other two, did not present any clinical manifestations compatible with infection by S. scabiei throughout the entire period of the experiment.     

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and Rickettsia spp. infections in hard ticks (Ixodes ricinus) in the region of Hanover (Germany)

In a total of 605 Ixodes (I.) ricinus ticks collected in the spring-months March, April and May 2005, quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) revealed 26.6% Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi sensu lato (sl)-positive ticks, i. e. divided by sex and stage into 31.9% positive adults (34.8% females and 29.0% males) and 18.5% positive nymphs. Mono-infections with genospecies from the B. burgdorferi sl-complex were found in over two thirds of the positive individuals, whereas almost one third showed double- or even triple-infections. Genospecies-specific conventional PCR determined B. afzelii as the most frequent genospecies followed by B. garinii, B. spielmanii, B. valaisiana and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (ss). Rickettsia spp. were found in 34.2% of the collected ticks, divided into 37.6% adults (42.5% females and 32.8% males) and 29.0% nymphs. Co-infections of Rickettsia-positive ticks with B. burgdorferi sl spirochaetes were present in 10.1% of the ticks. Thereby, adult ticks exhibited a co-infection rate of 13.4% (15.5% females and 11.3% males) and nymphs of 5.0%. Independently of the above mentioned study, 3939 Ixodes ticks, sent in between 2006 and 2010 for B. burgdorferi sl-diagnostic, were examined by qPCR exclusively for B. burgdorferi sl. The resulting B. burgdorferi sl prevalence was 23.1% and 24.4% in 2006 and 2007, respectively, followed by a continuous decrease to 12.8% in 2010. To analyse whether this observed decrease in infection frequency is due to sampling bias, in a current study randomly sampled ticks collected from defined sites equally distributed over the city of Hanover are investigated in a statistically relevant sample size.     

Effects of acepromazine on the stress response in Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) captured by means of drive-nets

This study was conducted to assess the stress response of Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) to capture and physical restraint and the effects of acepromazine (a short-acting neuroleptic) on this response. Forty free-ranging Southern chamois were captured, injected intramuscularly with acepromazine (19 animals, randomly selected) or saline (the other 21 animals), and physically restrained for 3 h. Heart rate and body temperature were monitored with telemetric devices, and blood samples were obtained at capture and every hour thereafter to determine hematologic and serum biochemical parameters. The lower heart-rate variability, temperature, erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), and serum creatine kinase activity in the animals treated with acepromazine indicated that this agent reduced the adverse effects of stress. According to the differences in heart rate, erythrocyte count, hemoglobin concentration, PCV, lymphocyte count, and serum concentrations of glucose, creatinine, chloride, and potassium, alpha-adrenergic stimulation by catecholamines seemed to be stronger in females, whereas the adrenal-cortex reaction seemed to be stronger in males. The differences in erythrocyte parameters, temperature, serum creatine kinase activity, and serum concentrations of potassium and chloride indicated that acepromazine's beneficial effects were greater in females.