Hematochezia in an African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata)

An African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) that had been housed with a conspecific was presented for tenesmus, diarrhea, and hematochezia of 48 hr duration. Husbandry was considered substandard. Hematology and plasma biochemical analysis revealed dehydration. Urinalysis was considered normal and fecal examination was negative for parasitic ova and protozoa. Radiography demonstrated moderate constipation. Initial treatment consisted of fluid therapy, enrofloxacin, metoclopramide, and improvement of husbandry practices. Recurrence of hematochezia developed 2 wk after initial presentation. Cloacoscopy followed by manual exteriorization of the penis revealed a puncture wound on the dorsal surface of the corpus cavernosum proximal to the glans penis. The wound was sutured using an absorbable monofilament material. The tortoise recovered uneventfully and was asymptomatic for the following 6 mo.     

Effects of blood processing techniques on sodium and potassium values: a comparison between Aldabra tortoises (Geochelone gigantea) and Burmese mountain tortoises (Manouria emys)

Background: Hematologic and plasma biochemical evaluations are routinely used in evaluating the chelonian patient, but appropriate processing techniques have been minimally defined.
Objectives: This study was designed to compare the effects of temperature, time, anticoagulant, and species on sodium and potassium values in the Aldabra tortoise ( Geochelone gigantea ) and the Burmese mountain tortoise ( Manouria emys ).
Methods: Blood samples from 7 Aldabra tortoises and 8 Burmese mountain tortoises were collected into tubes without anticoagulant and tubes containing lithium heparin. Sodium and potassium concentrations were measured by flame photometry in serum and plasma harvested immediately after collection and from aliquots of whole blood stored at 4°C and 25°C for 5 to 120 minutes.
Results: In Aldabra tortoises, storage time and temperature had no significant effect on potassium concentrations in heparinized blood and in blood without anticoagulant. However, sodium concentrations in serum and plasma decreased significantly in samples without anticoagulant stored at 4°C and 25°C and in heparinized samples stored at 4°C. In Burmese mountain tortoises, potassium concentrations in serum and plasma increased significantly with time in samples without anticoagulant and in heparinized samples stored at 4°C and 25°C, but the increases were less at 4°C. Sodium concentrations in serum and plasma decreased significantly in blood without anticoagulant and heparinized blood stored at 4°C and 25°C.
Conclusions: Storage of blood samples with and without anticoagulant at 4°C significantly improved the stability of potassium and sodium concentrations in both species of tortoises. Early separation of red cells from serum or plasma after blood collection is especially important to ensure the reliability of potassium measurements.     

Chemical characterization of milk oligosaccharides of an African lion (Panthera leo) and a clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)

The Carnivora include the superfamilies Canoidea and Feloidea. In species of Canoidea other than the domestic dog, Canis lupus, the milk contains only traces of lactose and much larger concentrations of oligosaccharides. In this study, lactose was found to be the dominant saccharide in the milk or colostrum of two species of Feloidea, namely the African lion (Panthera leo) and the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa). In addition to lactose, the following oligosaccharides were characterized in the milk of a lion; Neu5Gc(α2‐3)Gal(β1‐4)Glc (3′‐NGc‐SL), Fuc(α1‐2)Gal(β1‐4)Glc (2′‐fucosyllactose) and GalNAc(α1‐3)[Fuc(α1‐2)]Gal(β1‐4)Glc (A‐tetrasaccharide). The colostrum of a clouded leopard contained 3′‐NGc‐SL, Gal(α1‐3)Gal(β1‐4)Glc (isoglobotriose) and A‐tetrasaccharide. These oligosaccharides differ in some respects from those previously identified in another species of Feloidea, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). These milks contained 3′‐NGc‐SL and A‐tetrasaccharide, while spotted hyena colostrum did not; however, it contained Neu5Ac(α2‐3)Gal(β1‐4)Glc (3′‐NAc‐SL) and Gal(α1‐3)[Fuc(α1‐2)]Gal(β1‐4)Glc (B‐tetrasaccharide).     

Different origins of two corpora lutea recovered from a pregnant African elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Elephant ovaries contain multiple corpora lutea (CLs) throughout pregnancy. Two CLs (P‐1 and P‐2) collected from a pregnant African elephant were used to investigate their origin and physiological state in this study. The mRNA expressions of prolactin receptor, CYP11A and inhibin betaB subunit were higher in P‐2 than in P‐1, while LHCGR and inhibin betaA subunit mRNA were higher in P‐1 than in P‐2. Protein expression of cleaved caspase‐3 was detected in P‐1 but not in P‐2. These results suggest different origins for the two CLs in this one pregnant elephant, and we also demonstrated the production of bioactive prolactin by the elephant placenta.     

New evidence of homoplasy within the African genus Varicorhinus (Cyprinidae): an independent origin of specialized scraping forms in the adjacent drainage systems of Ethiopia inferred from mtDNA analysis

Interrelationships of the two specialized scraping periphyton-feeders, Varicorhinus beso and V. jubae, and some large African barbs, Labeobarbus spp., inhabiting three main regions of Ethiopia (the Western and Eastern Plateaus, and the Rift Valley separating them) were investigated using the sequence analysis of a fragment (609 base pairs) of the mtDNA control region. The two scraping forms in question appeared to be phylogenetically distant: V. beso had branched off before the main radiation of the Ethiopian Labeobarbus took place, whereas V. jubae is a sister group of the Labeobarbus gananensis complex sympatrically occurring with it in the south of the Eastern Plateau. For geographical reasons, among the congeneric species, V. jubae could be considered as the most closely related to V. beso, the type species of the genus, but judging from the available data this genus seems to be monotypic, while jubae should be classified as a member of Labeobarbus.