Scrub-itch mite infestation in the endangered bridled nailtail wallaby

Skin lesions on the ears and inguinal and axillary regions of a number of adult animals within a captive population of the endangered bridled nailtail wallaby ( Onychogalea fraenata ) were associated with the trombiculid mite, Eutrombicula hirsti . The local inflammatory response of these Australian marsupials is described.     

Is the Macy's in my mall going to close? Uncovering the factors associated with the closures of Macy's,Sears, and J.C. Penney stores

This study analyzes three national department store chains in order to identify the factors most associated with their store closures. A binary logistic regression revealed some consistencies and differences in the associations. Larger stores are less likely to close for all three chains. Macy's and Sears stores are less likely to close in large malls (than freestanding stores) and if they are located in the West. J.C. Penney stores in the west are also less likely to close than in other regions, but stores in large shopping centers are more likely to close than freestanding stores. Store age was only significant for J.C. Penney stores, and indicated that older stores are more likely to close. Implications for retail managers and city economic vitality are mentioned and future research possibilities are discussed.     

Correction to: Individual based modelling of fish migration in a 2-D river system: model description and case study

Landscape Ecology - In the original publication of the article, the third author name has been misspelt. The correct name is given in this Correction. The original version of this article was revised.     

Tetanus in a Camel (Camelus dromedarius) – A Case Report

Twenty days after an open castration, a 5-year-old dromedary was presented to the Dubai Camel Hospital with severe central nervous symptoms. The dromedary showed the following signs: off feed, stiff gait with extended neck, external swelling of the preputial sheath and groin region, and foamy saliva drooling from the mouth. The dromedary was unable to swallow. Three days after admission, the camel developed lockjaw, and on the fifth day it was unable to stand owing to paralysis of the hindquarters. Because of the severity of the disease and because it did not respond to treatment, the camel was euthanized 26 days after the operation and submitted to the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory for further investigation. Both castration wounds were closed and spermiducts were filled with necrotic masses from which Clostridium tetani was isolated. Two mice, which were injected with the filtrate of the thioglycolate broth, developed typical signs of tetanic spasm of the hind leg. Faecal samples from camel and horse paddocks that were only 50 metres apart were negative for C. tetani. However, C. tetani was isolated from two soil samples of the horse paddock. It is recommended that camels should be vaccinated against tetanus prior to castration.     

Characterization of a wild-type strain of Francisella tularensis isolated from a cat.

Francisella tularensis type A is the primary cause of tularemia in animals and humans in North America. The majority of research on F. tularensis has been done with the attenuated live vaccine strain (LVS), which is a type B, but very few wild-type F. tularensis strains have been characterized. A gram-negative coccobacillus that was isolated in pure culture from the lungs of a cat that died after being lost for 5 days was received for identification at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching hospital. The isolate (strain TI0902) was not identified (or was misidentified) by commercial identification systems; however, it was identified as F. tularensis subspecies tularensis (type A) by sequencing a portion of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene. Furthermore, repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences-polymerase chain reaction amplified a 4-kb DNA fragment from TI0902 that was characteristic of F. tularensis type A but not type B. The electrophoretic profile of the lipopolysaccharide of strain TI0902 was identical to that of the LVS by Western blotting with antiserum to LVS. The protein-enriched outer membrane of strain TI0902 contained 6-8 proteins, which were similar in molecular size to those from the LVS. Electron microscopy of negatively stained and alcian blue-stained LVS and TI0902 cells showed that both strains were coccobacillary in shape and may be encapsulated. However, after mouse challenge, the TI0902 strain was clearly more virulent than the LVS strain. Results of this study indicate that the genotype and phenotype of wild-type F. tularensis type A strain TI0902 is similar, but not identical, to that of the LVS strain. Further studies will help determine whether pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions are also similar between the 2 strains.     

Lipid-rich pleural mesothelioma in a dog

An 11-year-old, neutered, male Golden Retriever cross dog was euthanized following a history of recurrent pericardial effusions. At necropsy, blood-tinged pericardial and intrathoracic effusions were seen along with numerous firm to hard plaque-like masses that studded the epicardial, pericardial, mediastinal, and costal pleural surfaces. Within the right thorax, the lesions coalesced into a large mass that occupied most of the cavity. Histologically, the masses were composed of solid sheets and papillary aggregates of medium-sized polygonal cells that contained abundant vacuolated to clear cytoplasm. Some of the cytoplasmic vacuoles stained positive with oil red O. The stroma contained metaplastic trabeculae of woven and lamellar bone. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells expressed vimentin, pancytokeratin, and S-100 protein. Transmission electron microscopy corroborated the presence of intracytoplasmic vacuoles and demonstrated prominent intercellular junctional complexes and apically located microvilli. These findings are consistent with a lipid-rich variant of mesothelioma. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a lipid-rich mesothelioma in a dog.     

Pharmacokinetic comparison of six anthelmintics in sheep,goats, and cattle

This study was initiated to determine whether a comparative pharmacokinetic (PK) approach could be used to expand the pool of approved anthelmintics for minor ruminant species. Accordingly, the PK profiles of six anthelmintics (levamisole, albendazole, fenbendazole, moxidectin, doramectin, and ivermectin) in sheep, goats, and cattle were determined. The PK values determined for each anthelmintic included T_max, T_last, C_max, AUC, AUC/dose, and C_max/dose. The results of this study demonstrate that a comparative PK approach does not show commonality in the way these six anthelmintics are individually processed by these three ruminants. While some drugs demonstrated identical PK profiles between sheep and goats, none of these drugs demonstrated PK profiles in sheep and goats comparable to the PK profiles found in cattle. The results from this study suggest drug approval across these three ruminants is not a viable concept. However, the resulting PK profiles for each combination of drug and ruminant species represents a new dataset that can be used to support the US FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine's Minor Use/Minor Species indexing process for drug approvals in minor species such as sheep and goats.