Erysipelothrix septicemia in a little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor).

On June 25, 2002, aquarium veterinarians treated a 5-year-old, male little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) that was acutely recumbent and dull, with inappetence of 24-hour duration. The penguin died within 10 minutes of presentation despite emergency resuscitation efforts. Gross pathologic findings consisted of pulmonary congestion and intestinal hemorrhage. Histopathologic findings included necrosis of tips of intestinal villi, increased numbers of mononuclear cells in pulmonary interstitium and hepatic sinusoids, and gram-positive bacteria in systemic microvasculature. Transmission electron microscopic examination revealed short gram-positive bacilli located in lumina of glomerular capillaries and in cytoplasm of mononuclear phagocytic cells in the lung and liver. Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was recovered from the lung, liver, and intestine by bacteriologic culture. Amplicons from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests using Erysipelothrix genus-specific primers and total genomic DNA extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of lung and intestine demonstrated 99% nucleotide sequence identity with 16S small-subunit ribosomal DNA of E. rhusiopathiae and E. tonsillarum. The source of infection was speculated to be fish in the diet; however, repeated attempts to detect Erysipelothrix spp. from the mucous layer of food fish using bacteriologic culture and PCR were unsuccessful. This is the first report of erysipelas in a captive aquatic bird. Details of the isolation of E. rhusiopathiae and the application of molecular testing to identify Erysipelothrix DNA in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections are given.     

Habitat quality,not habitat amount,drives mammalian habitat use in the Brazilian Pantanal

Landscape Ecology - An understanding of species-habitat relationships is required to assess the impacts of habitat fragmentation and degradation. To date, habitat modeling in fragmented landscapes...     

Novel Alkaloids from Marine Actinobacteria: Discovery and Characterization

The marine environment is an excellent resource for natural products with therapeutic potential. Its microbial inhabitants, often associated with other marine organisms, are specialized in the synthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites. Similar to their terrestrial counterparts, marine Actinobacteria are a prevalent source of these natural products. Here, we discuss 77 newly discovered alkaloids produced by such marine Actinobacteria between 2017 and mid-2021, as well as the strategies employed in their elucidation. While 12 different classes of alkaloids were unraveled, indoles, diketopiperazines, glutarimides, indolizidines, and pyrroles were most dominant. Discoveries were mainly based on experimental approaches where microbial extracts were analyzed in relation to novel compounds. Although such experimental procedures have proven useful in the past, the methodologies need adaptations to limit the chance of compound rediscovery. On the other hand, genome mining provides a different angle for natural product discovery. While the technology is still relatively young compared to experimental screening, significant improvement has been made in recent years. Together with synthetic biology tools, both genome mining and extract screening provide excellent opportunities for continued drug discovery from marine Actinobacteria.     

Effects of different dietary copper sources on the growth and intestinal microbial communities of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary copper sources on growth performance and intestinal microbial communities of juvenile Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Four isonitrogenous (420 g/kg crude protein) and isolipidic (70 g/kg crude lipid) experimental diets were formulated to contain different copper sources, Diet NSC (no‐supplemented copper), Diet CS (copper sulphate), Diet Availa (copper amino acid complex from Availa^®Cu100) and Diet M (1:1, copper sulphate + copper amino acid complex). A total of 360 Pacific white shrimp juveniles (initial weight: 1.86 ± 0.03 g) were randomly allocated into four groups, with three replicates per group and 30 shrimps each replicate. An Illumina‐based sequencing method was used to analyse the intestinal bacterial composition of shrimp juveniles. The results revealed that shrimps fed Diet M had significantly higher percent weight gain (PWG) than that fed Diet NSC and Diet CS, while there were no significant differences between Diet M and Diet Availa. Survival was not affected by the dietary copper sources. Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were dominant in the intestines of Pacific white shrimp. Shrimps fed Diet M and Diet Availa had higher bacterial richness and diversity than those fed Diet NSC and Diet CS with no significant differences among all treatments. Furthermore, Diet M and Diet Availa which contained copper amino acid complex reduced the relative abundance of Vibrionaceae in shrimp intestinal tract. This study indicated that dietary copper sources could affect the intestinal microbial communities and diets supplemented with Availa^®Cu100 could have a positive impact on the growth performance and decrease the potential risk of disease in Pacific white shrimp.     

Partial colonic obstruction following ovariohysterectomy: a report of three cases

Partial extramural obstruction of the descending colon was diagnosed in two dogs and a cat as a complication of elective ovariohysterectomy. In each case, the obstruction was caused by fibrous tissue that encircled or crossed the descending colon, severely restricting the organ's normal mobility and luminal diameter. Clinical signs secondary to obstipation were observed in two cases, five weeks and 27 months after elective ovariohysterectomy. In one dog without clinical signs, the adhesion was an incidental finding during a laparotomy performed nine years after the ovariohysterectomy. The fibrous adhesions were removed surgically in all three cases without additional complications.