| the northern ireland programme for the control and eradication of mycobacterium bovis. | bovine tuberculosis is endemic in northern ireland and a comprehensive eradication scheme has been in operation since 1959. the current programme involves annual testing, extensive computerized tracing, short-interval testing of herds contiguous to outbreaks and compulsory slaughter of positive cattle. despite initial reductions in disease prevalence, eradication has proved elusive and potential explanatory factors include high cattle density and potential for between-herd contact, the impact of ... | 2006 | 16326042 |
| positive and negative effects of widespread badger culling on tuberculosis in cattle. | human and livestock diseases can be difficult to control where infection persists in wildlife populations. for three decades, european badgers (meles meles) have been culled by the british government in a series of attempts to limit the spread of mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (tb), to cattle. despite these efforts, the incidence of tb in cattle has risen consistently, re-emerging as a primary concern for britain's cattle industry. recently, badger culling has at ... | 2006 | 16357869 |
| geographic variation in body size: the effects of ambient temperature and precipitation. | latitudinal trends in body size have been explained as a response to temperature- or water-related factors, which are predictors of primary production. we used the first principal component calculated from three body parameters (weight, body length and the greatest length of the skull) of a sample of mammals from israel and sinai to determine those species that vary in size geographically, and whether such variation is related to annual rainfall, average minimum january temperature and average m ... | 2006 | 16525785 |
| bovine tuberculosis (mycobacterium bovis) in british farmland wildlife: the importance to agriculture. | bovine tuberculosis (btb) is an important disease of cattle and an emerging infectious disease of humans. cow- and badger-based control strategies have failed to eradicate btb from the british cattle herd, and the incidence is rising by about 18%per year. the annual cost to taxpayers in britain is currently 74 million uk pounds. research has focused on the badger as a potential btb reservoir, with little attention being paid to other mammals common on farmland. we have conducted a systematic sur ... | 2006 | 16543179 |
| the safety and immunogenicity of bacillus calmette-guérin (bcg) vaccine in european badgers (meles meles). | european badgers (meles meles) are a wildlife reservoir for mycobacterium bovis (m. bovis) in great britain (gb) and the republic of ireland and therefore constitute a potential source of infection for cattle. reduction of badger densities in the republic of ireland has resulted in an associated reduction in the risk of a herd break-down with bovine tuberculosis and a study to determine whether this is also the case in gb has been running since 1997. if badgers are a significant source of m. bov ... | 2006 | 16687176 |
| antibodies to toxoplasma gondii in eurasian badgers. | antibodies to toxoplasma gondii were detected in samples collected from 90 live-trapped adult eurasian badgers (meles meles) sampled at three sites (two agricultural and one woodland) in southern england. serum was tested using a qualitative latex agglutination test procedure and 63 of 90 (70%) badgers tested positive for t. gondii antibodies. antibody prevalence varied between the sites; 67% and 77% of badgers from agricultural sites and 39% from a nonagricultural site tested positive. | 2006 | 16699163 |
| arthroderma olidum, sp. nov. a new addition to the trichophyton terrestre complex. | in 1981, four fungal isolates from hair of the european badger (meles meles) were examined by dr phyllis stockdale at the commonwealth mycological institute, kew, and deposited in the uk national collection of pathogenic fungi as an undescribed member of the trichophyton terrestre complex. the present paper formalizes the complete description of a new ascomycete taxon, arthroderma olidum following successful recent attempts to re-isolate the same fungus from the soil of badger holes in south wes ... | 2006 | 16882612 |
| the first report of aelurostrongylus falciformis in norwegian badgers (meles meles). | the first report of aelurostrongylus falciformis (schlegel 1933) in fennoscandian badgers is described. routine parasitological examination of nine norwegian badgers, at the national veterinary institute during 2004 and 2005, identified a. falciformis in the terminal airways of five of the animals. the first stage larvae (l1) closely resembled, in size and morphology, those of angiostrongylus vasorum (baillet 1866). the diagnosis for both a. falciformis and a. vasorum is frequently based on the ... | 2006 | 16987402 |
| culling and cattle controls influence tuberculosis risk for badgers. | human and livestock diseases can be difficult to control where infection persists in wildlife populations. in britain, european badgers (meles meles) are implicated in transmitting mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (tb), to cattle. badger culling has therefore been a component of british tb control policy for many years. however, large-scale field trials have recently shown that badger culling has the capacity to cause both increases and decreases in cattle tb incid ... | 2006 | 17015843 |
| antibodies to mycobacterium bovis in wild carnivores from doñana national park (spain). | we conducted a retrospective serologic survey for antibodies against the mpb70 protein of mycobacterium bovis in wild carnivores from doñana national park (southwestern spain). serum samples from 118 red foxes (vulpes vulpes), 39 iberian lynx (lynx pardinus), 31 eurasian badgers (meles meles), five egyptian mongoose (herpestes ichneumon), four european genet (genetta genetta), and one eurasian otter (lutra lutra) were analyzed using an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay. antibodies a ... | 2006 | 17092907 |
| impact of a changed inundation regime caused by climate change and floodplain rehabilitation on population viability of earthworms in a lower river rhine floodplain. | river floodplains are dynamic and fertile ecosystems where soil invertebrates such as earthworms can reach high population densities. earthworms are an important food source for a wide range of organisms including species under conservation such as badgers. flooding, however, reduces earthworm numbers. populations recover from cocoons that survive floods. if the period between two floods is too short such that cocoons cannot develop into reproductive adults, populations cannot sustain themselves ... | 2007 | 17140641 |
| winter hibernation and body temperature fluctuation in the japanese badger, meles meles anakuma. | this study examined seasonal changes in body weight, hibernation period, and body temperature of the japanese badger (meles meles anakuma) from 1997 to 2001. adult badgers showed seasonal changes in body weight. between mid-december and february, badger activity almost ceased, as the animals remained in their setts most of the time. adult male badgers were solitary hibernators; adult females hibernated either alone or with their cubs and/or yearlings. the total hibernation period of japanese bad ... | 2006 | 17189911 |
| experimental tuberculosis in the european badger (meles meles) after endobronchial inoculation of mycobacterium bovis: i. pathology and bacteriology. | the aim was to develop an endobronchial infection procedure for the study of mycobacterium bovis infection in badgers. the badgers were anaesthetised and a cannula was passed per os to the tracheal bifurcation. when in place 1 ml of m. bovis suspension was inoculated. three concentrations of m. bovis suspension were used; <10 colony forming units (cfu), approximately 10(2) cfu and approximately 3 x 10(3) cfu. the badgers were examined at three weekly intervals for clinical signs of disease and a ... | 2007 | 17197004 |
| social organization and movement influence the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in an undisturbed high-density badger meles meles population. | 1. the culling of european badgers meles meles has been a central part of attempts to control bovine tuberculosis (tb) in british cattle for many years. recent results, however, indicate that this approach could in practice enhance disease spread. 2. this paper looks at the relationship between tb incidence and badger ecology in a high-density population in south-west england, which has been the subject of a long-term intensive study. the principal aims were to relate the probability of tb incid ... | 2007 | 17302842 |
| epidemiology, histopathology, and muscle distribution of trichinella t9 in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) and wildlife of japan. | the prevalences of trichinella t9 in trapped raccoons (procyon lotor) and several other potential mammalian reservoirs in hokkaido, wakayama, and nagasaki prefectures were investigated. muscle samples were collected from 2003 to 2006 from 1,080 raccoons, 113 raccoon dogs including 2 species (nyctereutes procyonoides albus and n. p. viverrinus), 41 wild boars (sus scrofa leucomystax), 14 martens (martes melampus), 10 badgers (meles meles), 5 siberian weasels (martes sibirica coreana), 7 mink (mus ... | 2007 | 17310398 |
| are motorway wildlife passages worth building? vertebrate use of road-crossing structures on a spanish motorway. | numerous road and railway construction projects include costly mitigation measures to offset the barrier effect produced on local fauna, despite the scarcity of data on the effectiveness of such mitigation measures. in this study, we evaluate the utility of different types of crossing structures. vertebrate use of 43 transverse crossing structures along the a-52 motorway (north-western spain) was studied during spring 2001. research centered on wildlife passages (9), wildlife-adapted box culvert ... | 2008 | 17467145 |
| evidence of canine distemper and suggestion of preceding parvovirus-myocarditis in a eurasian badger (meles meles). | an approximately 1.5-yr-old free-ranging male eurasian badger (meles meles) from the eastern part of austria had macroscopic and microscopic lesions consistent with canine distemper virus infection, including nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis, interstitial pneumonia with accumulation of macrophages in alveoli that contained intranuclear inclusion bodies, vesicular exanthema of the ventral abdomen, and atrophy of lymphoid tissues. canine distemper virus-antigen was demonstrable in a variety of o ... | 2007 | 17469291 |
| development and evaluation of a test for tuberculosis in live european badgers (meles meles) based on measurement of gamma interferon mrna by real-time pcr. | a real-time pcr assay for the measurement of gamma interferon (ifn-gamma) mrna in european badger (meles meles) blood cultures was developed. the levels of ifn-gamma mrna in blood cultures stimulated with either bovine or avian tuberculin or specific mycobacterial antigens were compared with those in a nonstimulated control blood culture as the basis for determining the tuberculosis (tb) status of live badgers. the assay was validated by testing 247 animals for which there were matching data fro ... | 2007 | 17537931 |
| seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii antibodies in wild carnivores from spain. | serum samples from 282 wild carnivores from different regions of spain were tested for antibodies to toxoplasma gondii by the modified agglutination test using a cut-off value of 1:25. antibodies to t. gondii were found in 22 of 27 (81.5%) of iberian lynx (lynx pardinus), 3 of 6 european wildcats (felis silvestris), 66 of 102 (64.7%) red foxes (vulpes vulpes), 15 of 32 (46.9%) wolves (canis lupus), 26 of 37 (70.3%) eurasian badgers (meles meles), 17 of 20 (85.0%) stone martens (martes foina), 4 ... | 2007 | 17689869 |
| culling-induced social perturbation in eurasian badgers meles meles and the management of tb in cattle: an analysis of a critical problem in applied ecology. | the eurasian badger (meles meles) is implicated in the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (tb) to cattle in the uk and republic of ireland. badger culling has been employed for the control of tb in cattle in both countries, with varying results. social perturbation of badger populations following culling has been proposed as an explanation for the failure of culling to consistently demonstrate significant reductions in cattle tb. field studies indicate that culling badgers may result in increas ... | 2007 | 17725974 |
| outbreak of mycobacterium bovis infection in a wild animal park. | an outbreak of tuberculosis due to mycobacterium bovis occurred in a wild animal park. three pot-bellied pigs (sus scrofa vittatus), one red deer (cervus elaphus), one buffalo (bison bonasus) and two european lynxes (lynx lynx) were affected and showed clinical signs including weight loss, enlarged lymph nodes and paralysis of the hindlimbs. postmortem examinations revealed multifocal granulomatous lesions in various organs, including the lymph nodes, lungs, intestines, kidneys and the central n ... | 2007 | 17766809 |
| ectoparasites of the endangered iberian lynx lynx pardinus and sympatric wild and domestic carnivores in spain. | ectoparasites can cause important skin disorders in animals and can also transmit pathogens. the iberian lynx lynx pardinus has been stated to be the most endangered felid in the world and such vector-borne pathogens may threaten its survival. we surveyed 98 wild carnivores (26 iberian lynxes, 34 red foxes vulpes vulpes, 24 egyptian mongooses herpestes ichneumon, 11 common genets genetta genetta, two eurasian badgers meles meles, one polecat mustela putorius) and 75 domestic but free-ranging car ... | 2007 | 17897365 |
| genetic evidence that culling increases badger movement: implications for the spread of bovine tuberculosis. | the eurasian badger (meles meles) has been implicated in the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (tb, caused by mycobacterium bovis) to cattle. however, evidence suggests that attempts to reduce the spread of tb among cattle in britain by culling badgers have mixed effects. a large-scale field experiment (the randomized badger culling trial, rbct) showed that widespread proactive badger culling reduced the incidence of tb in cattle within culled areas but that tb incidence increased in adjoining ... | 2007 | 17944854 |
| antigen specific immunological responses of badgers (meles meles) experimentally infected with mycobacterium bovis. | european badgers (meles meles) are considered to be an important reservoir of infection for mycobacterium bovis and are implicated in the transmission of tuberculosis to cattle in ireland and great britain. accurate tests are required for tuberculosis surveillance in badger populations and to provide a basis for the development of strategies, including vaccination, to reduce the incidence of the infection. in this study, we have developed an endobronchial m. bovis infection model in badgers in w ... | 2008 | 18082897 |
| development and evaluation of a gamma-interferon assay for tuberculosis in badgers (meles meles). | in this paper we report the development of a sensitive and specific assay for the detection of tuberculosis (tb) in european badgers (meles meles), based on the stimulation of lymphocytes in whole-blood culture and the subsequent detection of gamma-interferon (ifngamma) by sandwich elisa. the comparative levels of ifngamma produced to bovine and avian tuberculin (b-a) was used as the basis of determining the tb status of badgers, resulting in a more sensitive test than that based on the defined ... | 2008 | 18083067 |
| use of multiple den sites by eurasian badgers, meles meles, in a mediterranean habitat. | den sites are a conspicuous feature of eurasian badgers, meles meles, and in many environments include large communal burrows used by several group members. in serra de grândola, southwest portugal, nine badgers from three social groups were captured and radio collared from 2000 to 2004. a total of 1,787 locations of badgers in their resting sites were registered along with a brief description of the type of site and weather conditions. resting sites were grouped according to structure (burrows, ... | 2007 | 18088174 |
| cloning, expression and immunoassay detection of ferret ifn-gamma. | ferrets (mustela putorius furo) develop symptoms upon influenza infection that resemble those of humans, including sneezing, body temperature variation and weight loss. highly pathogenic strains of influenza a, such as h5n1, have the capacity to cause severe illness or death in ferrets. the use of ferrets as a model of influenza infection is currently limited by a lack of species-specific immunological reagents. interferon gamma (ifn-gamma) plays a key role in the development of innate and adapt ... | 2008 | 18262264 |
| mycobacterium bovis in wildlife in france. | in early 2001, tuberculosis-like lesions were detected in three hunter-killed red deer (cervus elaphus) in the brotonne forest (normandy, france), and mycobacterium bovis was isolated. in subsequent hunting seasons, two surveys were conducted in the area. in the first survey (2001-02 hunting season), nine (13%) of 72 red deer sampled were positive for m. bovis. in the 2005-06 hunting season, the prevalence of m. bovis infection increased to 24% (chi2=3.85, df=1, p=0.05; 33 positive among 138 sam ... | 2008 | 18263825 |
| validation of the brocktb stat-pak assay for detection of tuberculosis in eurasian badgers (meles meles) and influence of disease severity on diagnostic accuracy. | a lateral-flow immunoassay (brocktb stat-pak) for detecting tuberculosis in eurasian badgers was 49% sensitive and 93% specific against culture for m. bovis (n = 1,464) at necropsy. however, the sensitivity was significantly higher (66 to 78%) in animals with more severe tuberculosis, indicating that the brocktb stat-pak may be useful for the detection of badgers with the greatest risk of transmitting disease. | 2008 | 18272706 |
| reproductive skew and relatedness in social groups of european badgers, meles meles. | reproductive skew is a measure of the proportion of individuals of each sex that breed in a group and is a valuable measure for understanding the evolution and maintenance of sociality. here, we provide the first quantification of reproductive skew within social groups of european badgers meles meles, throughout an 18-year study in a high-density population. we used 22 microsatellite loci to analyse within-group relatedness and demonstrated that badger groups contained relatives. the average wit ... | 2008 | 18371017 |
| experimental tuberculosis in the european badger (meles meles) after endobronchial inoculation with mycobacterium bovis: ii. progression of infection. | the aim of the study was to describe, over a period of 24 weeks, the pathological and bacteriological changes in badgers experimentally infected with mycobacterium bovis. the badgers were infected by endobronchial instillation of 2.5 x10(4) colony forming units (cfu) m. bovis. after infection, the badgers were examined at 3 weekly intervals when blood and tracheal aspirates were collected. at 6, 12, 18 and 24 weeks post-infection (pi) three animals were euthanized and a detailed pathological and ... | 2008 | 18433810 |
| levels of heavy metals and metalloids in critically endangered iberian lynx and other wild carnivores from southern spain. | the iberian lynx (lynx pardinus) is the most endangered felid in the world with a wild population which probably stands at less than 200 individuals inhabiting two areas in southern spain (doñana and sierra morena) that are known to have been contaminated by heavy metals and metalloids due to a long history of mining activities. this contamination may pose a threat to long term conservation efforts and hence, the concentrations of seven elements (as, se, cd, zn, cu, pb, hg) were determined in th ... | 2008 | 18455757 |
| vaccination of european badgers (meles meles) with bcg by the subcutaneous and mucosal routes induces protective immunity against endobronchial challenge with mycobacterium bovis. | mycobacterium bovis is endemic in badger (meles meles) populations of ireland and the united kingdom and infected badgers are a potential source of infection for cattle. in domestic livestock tuberculosis causes economic losses from lost production and the costs associated with eradication programmes, and in addition there is a risk of zoonotic infection. whereas culling is currently used to control tuberculous badger populations in ireland, vaccination, if it were available, would be preferred. ... | 2008 | 18468490 |
| the effects of annual widespread badger culls on cattle tuberculosis following the cessation of culling. | the effective control of human and livestock diseases is challenging where infection persists in wildlife populations. the randomised badger culling trial (rbct) demonstrated that, while it was underway, proactive badger (meles meles) culling reduced bovine tuberculosis (tb) incidence inside culled areas but increased incidence in neighboring areas, suggesting that the costs of such culling might outweigh the benefits. | 2008 | 18502675 |
| oral vaccination of guinea pigs with a mycobacterium bovis bacillus calmette-guerin vaccine in a lipid matrix protects against aerosol infection with virulent m. bovis. | increased incidence of bovine tuberculosis (tb) in the united kingdom caused by infection with mycobacterium bovis is a cause of considerable economic loss to farmers and the government. the eurasian badger (meles meles) represents a wildlife source of recurrent m. bovis infections of cattle in the united kingdom, and its vaccination against tb with m. bovis bacillus calmette-guérin (bcg) is an attractive disease control option. delivery of bcg in oral bait holds the best prospect for vaccinatin ... | 2008 | 18519560 |
| disease threats to the endangered iberian lynx (lynx pardinus). | the iberian lynx, (lynx pardinus), is the most endangered felid in the world. to determine whether sympatric carnivores are reservoirs of pathogens posing a disease risk for the lynx, evidence of exposure to 17 viral, bacterial and protozoan agents was investigated in 176 carnivores comprising 26 free-living lynx, 53 domestic cats, 28 dogs, 33 red foxes (vulpes vulpes), 24 egyptian mongooses (herpestes ichneumon), 10 common genets (genetta genetta) and 2 eurasian badgers (meles meles) in the are ... | 2009 | 18555712 |
| neospora caninum antibodies in wild carnivores from spain. | serum samples from 251 wild carnivores from different regions of spain were tested for antibodies to neospora caninum by the commercial competitive screening enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (c-elisa) and confirmed by neospora agglutination test (nat) and/or by indirect fluorescent antibody test (ifat). samples with antibodies detected by at least two serological tests were considered seropositive. antibodies to n. caninum were found in 3.2% of 95 red foxes (vulpes vulpes); in 21.4% of 28 wolve ... | 2008 | 18556128 |
| animal-side serologic assay for rapid detection of mycobacterium bovis infection in multiple species of free-ranging wildlife. | numerous species of mammals are susceptible to mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (tb). several wildlife hosts have emerged as reservoirs of m. bovis infection for domestic livestock in different countries. in the present study, blood samples were collected from eurasian badgers (n=1532), white-tailed deer (n=463), brushtail possums (n=129), and wild boar (n=177) for evaluation of antibody responses to m. bovis infection by a lateral-flow rapid test (rt) and multiant ... | 2008 | 18602770 |
| the abundance threshold for plague as a critical percolation phenomenon. | percolation theory is most commonly associated with the slow flow of liquid through a porous medium, with applications to the physical sciences. epidemiological applications have been anticipated for disease systems where the host is a plant or volume of soil, and hence is fixed in space. however, no natural examples have been reported. the central question of interest in percolation theory, the possibility of an infinite connected cluster, corresponds in infectious disease to a positive probabi ... | 2008 | 18668107 |
| bovine tuberculosis in a badger (meles meles) in spain. | | 2008 | 18677001 |
| control of bovine tuberculosis in british livestock: there is no 'silver bullet'. | bovine tuberculosis (btb; mycobacterium bovis) is a bacterial infection of cattle that also affects certain wildlife species. culling badgers (meles meles), the principal wildlife host, results in perturbation of the badger population and an increased level of disease in cattle. therefore, the priority for future management must be to minimize the risk of disease transmission by finding new ways to reduce the contact rate among the host community. at the farm level, targeting those individuals t ... | 2008 | 18706814 |
| assessment of different formulations of oral mycobacterium bovis bacille calmette-guérin (bcg) vaccine in rodent models for immunogenicity and protection against aerosol challenge with m. bovis. | bovine tuberculosis (btb) caused by infection with mycobacterium bovis is causing considerable economic loss to farmers and government in the united kingdom as its incidence is increasing. efforts to control btb in the uk are hampered by the infection in eurasian badgers (meles meles) that represent a wildlife reservoir and source of recurrent m. bovis exposure to cattle. vaccination of badgers with the human tb vaccine, m. bovis bacille calmette-guérin (bcg), in oral bait represents a possible ... | 2008 | 18789366 |
| isolation of borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato from the skin of the european badger (meles meles) in switzerland. | no data are available on the role of badgers in the ecology of lyme borreliosis spirochetes in europe. in a recent study describing validation of a molecular method allowing host dna identification and borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato detection in ixodes ricinus, the simultaneous presence of b. afzelii dna and of european badger (meles meles) dna was detected in i. ricinus ticks in switzerland. this suggested that badgers might be reservoir hosts for b. afzelii. here, we present results obtained ... | 2009 | 18945190 |
| leptospirosis in wild and domestic carnivores in natural areas in andalusia, spain. | leptospirosis is a zoonosis that affects humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. carnivores are at the top of the feeding chain, thus being exposed to pathogens through their preys. from june 2004 to april 2007, we analyzed for evidences of contact with 14 serovars of leptospira interrogans sensu lato serum (analyzed by indirect microscopic agglutination test) and urine or kidney samples (analyzed by microscopic observation, immunostaining and culture) collected from 201 wild and domestic carniv ... | 2009 | 18973450 |
| immunological responses following experimental endobronchial infection of badgers (meles meles) with different doses of mycobacterium bovis. | the eurasian badger (meles meles) is a wildlife reservoir for mycobacterium bovis infection in ireland and great britain and has been implicated in the transmission of tuberculosis to cattle. vaccination of badgers is an option that could be used as part of a strategy to control the disease. in this study we used an endobronchial infection procedure to inoculate groups of badgers with three different doses (3x10(3), 2x10(2) and <10 colony forming units (cfus)) of m. bovis. after 17 weeks the dis ... | 2009 | 18986710 |
| immunological responses and protective immunity in bcg vaccinated badgers following endobronchial infection with mycobacterium bovis. | european badgers (meles meles) are a reservoir host of mycobacterium bovis and are implicated in the transmission of tuberculosis to cattle in ireland and great britain. the development of a vaccine for use in badgers is considered a key element of any campaign to eradicate the disease in livestock in both countries. in this study we have vaccinated groups of badgers with approximately 5 x 10(5)cfu of the bcg vaccine delivered via two alternative routes, subcutaneous and mucosal (intranasal/conj ... | 2009 | 19010372 |
| pathology of mycobacterium bovis infection in wild meerkats (suricata suricatta). | pathological lesions associated with mycobacterium bovis infection (bovine tuberculosis; btb) in free-living meerkats (suricata suricatta) in the kalahari desert of south africa are described. the pathology of btb in meerkats was determined through detailed post-mortem examinations of 57 animals (52 meerkats showing clinical signs of btb, and five not showing signs of disease). lymph nodes and tissue lesions thought to be associated with btb were cultured for mycobacteria. all 52 btb-infected me ... | 2009 | 19070868 |
| a forensic str profiling system for the eurasian badger: a framework for developing profiling systems for wildlife species. | developing short tandem repeat (str) profiling systems for forensic identification is complicated in animal species. obtaining a representative number of individuals from populations, limited access to family groups and a lack of developed str markers can make adhering to human forensic guidelines difficult. furthermore, a lack of animal specific guidelines may explain why many wildlife forensic str profiling systems developed to date have not appropriately addressed areas such as marker validat ... | 2008 | 19083789 |
| human and canine pulmonary mycobacterium bovis infection in the same household: re-emergence of an old zoonotic threat? | bovine tuberculosis (btb), caused by mycobacterium bovis, remains a serious animal health problem in the uk, despite longstanding statutory surveillance and control measures. endemic infection in the eurasian badger population is thought to complicate btb eradication efforts. sporadic cases of m bovis infection have also been reported in domestic animals other than cattle. human m bovis infection is extremely rare in the native uk population in the absence of unpasteurised milk consumption or re ... | 2009 | 19103875 |
| bovine tuberculosis in cattle and badgers in localized culling areas. | bovine tuberculosis (tb) is a zoonotic disease that can have serious consequences for cattle farming and, potentially, for public health. in britain, failure to control bovine tb has been linked to persistent infection of european badger (meles meles) populations. however, culling of badgers in the vicinity of recent tb outbreaks in cattle has failed to reduce the overall incidence of cattle tb. using data from a large-scale study conducted in 1998-2005, we show that badgers collected on such lo ... | 2009 | 19204342 |
| unusual odd-chain and trans-octadecenoic fatty acids in tissues of feral european beaver (castorfiber), eurasian badger (melesmeles) and raccoon dog (nyctereutesprocyonoides). | the fatty acid (fa) composition of depot adipose tissues in the raccoon dog (nyctereutesprocyonoides) and the european beaver (castorfiber) differs from that reported for the lipids of other monogastric animals, especially with regard to the presence of trans-octadecenoic acids. the concentrations of pentadecanoic acid 15:0 (pa) and heptadecanoic acid 17:0 (ha) in the lipids of the tested animals ranged from 0.23 to 0.79% and from 0.33 to 2.35% of total fas, respectively. the total content of th ... | 2009 | 19243702 |
| bronchoalveolar lavage cytology from captive badgers. | bronchoalveolar lavage (bal) fluid is evaluated for the diagnosis and study of lung disease and airway inflammation. cytologic profiles for bal fluid have not been reported for badgers and may be useful in understanding the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases such as mycobacterium bovis. | 2009 | 19351340 |
| an assessment of injury to european badgers (meles meles) due to capture in stopped restraints. | as part of ongoing culling operations, european badgers (meles meles) were captured using stopped restraints in winter (october to december 2005) and summer (may to june 2006) in the republic of ireland. a subset of these badgers, those caught during four consecutive nights, was examined postmortem to determine the frequency and severity of physical injuries resulting from capture in the restraints. the skin and the tissues underlying the restraint of 343 badgers were assessed for injury by visu ... | 2009 | 19395757 |
| physaloptera sibirica in foxes and badgers from the western alps (italy). | we investigated the presence of physaloptera sibirica and its distribution as well as the association among the parasite, host (i.e. mange due to sarcoptes scabiei) and environmental factors (i.e. altitudes) in foxes (vulpes vulpes) and badgers (meles meles) from the north-west of italy. from 1996 to 2008 a total of 608 foxes, culled by hunters or road killed, and 39 road killed badgers were examined in order to investigate the presence of nematodes in the stomach. p. sibirica was found in 16 fo ... | 2009 | 19411141 |
| social group size affects mycobacterium bovis infection in european badgers (meles meles). | 1. in most social animals, the prevalence of directly transmitted pathogens increases in larger groups and at higher population densities. such patterns are predicted by models of mycobacterium bovis infection in european badgers (meles meles). 2. we investigated the relationship between badger abundance and m. bovis prevalence, using data on 2696 adult badgers in 10 populations sampled at the start of the randomized badger culling trial. 3. m. bovis prevalence was consistently higher at low bad ... | 2009 | 19486382 |
| the prevalence and distribution of mycobacterium bovis infection in european badgers (meles meles) as determined by enhanced post mortem examination and bacteriological culture. | the accurate diagnosis of mycobacterium bovis infection in badgers is key to understanding the epidemiology of tuberculosis in this species and has significant implications for devising strategies to limit spread of the disease. in this study, badgers (n=215) in the republic of ireland were examined at post mortem and tissues were collected from a range of anatomical locations and pooled into groups for bacterial culture of m. bovis. by assessing confirmed gross visible lesions (vl) alone, infec ... | 2010 | 19545882 |
| estimating the extent of spatial association of mycobacterium bovis infection in badgers in ireland. | mycobacterium bovis infects the wildlife species badgers meles meles who are linked with the spread of the associated disease tuberculosis (tb) in cattle. control of livestock infections depends in part on the spatial and social structure of the wildlife host. here we describe spatial association of m. bovis infection in a badger population using data from the first year of the four area project in ireland. using second-order intensity functions, we show there is strong evidence of clustering of ... | 2010 | 19653926 |
| pelioid hepatocellular carcinoma in an adult eurasian badger (meles meles). | a mass was identified within the left lateral lobe of the liver of a 10-year-old eurasian badger (meles meles). the mass was friable and multilobulated, with blood-filled spaces between the lobules. microscopically, the lesion consisted of sheets and trabeculae of neoplastic hepatocytes often forming cystic spaces containing erythrocytes, fibrin and necrotic debris. the histological appearance was consistent with hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc). immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells express ... | 2010 | 19683720 |
| thelazia callipaeda (spirurida, thelaziidae) in wild animals: report of new host species and ecological implications. | thelazia callipaeda infects the eyes of carnivores and humans in far eastern asiatic and european countries. studies have demonstrated the occurrence of t. callipaeda in foxes from areas where canine thelaziosis is endemic. however, there is little information on the role of wild carnivores as hosts of this nematode. from may 2003 to may 2009, a total of 130 carcasses of red foxes (vulpes vulpes; n=75), wolves (canis lupus; n=2), beech martens (martes foina; n=22), brown hares (lepus europaeus; ... | 2009 | 19782474 |
| using genetic methods to investigate dispersal in two badger (meles meles) populations with different ecological characteristics. | understanding the dispersal behaviour of a species is important for understanding its ecology and evolution. dispersal in the eurasian badger (meles meles) is believed to be very limited, with social groups forming primarily through the retention of offspring. however, most of our knowledge of dispersal in this species comes from studies of high-density populations in the united kingdom, where badgers are atypical in their behaviour, physiology, ecology and prey specialization. in this study we ... | 2010 | 19812619 |
| muscular sarcocystosis in wild carnivores in honshu, japan. | a total of 65 free-living carnivores collected on honshu island, japan were examined for muscular sarcocystis species infections. among them, 12 japanese raccoon dogs (nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus), one japanese red fox (vulpes vulpes japonica), three japanese martens (martes melampus melampus), and two japanese badgers (meles meles anakuma) were found to have sarcocysts in their muscles. no inflammatory reactions associated with sarcocysts were observed. ultrastructurally, the sarcocysts ... | 2009 | 19841942 |
| farm husbandry and badger behaviour: opportunities to manage badger to cattle transmission of mycobacterium bovis? | bovine tuberculosis (btb) is a serious disease of cattle in the uk in terms of the economic impact on the farming industry. the disease has proven difficult to control in the cattle population and the eurasian badger (meles meles) is a source of infection. in recent years, there has been growing interest in the potential to employ farm husbandry and biosecurity practices to reduce btb transmission risks. here we review the potential routes of btb transmission between badgers and cattle and explo ... | 2010 | 19846226 |
| tuberculosis in european badgers (meles meles) and the control of infection with bacille calmette-guérin vaccination. | the eradication of tuberculosis (mycobacterium bovis infection) from cattle herds may be compromised if infected wildlife species, such as european badgers (meles meles), share the same environment and contribute to transfer of infection. options for dealing with tuberculosis in this wild reservoir host are limited by conservation and social concerns, despite a clear implication that infected badgers are involved with the initiation of tuberculosis in cattle herds. vaccination of badgers against ... | 2009 | 19901380 |
| cost-benefit analysis model of badger (meles meles) culling to reduce cattle herd tuberculosis breakdowns in britain, with particular reference to badger perturbation. | bovine tuberculosis (tb) is an important economic disease. badgers (meles meles) are the wildlife source implicated in many cattle outbreaks of tb in britain, and extensive badger control is a controversial option to reduce the disease. a badger and cattle population model was developed, simulating tb epidemiology; badger ecology, including postcull social perturbation; and tb-related farm management. an economic cost-benefit module was integrated into the model to assess whether badger control ... | 2009 | 19901382 |
| estimating the risk of cattle exposure to tuberculosis posed by wild deer relative to badgers in england and wales. | wild deer populations in great britain are expanding in range and probably in numbers, and relatively high prevalence of bovine tuberculosis (btb, caused by infection with mycobacterium bovis) in deer occurs locally in parts of southwest england. to evaluate the m. bovis exposure risk posed to cattle by wild deer relative to badgers in england and wales, we constructed and parameterized a quantitative risk model with the use of information from the literature (on deer densities, activity pattern ... | 2009 | 19901384 |
| performance of tb immunodiagnostic tests in eurasian badgers (meles meles) of different ages and the influence of duration of infection on serological sensitivity. | in parts of great britain and ireland, eurasian badgers (meles meles) constitute a reservoir of mycobacterium bovis infection and a potential source of infection for cattle. in vitro diagnostic tests for live badgers are an important component of strategies to control tb in this species. immunological tests have been developed for badgers, although little is known about the influence of the age of the animal on test performance. to address this, we evaluated the performance of three immunologica ... | 2009 | 19919697 |
| detection and identification of bartonella sp. in fleas from carnivorous mammals in andalusia, spain. | a total of 559 fleas representing four species (pulex irritans, ctenocephalides felis, ctenocephalides canis and spilopsyllus cuniculi) collected on carnivores (five iberian lynx lynx pardinus, six european wildcat felis silvestris, 10 common genet genetta genetta, three eurasian badger meles meles, 22 red fox vulpes vulpes, 87 dogs and 23 cats) in andalusia, southern spain, were distributed in 156 pools of monospecific flea from each carnivore, and tested for bartonella infection in an assay ba ... | 2009 | 19941605 |
| exploitation of food resources by the eurasian badger (meles meles) at the altitudinal limit of its alpine range (nw italy). | food availability has been suggested to be the main factor shaping the altitudinal limits of species distributions. we analyzed the badger (meles meles) diet in the western italian alps and, particularly, at the altitudinal limit of its range, with the main aim of highlighting any reduction in earthworm availability with altitude which could act as a limiting factor for badgers. earthworms were by far the main food resource of badgers, followed by fruit. the two-month importance of these two ite ... | 2009 | 19968469 |
| evaluation of a rapid serological test for the determination of mycobacterium bovis infection in badgers (meles meles) found dead. | between october 2005 and may 2006, a total of 727 badgers found dead in wales were reported, and 550 were delivered to the regional laboratories of the veterinary laboratories agency (vla). of the 459 carcasses suitable for examination, 55 were deemed to be infected with mycobacterium bovis on the basis of culture, spoligotyping, and variable-number tandem repeat typing. acid-fast bacteria were observed histologically in a further six badgers, but these bacteria were not confirmed as m. bovis by ... | 2010 | 20042520 |
| the duration of the effects of repeated widespread badger culling on cattle tuberculosis following the cessation of culling. | in the british isles, control of cattle tuberculosis (tb) is hindered by persistent infection of wild badger (meles meles) populations. a large-scale field trial--the randomised badger culling trial (rbct)--previously showed that widespread badger culling produced modest reductions in cattle tb incidence during culling, which were offset by elevated tb risks for cattle on adjoining lands. once culling was halted, beneficial effects inside culling areas increased, while detrimental effects on adj ... | 2010 | 20161769 |
| a record of crenosoma vulpis (rudolphi, 1819) (nematoda, crenosomatidae) from the eurasian badger (meles meles l.) from poland. | three specimens of the nematode crenosoma vulpis (rudolphi, 1819) were isolated from the lungs of the eurasian badger (meles meles l.) found dead on a road in the north-western part of wrocław (lower silesia, sw. poland) in august 2008. since this is the first record of the parasite in the badger from poland, description, biometrical data and figures are given. | 2009 | 20209822 |
| diagnostic accuracy and optimal use of three tests for tuberculosis in live badgers. | accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis (tb) due to infection with mycobacterium bovis is notoriously difficult in live animals, yet important if we are to understand the epidemiology of tb and devise effective strategies to limit its spread. currently available tests for diagnosing tb in live eurasian badgers (meles meles) remain unvalidated against a reliable gold standard. the aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and optimal use of three tests for tb in badgers in the a ... | 2010 | 20585404 |
| infection of eurasian badgers (meles meles) with mycobacterium avium complex (mac) bacteria. | there are few reports of infection with mycobacterium avium complex (mac) bacteria in badgers. in this study archive data relating to the isolation of mac organisms from badgers in the uk is presented, and information derived from recent cases of such infection in spain is used to illustrate the associated pathology and to characterise strain types. tissue samples were cultured for mycobacteria and, in the case of spanish badgers, were examined both histopathologically and using immunohistochemi ... | 2011 | 20605496 |
| oral vaccination of badgers (meles meles) with bcg and protective immunity against endobronchial challenge with mycobacterium bovis. | eurasian badgers (meles meles) are a reservoir host of mycobacterium bovis and are implicated in the transmission of tuberculosis to cattle in ireland and great britain. the development of a vaccine for use in badgers is considered a key element of any long-term sustainable campaign to eradicate the disease from livestock in both countries. the aim of this study was to investigate the protective response of badgers vaccinated orally with bacille calmette-guérin (bcg) encapsulated in a lipid form ... | 2010 | 20637774 |
| angiostrongylus species in wild carnivores in the iberian peninsula. | a survey of angiostrongylus parasites was carried out between 2003 and 2006 in wild carnivore species in the basque country (northern spain). parasitological examination consisted in the dissection of heart and lungs for the extraction of adult worms. nematodes were identified using morphometrical features and also pcr amplification and sequencing analysis. the animal species included in this study were eurasian badger (meles meles), weasel (mustela nivalis), beech marten (martes foina), pine ma ... | 2010 | 20728995 |
| spatial clustering of tb-infected cattle herds prior to and following proactive badger removal. | summarybovine tuberculosis (tb) is primarily a disease of cattle. in both ireland and the uk, badgers (meles meles) are an important wildlife reservoir of infection. this paper examined the hypothesis that tb is spatially correlated in cattle herds, established the range of correlation and the effect, if any, of proactive badger removal on this. we also re-analysed data from the four area project in ireland, a large-scale intervention study aimed at assessing the effect of proactive badger culli ... | 2010 | 20950513 |
| high seroprevalence of antibodies to toxoplasma gondii in wild animals from portugal. | we report an investigation of antibodies to toxoplasma gondii in 52 wild birds and 20 wild mammals from northern and central areas of portugal by using the modified agglutination test. the birds comprised 26 common buzzards (buteo buteo), five tawny owls (strix aluco), four white storks (ceconia ceconia), three eurasian eagle owls (bubo bubo), three northern goshawks (accipiter gentilis), two booted eagles (hieraaetus pennatus), two common barn owls (tyto alba), two eurasian sparrowhawks (accipi ... | 2010 | 21104273 |
| bacillus calmette-guerin vaccination reduces the severity and progression of tuberculosis in badgers. | control of bovine tuberculosis (tb) in cattle has proven particularly challenging where reservoirs of infection exist in wildlife populations. in britain and ireland, control is hampered by a reservoir of infection in eurasian badgers (meles meles). badger culling has positive and negative effects on bovine tb in cattle and is difficult, costly and controversial. here we show that bacillus calmette-guérin (bcg) vaccination of captive badgers reduced the progression, severity and excretion of myc ... | 2010 | 21123260 |
| mycobacterium bovis infection in the eurasian badger (meles meles): the disease, pathogenesis, epidemiology and control. | eurasian badgers (meles meles) are an important wildlife reservoir of tuberculosis (mycobacterium bovis) infection in ireland and the united kingdom. as part of national programmes to control tuberculosis in livestock, considerable effort has been devoted to studying the disease in badgers and this has lead to a rapid increase in our knowledge of tuberculosis in this host. tuberculosis in badgers is a chronic infection and in a naturally-infected population the severity of disease can vary widel ... | 2010 | 21131004 |
| giardiosis in eurasian badgers (meles meles). | | 2010 | 21262735 |
| protection of eurasian badgers (meles meles) from tuberculosis after intra-muscular vaccination with different doses of bcg. | mycobacterium bovis infection is widespread in eurasian badger (meles meles) populations in great britain and the republic of ireland where they act as a wildlife reservoir of infection for cattle. removal of infected badgers can significantly reduce the incidence of bovine tuberculosis (tb) in local cattle herds. however, control measures based on culling of native wildlife are contentious and may even be detrimental to disease control. vaccinating badgers with bacillus calmette-guerin (bcg) ha ... | 2011 | 21440035 |
| tuberculosis in cattle herds are sentinels for mycobacterium bovis infection in european badgers (meles meles): the irish greenfield study. | in ireland badgers are removed in response to tuberculosis (tb) breakdowns in cattle herds (focal culling). prevalence studies, conducted using a detailed post mortem and bacteriological examination, showed that 36-50% of badgers were infected with mycobacterium bovis. focal culling forms part of the medium term national strategy for the control of bovine tb in cattle and is based on the premise that badgers in areas with herd breakdowns have a higher prevalence of infection than the badger popu ... | 2011 | 21444162 |
| advances and prospects for management of tb transmission between badgers and cattle. | bovine tuberculosis (btb) is the most serious endemic disease facing the livestock industry in the united kingdom (uk) and republic of ireland (roi), where its management has been confounded by the presence of persistent infection in the eurasian badger (meles meles). field evidence suggests that the social structure of badger populations can have an important influence on disease dynamics, and on the outcome of management interventions. recent, large-scale badger culling experiments in the uk a ... | 2011 | 21450417 |
| local cattle and badger populations affect the risk of confirmed tuberculosis in british cattle herds. | the control of bovine tuberculosis (btb) remains a priority on the public health agenda in great britain, after launching in 1998 the randomised badger culling trial (rbct) to evaluate the effectiveness of badger (meles meles) culling as a control strategy. our study complements previous analyses of the rbct data (focusing on treatment effects) by presenting analyses of herd-level risks factors associated with the probability of a confirmed btb breakdown in herds within each treatment: repeated ... | 2011 | 21464920 |
| phylogenetic analysis of austrian canine distemper virus strains from clinical samples from dogs and wild carnivores. | austrian field cases of canine distemper (14 dogs, one badger [meles meles] and one stone marten [martes foina]) from 2002 to 2007 were investigated and the case histories were summarised briefly. phylogenetic analysis of fusion (f) and haemagglutinin (h) gene sequences revealed different canine distemper virus (cdv) lineages circulating in austria. the majority of cdv strains detected from 2002 to 2004 were well embedded in the european lineage. one austrian canine sample detected in 2003, with ... | 2011 | 21498265 |
| a new experimental infection model in ferrets based on aerosolised mycobacterium bovis. | there is significant interest in developing vaccines to control bovine tuberculosis, especially in wildlife species where this disease continues to persist in reservoir species such as the european badger (meles meles). however, gaining access to populations of badgers (protected under uk law) is problematic and not always possible. in this study, a new infection model has been developed in ferrets (mustela furo), a species which is closely related to the badger. groups of ferrets were infected ... | 2011 | 21547237 |
| infection of eurasian badgers (meles meles) with mycobacterium bovis and mycobacterium avium complex in spain. | the prevalence, distribution and pathology related to infection with mycobacterium bovis and other mycobacteria were determined in trapped (n=36) and road-killed (n=121) badgers in spain from 2006 to 2010. the prevalence of m. bovis based on bacteriological culture from road-killed badgers was 8/121 (6.6%) and from trapped badgers was 0/36 (0%). tuberculosis/m. bovis infection was evident in 15/121 (12.4%) road-killed badgers when bacteriology and histopathology were combined. mycobacterium aviu ... | 2011 | 21612958 |
| culling-induced changes in badger (meles meles) behaviour, social organisation and the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis. | in the uk, attempts since the 1970s to control the incidence of bovine tuberculosis (btb) in cattle by culling a wildlife host, the european badger (meles meles), have produced equivocal results. culling-induced social perturbation of badger populations may lead to unexpected outcomes. we test predictions from the 'perturbation hypothesis', determining the impact of culling operations on badger populations, movement of surviving individuals and the influence on the epidemiology of btb in badgers ... | 2011 | 22194946 |
| trace elements in tissues of wild carnivores and omnivores in croatia. | the differences in metal exposure (as, cd, cu, pb and hg) in the muscle, liver and kidney tissues of brown bears (ursus arctos), grey wolfs (canis lupus), eurasian lynxs (lynx lynx), eurasian badgers (meles meles) and pine martens (martes martes) from croatia were observed. the highest mean cd levels were found in kidney and liver of eurasian badger (3.05 and 0.537 mg/kg). the highest cu concentrations (mg/kg) measured in liver tissue were obtained in order: eurasian badger (15.2) > brown bear ( ... | 2011 | 22037661 |
| presence of bartonella species in wild carnivores of northern spain. | the genus bartonella was detected by pcr in 5.7% (12/212) of wild carnivores from northern spain. based on hybridization and sequence analyses, bartonella henselae was identified in a wildcat (felis silvestris), bartonella rochalimae in a red fox (vulpes vulpes) and in a wolf (canis lupus), and bartonella sp. in badgers (meles meles). | 2011 | 22138983 |
| arcanobacterium haemolyticum in a badger (meles meles). | a 7.5-kg female european badger (meles meles) was submitted under the united kingdom government's wildlife incident investigation scheme to the thirsk regional laboratory of the animal health and veterinary laboratories agency. postmortem examination revealed a large, poorly encapsulated retropharyngeal abscess full of necrotic debris and pus. arcanobacterium haemolyticum was isolated from the lymph node and confirmed by phenotypic profiling and 16s ribosomal rna dna sequencing. workers should b ... | 2011 | 22362809 |
| ticks collected from wild and domestic animals and natural habitats in the republic of korea. | ticks were collected from 35 animals from 5 provinces and 3 metropolitan cities during 2012. ticks also were collected by tick drag from 4 sites in gyeonggi-do (2) and jeollabuk-do (2) provinces. a total of 612 ticks belonging to 6 species and 3 genera were collected from mammals and a bird (n=573) and by tick drag (n=39). haemaphyalis longicornis (n=434) was the most commonly collected tick, followed by h. flava (158), ixodes nipponensis (11), amblyomma testudinarium (7), h. japonica (1), and h ... | 2014 | 25031468 |
| evidence for a role of the host-specific flea (paraceras melis) in the transmission of trypanosoma (megatrypanum) pestanai to the european badger. | we investigated the epidemiology of trypanosoma pestanai infection in european badgers (meles meles) from wytham woods (oxfordshire, uk) to determine prevalence rates and to identify the arthropod vector responsible for transmission. a total of 245 badger blood samples was collected during september and november 2009 and examined by pcr using primers derived from the 18s rrna of t. pestanai. the parasite was detected in blood from 31% of individuals tested. t. pestanai was isolated from primary ... | 2011 | 21340028 |
| impact of external sources of infection on the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis in modelled badger populations. | the persistence of bovine tb (btb) in various countries throughout the world is enhanced by the existence of wildlife hosts for the infection. in britain and ireland, the principal wildlife host for btb is the badger (meles meles). the objective of our study was to examine the dynamics of btb in badgers in relation to both badger-derived infection from within the population and externally-derived, trickle-type, infection, such as could occur from other species or environmental sources, using a s ... | 2012 | 22738118 |
| badger responses to small-scale culling may compromise targeted control of bovine tuberculosis. | where wildlife disease requires management, culling is frequently considered but not always effective. in the british isles, control of cattle tuberculosis (tb) is hindered by infection in wild badger (meles meles) populations. large-scale badger culling can reduce the incidence of confirmed cattle tb, but these benefits are undermined by culling-induced changes in badger behavior (termed perturbation), which can increase transmission among badgers and from badgers to cattle. test-vaccinate/remo ... | 2014 | 24927589 |
| association of quantitative interferon-γ responses with the progression of naturally acquired mycobacterium bovis infection in wild european badgers (meles meles). | bovine tuberculosis is one of the biggest challenges facing cattle farming in great britain. european badgers (meles meles) are a reservoir host for the causal agent, mycobacterium bovis. there have been significant recent advances in diagnostic testing for tuberculosis in humans, cattle and badgers, with the development of species-specific assays for interferon-γ (ifn-γ), an important cytokine in tuberculous infections. using data collected from longitudinal studies of naturally infected wild b ... | 0 | 25109384 |
| adhesion of human and animal escherichia coli strains in association with their virulence-associated genes and phylogenetic origins. | intestinal colonization is influenced by the ability of the bacterium to inhabit a niche, which is based on the expression of colonization factors. escherichia coli carries a broad range of virulence-associated genes (vags) which contribute to intestinal (invags) and extraintestinal (exvags) infection. moreover, initial evidence indicates that invags and exvags support intestinal colonization. we developed new screening tools to genotypically and phenotypically characterize e. coli isolates orig ... | 2013 | 23872574 |
| wild boar tuberculosis in iberian atlantic spain: a different picture from mediterranean habitats. | infections with mycobacterium bovis and closely related members of the mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (mtc) are shared between livestock, wildlife and sporadically human beings. wildlife reservoirs exist worldwide and can interfere with bovine tuberculosis (tb) eradication efforts. the eurasian wild boar (sus scrofa) is a mtc maintenance host in mediterranean iberia (spain and portugal). however, few systematic studies in wild boar have been carried out in atlantic regions. we describe the p ... | 2013 | 24010539 |
| step by step: reconstruction of terrestrial animal movement paths by dead-reckoning. | research on wild animal ecology is increasingly employing gps telemetry in order to determine animal movement. however, gps systems record position intermittently, providing no information on latent position or track tortuosity. high frequency gps have high power requirements, which necessitates large batteries (often effectively precluding their use on small animals) or reduced deployment duration. dead-reckoning is an alternative approach which has the potential to 'fill in the gaps' between l ... | 2015 | 26380711 |
| evolution of mhc class i genes in the european badger (meles meles). | the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) plays a central role in the adaptive immune system and provides a good model with which to understand the evolutionary processes underlying functional genes. trans-species polymorphism and orthology are both commonly found in mhc genes; however, mammalian mhc class i genes tend to cluster by species. concerted evolution has the potential to homogenize different loci, whereas birth-and-death evolution can lead to the loss of orthologs; both processes res ... | 0 | 22957169 |