| antibiotic resistance in staphylococci isolated from the vaginas of captive female leontopithecus (callitrichidae-primates). | the purpose of this study was to provide current data on staphylococcus species from the vaginas of clinically normal captive lion tamarins and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of these isolates. samples were collected from 25 adult lion tamarins, processed to isolate staphylococcus species, and tested for susceptibility to penicillin g, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin, ampicillin, and rifampicin. isolates with the typical chara ... | 2006 | 16847975 |
| tree and forest characteristics influence sleeping site choice by golden lion tamarins. | lion tamarin monkeys are among a small number of primates that repeatedly use a few tree holes for the majority of their sleeping sites. to better understand why lion tamarins rely on tree holes as sleeping sites, we compared the physical characteristics of frequently used sleeping sites, infrequently used sleeping sites, and randomly selected forest locations at multiple spatial scales. from 1990 to 2004, we recorded 5,235 occurrences of sleeping site use by 10 groups of golden lion tamarins (l ... | 2007 | 17358010 |
| the evolution of a physiological system: the pulmonary surfactant system in diving mammals. | pulmonary surfactant lines the alveolar air-water interface, varying surface tension with lung volume to increase compliance and prevent adhesion of respiratory surfaces. we examined whether the surfactant system of diving mammals exhibits adaptations for more efficient lung function during diving, to complement other respiratory adaptations. here we review adaptations at the molecular, compositional, functional and cellular levels and during development for animals beginning life on land and pr ... | 2006 | 16877052 |
| population dynamics of a group of lion-tailed macaques (macaca silenus) inhabiting a rainforest fragment in the western ghats, india. | we observed the overall population dynamics and number of births and deaths in identified individuals between january 2002 and october 2005, in a large group of lion-tailed macaques in the anaimalai hills of the western ghats in the south indian state of tamilnadu. the group inhabited an isolated rainforest fragment located inside a private tea/coffee garden. the group size increased from 56 in january 2002 to 84 in october 2005. all females reproduced, and the interbirth interval was 23.18 mont ... | 2006 | 16912506 |
| seroprevalence of selected infectious agents in a free-ranging, low-density lion population in the central kalahari game reserves in botswana. | twenty-one free-ranging central kalahari lions (panthera leo) exhibited a high prevalence rate of feline herpesvirus (100%) and feline immunodeficiency virus (71.4%). canine distemper virus and feline calicivirus occurred with a low prevalence. all individuals tested negative for feline coronavirus, feline parvovirus, feline leukemia virus, ehrlichia canis, and anaplasma phagocytophilum. | 2007 | 17460117 |
| evaluation of control and treatment of gongylonema spp. infections in callitrichids. | numerous cases of gongylonema spp. infection with associated pathological lesions and clinical signs were identified in a collection of goeldi's monkeys (callimico goeldii) (gms) at a zoological park during a 3-yr period. an increase in the incidence of clinical signs in the gms and other callitrichid species prompted an investigation to determine the prevalence of infection within the collection and evaluate treatment protocols. twenty-one callitrichids [nine gms, four golden lion tamarins (leo ... | 2007 | 17469272 |
| measurement of thyroid hormones (thyroxine, t4; triiodothyronine, t3) in captive nondomestic felids. | the aim of this research was to obtain basic values for the evaluation of thyroid function in nondomestic felids. serum thyroid hormone concentrations (thyroxine, t4; triiodothyronine, t3) were measured by radioimmunoassay in 145 cats, representing nine species of captive nondomestic felids: jaguar (panthera onca), n = 49; puma (puma concolor), n = 10; ocelot (leopardus pardalis), n = 22; oncilla (leopardus tigrinus), n = 12; geoffroy (oncifelis geoffroyi), n = 4; jaguarundi (herpailurus yaguaro ... | 2007 | 17469287 |
| bighorn sheep, mountain lions, and the ethics of conservation. | | 2006 | 17002750 |
| estrus behavior and fecal steroid profiles in the asiatic lion (panthera leo persica) during natural and gonadotropin-induced estrus. | in this paper the behavior of the asiatic lion was studied during natural and gonadotropin-induced estrus in relation to fecal estradiol and progesterone concentration. the average length of estrus was 5.4 days and no significant difference was observed between natural and gonadotropin-induced estrus. vocalization and rolling were the major estrus behavioral activities of asiatic lions and the frequency of these activities were similar in both natural and gonadotropin-induced estrus and treatmen ... | 2007 | 17029836 |
| modeling the effects of trophy selection and environmental disturbance on a simulated population of african lions. | tanzania is a premier destination for trophy hunting of african lions (panthera leo) and is home to the most extensive long-term study of unhunted lions. thus, it provides a unique opportunity to apply data from a long-term field study to a conservation dilemma: how can a trophy-hunted species whose reproductive success is closely tied to social stability be harvested sustainably? we used an individually based, spatially explicit, stochastic model, parameterized with nearly 40 years of behaviora ... | 2007 | 17531038 |
| the olfactory receptor gene repertoires in secondary-adapted marine vertebrates: evidence for reduction of the functional proportions in cetaceans. | an olfactory receptor (or) multigene family is responsible for the well-developed sense of smell possessed by terrestrial tetrapods. mammalian or genes had diverged greatly in the terrestrial environment after the fish-tetrapod split, indicating their importance to land habitation. in this study, we analysed or genes of marine tetrapods (minke whale balaenoptera acutorostrata, dwarf sperm whale kogia sima, dall's porpoise phocoenoides dalli, steller's sea lion eumetopias jubatus and loggerhead s ... | 2007 | 17535789 |
| gene conversion between mammalian ccr2 and ccr5 chemokine receptor genes: a potential mechanism for receptor dimerization. | the chemokine receptor genes of the ccr cluster on human chromosome 3p21 play important roles in humoral and cellular immune responses. several of these receptors have been shown to influence human immunodeficiency virus infection and progression to aids, and their homologues may play a role in feline immunodeficiency virus infection. we report the isolation and sequencing of a 150-kb domestic cat bac clone containing the feline ccr genes ccr1, ccr2, ccr3, and ccr5 to further analyze these four ... | 2007 | 17544254 |
| otarine herpesvirus-1, not papillomavirus, is associated with endemic tumours in california sea lions (zalophus californianus). | the purpose of this study was to determine if otarine herpesvirus-1 (othv-1) is associated with the presence of urogenital carcinomas in california sea lions. polymerase chain reaction (pcr) analysis with primers specific for othv-1 was used to compare the prevalence of othv-1 infection in 15 sea lions affected by urogenital carcinoma with that of age-matched and juvenile tumour-free animals, and animals with tumours of non-urogenital origin. the herpesvirus was more prevalent (100%) and more wi ... | 2006 | 17034810 |
| energy intake, energy expenditure, and reproductive costs of female wild golden lion tamarins (leontopithecus rosalia). | callitrichid females are often described as energetically constrained. we examined the energy budgets of 10 female wild golden lion tamarins (glts, leontopithecus rosalia) in an effort to understand how energy intake and expenditure might influence physical condition and therefore reproductive performance. we used focal animal sampling to record behavioral data and conducted energy analyses of foods consumed by glts to estimate intake and expenditure. we used two-tailed wilcoxon signed-rank test ... | 2006 | 17044004 |
| public health investigations of salmonella enteritidis in catering raw shell eggs, 2002-2004. | in response to a dramatic change in the epidemiology of salmonella enteritidis in england and wales thought to be associated with raw shell eggs, the health protection agency initiated public health investigations to establish the incidence of salmonella contamination and origin of eggs used by catering premises implicated in outbreaks of salm. enteritidis. | 2007 | 17576219 |
| pleistocene rewilding: an optimistic agenda for twenty-first century conservation. | large vertebrates are strong interactors in food webs, yet they were lost from most ecosystems after the dispersal of modern humans from africa and eurasia. we call for restoration of missing ecological functions and evolutionary potential of lost north american megafauna using extant conspecifics and related taxa. we refer to this restoration as pleistocene rewilding; it is conceived as carefully managed ecosystem manipulations whereby costs and benefits are objectively addressed on a case-by-c ... | 2006 | 17080364 |
| molecular detection of "candidatus mycoplasma haemominutum" in a lion (panthera leo) from a brazilian zoological garden. | although mycoplasma haemofelis and "candidatus mycoplasma haemominutum" infections have been reported in wild cats from united states, their presence among native and captive wild cats in brazil is still unknown. a 12 year old healthy male lion (panthera leo) from the zoological garden of curitiba, brazil was anesthetized for transportation and dental evaluation. a blood sample was obtained for a complete blood cell count (cbc) and pcr analysis. dna was extracted and fragments of mycoplasma haem ... | 2007 | 17625699 |
| parasite community interactions: trypanosoma cruzi and intestinal helminths infecting wild golden lion tamarins leontopithecus rosalia and golden-headed lion tamarins l. chrysomelas (callitrichidae, l., 1766). | the parasite prevalence and infection intensity in primate wild populations can be affected by many variables linked to host and/or parasite ecology or either to interparasite competition/mutualism. in this study, we tested how host sex, age, and place of origin, as well parasitic concomitant infections affect the structure of golden lion and golden-headed lion tamarins parasite community, considering trypanosoma cruzi and intestinal helminths infection in these primates. a total of 206 tamarins ... | 2007 | 17676342 |
| marine mammal neoplasia: a review. | a review of the published literature indicates that marine mammal neoplasia includes the types and distributions of tumors seen in domestic species. a routine collection of samples from marine mammal species is hampered, and, hence, the literature is principally composed of reports from early whaling expeditions, captive zoo mammals, and epizootics that affect larger numbers of animals from a specific geographic location. the latter instances are most important, because many of these long-lived, ... | 2006 | 17099143 |
| cloning, sequencing and expression of white rhinoceros (ceratotherium simum) interferon-gamma (ifn-gamma) and the production of rhinoceros ifn-gamma specific antibodies. | bovine tuberculosis (btb) is endemic in african buffalo (syncerus caffer) in the kruger national park (knp). in addition to buffalo, mycobacterium bovis has been found in at least 14 other mammalian species in south africa, including kudu (tragelaphus strepsiceros), chacma baboon (papio ursinus) and lion (panthera leo). this has raised concern about the spillover into other potentially susceptible species like rhinoceros, thus jeopardising breeding and relocation projects aiming at the conservat ... | 2007 | 17118460 |
| tough times at la brea: tooth breakage in large carnivores of the late pleistocene. | one million to two million years ago, most of today's large, predatory mammals coexisted with larger extinct species, such as saber-toothed cats and giant running bears. comparisons of tooth fracture frequencies from modern and pleistocene carnivores imply that predator-prey dynamics and interspecific interactions must have been substantially different 36,000 to 10,000 years ago. tooth fracture frequencies of four rancho la brea species-dire wolf, coyote, saber-toothed cat, and american lion-wer ... | 1993 | 17770024 |
| degenerative myelopathy and vitamin a deficiency in a young black-maned lion (panthera leo). | degenerative myelopathy and vitamin a deficiency were diagnosed in a 1-year-old, female, black-maned lion (panthera leo). diffuse white matter degeneration characterized by dilated myelin sheaths, wallerian degeneration, and reactive astrocytosis was present at all levels of the spinal cord. with luxol fast blue-resyl echt violet stain, bilaterally symmetrical demyelination was observed in the fasciculus cuneatus of the cervical spinal cord and in peripheral white matter of cervical, thoracic, a ... | 2006 | 17121094 |
| aleuts: ecosystem, holocene historys, and siberian origin: soviet and u.s. scientists join in a study of the origins of the first americans. | an original objective of these multidisciplinary studies was to determine the position of the aleuts in the aleutian ecosystem with time depth. this has been done in a variety of ways (7, 14, 20, 21). one of the most useful approaches is the construction of life expectancy tables. the greater longevity of aleuts compared with eskimos represents an effective biological and cultural human adaptation within this ecosystem. the aleuts defined their ecosystem by expanding to the limits of the area th ... | 1975 | 17798291 |
| density-based load estimation using two-dimensional finite element models: a parametric study. | a parametric investigation was conducted to determine the effects on the load estimation method of varying: (1) the thickness of back-plates used in the two-dimensional finite element models of long bones, (2) the number of columns of nodes in the outer medial and lateral sections of the diaphysis to which the back-plate multipoint constraints are applied and (3) the region of bone used in the optimization procedure of the density-based load estimation technique. the study is performed using two ... | 2006 | 17132530 |
| molecular evidence for species-level distinctions in clouded leopards. | among the 37 living species of felidae, the clouded leopard (neofelis nebulosa) is generally classified as a monotypic genus basal to the panthera lineage of great cats. this secretive, mid-sized (16-23 kg) carnivore, now severely endangered, is traditionally subdivided into four southeast asian subspecies (figure 1a). we used molecular genetic methods to re-evaluate subspecies partitions and to quantify patterns of population genetic variation among 109 clouded leopards of known geographic orig ... | 2006 | 17141620 |
| western analyses of pregnancy-associated glycoprotein family (pag) in placental extracts of various mammals. | the present study was conducted in order to analyze the immunoreactivity of placental extracts of several animal species and humans against the following three groups of pag antisera: anti-bopag-i (r#497), -bopag-ii (r#435), and -capag (r#706). placental proteins were obtained after extraction at neutral ph, followed by ammonium sulfate (a.s.) precipitation, dialysis, and lyophilization. the immunoreactivity of different placental extracts was revealed by the use of monodimensional sds-page, fol ... | 2007 | 17850858 |
| investigation of the role of the agouti signaling protein gene (asip) in coat color evolution in primates. | we investigated variation in the gene encoding the agouti signaling protein (asip) in relation to coat color evolution in primates. we found little evidence that mutations in the coding region of asip have been involved in color changes among closely related primate species. among many closely related species with differing coat color, the coding region of asip was identical. in two cases (sulawesi macaque and black lion tamarin) where species with almost completely black coat color had derived ... | 2006 | 17143587 |
| do cavity-nesting primates reduce scent marking before retirement to avoid attracting predators to sleeping sites? | the largest population of endangered golden lion tamarins (leontopithecus rosalia, glts) decreased from approximately 330 to 220 individuals between 1995 and 2000 due to a dramatic increase in predation at sleeping sites. we used behavioral data from eight social groups in this population to test two hypotheses: first, if glts attempt to mitigate the risk of predation at sleeping sites, they should reduce their rates of scent marking just prior to retirement. second, if the benefits of scent mar ... | 2007 | 17146798 |
| mycobacterium pinnipedii: transmission from south american sea lion (otaria byronia) to bactrian camel (camelus bactrianus bactrianus) and malayan tapirs (tapirus indicus). | tuberculosis infections caused by mycobacterium (m.) pinnipedii in a south american sea lion, bactrian camel, and malayan tapirs kept in two zoological gardens spanning a time period of 5 years are reported. the zoos were linked by the transfer of one tapir. conventional bacteriological and molecular methods were applied to detect the pathogen. spoligotyping and miru/vntr-typing performed to assess the genetic similarity revealed identical molecular characteristics of the isolates from all anima ... | 2008 | 17913401 |
| golden lion tamarin sleeping-site use and pre-retirement behavior during intense predation. | sleeping sites, their patterns of use, and cryptic pre-retirement behavior mitigate predation risk at sleeping sites and could influence prey fitness. we evaluated sleeping-site usage for 10 groups of golden lion tamarins (glts) from a population that recently suffered a substantial decline due to predation at sleeping sites. we recorded the average number of nights that groups spent at their different sleeping sites to determine whether patterns of sleeping-site use were influenced by predation ... | 2007 | 17154389 |
| seroepizootiological survey for selected viral infections in captive asiatic lions (panthera leo persica) from western india. | infectious diseases have been responsible for large-scale declines in many endangered animals. disease outbreaks in small populations have probably led to the eventual extinction of such endangered animals in the wild. the endangered asiatic lion (panthera leo persica) population may also face such threats. this was evident from this study on captive asiatic lions from western india, which were sampled from december 1998 to march 1999. fifty-six asiatic lions, including 17 hybrid lions (afro-asi ... | 2007 | 17939348 |
| the da vinci robot. | one might assume from the title of this paper that the nuances of a complex mechanical robot will be discussed, and this would be correct. on the other hand, the date of the design and possible construction of this robot was 1495, a little more than five centuries ago. the key point in the title is the lack of a trademarked name, as leonardo was the designer of this sophisticated system. his notes from the codex altanticus represent the foundation of this report. | 2006 | 17206888 |
| variability in assays used for detection of lentiviral infection in bobcats (lynx rufus), pumas (puma concolor), and ocelots (leopardus pardalis). | although lentiviruses similar to feline immunodeficiency virus (fiv) are known to infect numerous felid species, the relative utility of assays used for detecting lentiviral infection has not been compared for many of these hosts. we tested bobcats (lynx rufus), pumas (felis concolor), and ocelots (leopardus pardalis) for exposure to lentivirus using five different assays: puma lentivirus (plv), african lion lentivirus (llv), and domestic cat fiv-based immunoblots, a commercially available enzym ... | 2007 | 17984266 |
| cyclical changes in seroprevalence of leptospirosis in california sea lions: endemic and epidemic disease in one host species? | leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease infecting a broad range of mammalian hosts, and is re-emerging globally. california sea lions (zalophus californianus) have experienced recurrent outbreaks of leptospirosis since 1970, but it is unknown whether the pathogen persists in the sea lion population or is introduced repeatedly from external reservoirs. | 2007 | 17986335 |
| age-prevalence of otarine herpesvirus-1, a tumor-associated virus, and possibility of its sexual transmission in california sea lions. | otarine herpesvirus-1 (othv-1) is a gammaherpesvirus routinely detected in urogenital tumor tissues of adult sea lions dying during rehabilitation, to investigate the epidemiology of this virus and guide the development of a mathematical model of its role in the multifactorial etiology of cancer in california sea lions, polymerase chain reaction (pcr) amplification of an othv-1 specific fragment of the dna polymerase gene was used to look for evidence of othv-1 infection in urogenital and pharyn ... | 2007 | 17208394 |
| prevalence of antibodies against rift valley fever virus in kenyan wildlife. | rift valley fever virus (rvfv) is an arbovirus associated with periodic outbreaks, mostly on the african continent, of febrile disease accompanied by abortion in livestock, and a severe, fatal haemorrhagic syndrome in humans. however, the maintenance of the virus during the inter-epidemic period (iep) when there is low or no disease activity detected in livestock or humans has not been determined. this study report prevalence of rvfv-neutralizing antibodies in sera (n=896) collected from 16 keny ... | 2008 | 17988425 |
| evolution of feline immunodeficiency virus gag proteins. | we evaluated the predicted biochemical properties of gag proteins from a diverse group of feline immunodeficiency viruses (fiv) to determine how different evolutionary histories of virus and host have changed or constrained these important structural proteins. our data are based on fiv sequences derived from domestic cat (fivfca), cougar (fivpco), and lions (fivple). analyses consisted of determining the selective forces acting at each position in the protein and the comparing predictions for se ... | 2007 | 17265140 |
| epidemiology of hookworm (uncinaria spp.) infection in new zealand (hooker's) sea lion (phocarctos hookeri) pups on enderby island, auckland islands (new zealand) during the breeding seasons from 1999/2000 to 2004/2005. | this is the first investigation of the epidemiology of hookworm (uncinaria spp.) infection in new zealand sea lions (nzsls; phocarctos hookeri) on enderby island, auckland islands. the examination of faeces for hookworm eggs in various age categories of sea lions revealed that only pups up to at least 3 months of age harboured adult hookworms in their intestines. gross necropsy of more than 400 pups from 1999/2000 to 2004/2005 showed that the prevalence of hookworm infection varied significantly ... | 2007 | 17268806 |
| genetic characterization and phylogenetic position of echinococcus felidis (cestoda: taeniidae) from the african lion. | echinococcus felidis had been described in 1937 from african lions, but was later included in echinococcus granulosus as a subspecies or a strain. in the absence of any genetic characterization, most previous records of this taxon from a variety of large african mammals remained unconfirmed due to the lack of diagnostic criteria and the possible confusion with the sympatric e. granulosus sensu stricto, echinococcus ortleppi and echinococcus canadensis. in this study, we obtained taeniid eggs fro ... | 2008 | 18062973 |
| changes in select redox proteins of the retinal pigment epithelium in age-related macular degeneration. | to examine changes of select reduction-oxidation (redox) sensitive proteins from human donor retinal pigment epithelium (rpe) at four stages of age-related macular degeneration (amd). | 2007 | 17280640 |
| predator-prey size relationships in an african large-mammal food web. | 1. size relationships are central in structuring trophic linkages within food webs, leading to suggestions that the dietary niche of smaller carnivores is nested within that of larger species. however, past analyses have not taken into account the differing selection shown by carnivores for specific size ranges of prey, nor the extent to which the greater carcass mass of larger prey outweighs the greater numerical representation of smaller prey species in the predator diet. furthermore, the top- ... | 2008 | 18177336 |
| worldwide occurrence of feline hemoplasma infections in wild felid species. | while hemoplasma infections in domestic cats are well studied, almost no information is available on their occurrence in wild felids. the aims of the present study were to investigate wild felid species as possible reservoirs of feline hemoplasmas and the molecular characterization of the hemoplasma isolates. blood samples from the following 257 wild felids were analyzed: 35 iberian lynxes from spain, 36 eurasian lynxes from switzerland, 31 european wildcats from france, 45 lions from tanzania, ... | 2007 | 17301277 |
| norovirus in captive lion cub (panthera leo). | african lions (panthera leo) are susceptible to viral diseases of domestic carnivores, including feline calici-virus infection. we report the identification of a novel enteric calicivirus, genetically related to human noroviruses of genogroup iv, in a lion cub that died of severe hemorrhagic enteritis. | 2007 | 18214183 |
| serologic and molecular characterization of tickborne pathogens in lions (panthera leo) from the fasano safari park, italy. | lions (panthera leo) are an endangered species threatened by illegal hunting, habitat loss, and infectious diseases. little is known about the tick-borne pathogens that infect lions and could contribute to population declines. the objective of this study was to characterize rickettsia spp., anaplasma phagocytophilum, and coxiella burnetii infections in 10 lions from the fasano safari park in italy by serology, polymerase chain reaction, and sequence analysis. although animals did not show clinic ... | 2007 | 18229868 |
| genomic organization, sequence divergence, and recombination of feline immunodeficiency virus from lions in the wild. | feline immunodeficiency virus (fiv) naturally infects multiple species of cat and is related to human immunodeficiency virus in humans. fiv infection causes aids-like disease and mortality in the domestic cat (felis catus) and serves as a natural model for hiv infection in humans. in african lions (panthera leo) and other exotic felid species, disease etiology introduced by fiv infection are less clear, but recent studies indicate that fiv causes moderate to severe cd4 depletion. | 2008 | 18251995 |
| fatal cytauxzoonosis in captive-reared lions in brazil. | fatal cytauxzoonosis is described in a captive reared lioness (panthera leo) and its 6-month-old cub. clinical signs in the lioness included loss of weight, depression, anaemia, loss of hair, dark discolored urine, tachypnoea, nystagmus, deaphness and staggering gait. the cub died after a short period of depression. in the lioness, laboratory examination revealed normochromic normocytic anaemia, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, monocytosis, eosinopenia, thrombocytopenia, proteinuria, pyuria, haematuri ... | 2007 | 17306459 |
| humoral immune response to klebsiella spp. in new zealand sea lions (phocarctos hookeri) and the passive transfer of immunity to pups. | during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 breeding seasons, epizootics of klebsiella pneumoniae resulted in a dramatic increase of pup mortality in new zealand sea lions (phocarctos hookeri; nzsls) on enderby island (auckland islands). to estimate the prevalence of infection in the nzsl population, a serologic test was developed using a western blot and a polysaccharide antigen derived from a k. pneumoniae isolate from a nzsl pup. all archived serum samples collected between 1997 and 1998 and 2004 and 2005 ... | 2008 | 18263817 |
| placental retention in a golden lion tamarin (leontopithecus rosalia). | a 4-yr-old female golden lion tamarin (leontopithecus rosalia) had placental retention after delivery of a stillborn fetus. conservative therapy with oxytocin and dinoprost tromethamine did not result in placental expulsion and ovariohysterectomy was performed. placental retention is a rare condition in humans and has not been well documented in non-human primates. | 2005 | 17312734 |
| identification of in vivo-expressed immunogenic proteins by serological proteome analysis of the bacillus anthracis secretome. | in a previous comparative proteomic study of bacillus anthracis examining the influence of the virulence plasmids and of various growth conditions on the composition of the bacterial secretome, we identified 64 abundantly expressed proteins (t. chitlaru, o. gat, y. gozlan, n. ariel, and a. shafferman, j. bacteriol. 188:3551-3571, 2006). using a battery of sera from b. anthracis-infected animals, in the present study we demonstrated that 49 of these proteins are immunogenic. thirty-eight b. anthr ... | 2007 | 17353282 |
| the canine distemper epidemic in serengeti: are lions victims of a new highly virulent canine distemper virus strain, or is pathogen circulation stochasticity to blame? | in the year 1994, the serengeti lion population was decimated by a canine distemper disease outbreak. retrospective investigations showed that this host population had already been in contact with the pathogen in 1981 without any detected sign of disease. as an alternative to the virus mutation hypothesis to explain this difference in virulences observed in 1981 and 1994, we propose a novel mechanism of disease emergence based on variation in population immunity. we use a stochastic model to sho ... | 2007 | 17456450 |
| notoedric mange in two free-ranging mountain lions (puma concolor). | two mountain lions (puma con-color) were found dead in the simi hills area of southern california (ventura county). postmortem examination and toxicological analyses indicated that the cause of death was anticoagulant rodenticide intoxication. in addition, both lions had marked alopecia and skin crusts, caused by notoedres cati. the diagnosis of notoedric mange was confirmed by histology and direct examination of mites obtained from skin scrapings of the two animals. histologically, the affected ... | 2007 | 17495313 |
| evolution of feline immunodeficiency virus in felidae: implications for human health and wildlife ecology. | genetic analyses of feline immunodeficiency viruses provide significant insights on the worldwide distribution and evolutionary history of this emerging pathogen. large-scale screening of over 3000 samples from all species of felidae indicates that at least some individuals from most species possess antibodies that cross react to fiv. phylogenetic analyses of genetic variation in the pol-rt gene demonstrate that fiv lineages are species-specific and suggest that there has been a prolonged period ... | 2008 | 18359092 |
| properties of corynephage attachment site and molecular epidemiology of corynebacterium ulcerans isolated from humans and animals in japan. | sporadic reports of corynebacterium ulcerans infection in humans and animals have become increasingly common throughout the world. between 2001 and 2006, five human cases, in addition to isolation of the bacterium from the carcasses of orcinus orca and panthera leo, were reported in japan. while an isolate from p. leo generated only phospholipase d (pld), the other isolates produced both pld and diphtheria-like toxin (dlt). pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis showed that isolates from p. l ... | 2008 | 18362399 |
| detection of pathogenic leptospira bacteria in pinniped populations via pcr and identification of a source of transmission for zoonotic leptospirosis in the marine environment. | leptospirosis, caused by the spirochete leptospira, is a geographically widespread disease that affects a broad range of mammals, including marine mammals. among pinniped populations, periodic epizootics of leptospirosis are responsible for significant die-offs. along the west coast of north america, the most recent leptospirosis epizootic occurred in 2004, during which samples were collected from cases ranging from california to british columbia. the primary objective of this study was to use t ... | 2008 | 18367568 |
| beyond habitat requirements: individual fine-scale site fidelity in a colony of the galapagos sea lion (zalophus wollebaeki) creates conditions for social structuring. | site fidelity has been widely discussed, but rarely been related explicitly to a species' social context. this is surprising, as fine-scale site fidelity constitutes an important structural component in animal societies by setting limits to an individual's social interaction space. the study of fine-scale site fidelity is complicated by the fact that it is inextricably linked to patterns of habitat use. we here document fine-scale site fidelity in the galapagos sea lion (zalophus wollebaeki) str ... | 2007 | 17505851 |
| type x toxoplasma gondii in a wild mussel and terrestrial carnivores from coastal california: new linkages between terrestrial mammals, runoff and toxoplasmosis of sea otters. | sea otters in california are commonly infected with toxoplasma gondii. a unique type x strain is responsible for 72% of otter infections, but its prevalence in terrestrial animals and marine invertebrates inhabiting the same area was unknown. between 2000 and 2005, 45 terrestrial carnivores (lions, bobcats, domestic cats and foxes) and 1396 invertebrates (mussels, clams and worms) were screened for t. gondii using pcr and dna sequencing to determine the phylogeographic distribution of t. gondii ... | 2008 | 18452923 |
| shifting prey selection generates contrasting herbivore dynamics within a large-mammal predator-prey web. | shifting prey selection has been identified as a mechanism potentially regulating predator-prey interactions, but it may also lead to different outcomes, especially in more complex systems with multiple prey species available. we assessed changing prey selection by lions, the major predator for 12 large herbivore species in south africa's kruger national park. the database was provided by records of found carcasses ascribed to kills by lions assembled over 70 years, coupled with counts of changi ... | 2008 | 18481536 |
| tracing early stages of species differentiation: ecological, morphological and genetic divergence of galápagos sea lion populations. | oceans are high gene flow environments that are traditionally believed to hamper the build-up of genetic divergence. despite this, divergence appears to occur occasionally at surprisingly small scales. the galápagos archipelago provides an ideal opportunity to examine the evolutionary processes of local divergence in an isolated marine environment. galápagos sea lions (zalophus wollebaeki) are top predators in this unique setting and have an essentially unlimited dispersal capacity across the en ... | 2008 | 18485220 |
| in vitro susceptibility of sea lion poxvirus to cidofovir. | parapoxviruses of seals and sea lions are commonly encountered pathogens with zoonotic potential. the antiviral activity of the antiviral compounds isatin-beta-thiosemicarbazone, rifampicin, acyclovir, cidofovir and phosphonoacetic acid against a parapoxvirus (slpv-1) isolated from a californian sea lions (zalophus californianus) was evaluated. cidofovir was able to reduce virus-induced cytopathic effect of slpv-1 in confluent monolayers when used in concentrations greater than 2microg/ml. a dec ... | 2008 | 18485494 |
| do acoustic features of lion, panthera leo, roars reflect sex and male condition? | long distance calls function to regulate intergroup spacing, attract mating partners, and/or repel competitors. therefore, they may not only provide information about the sex (if both sexes are calling) but also about the condition of the caller. this paper provides a description of the acoustic features of roars recorded from 18 male and 6 female lions (panthera leo) living in the serengeti national park, tanzania. after analyzing whether these roars differ between the sexes, tests whether male ... | 2007 | 17552741 |
| environmental effects on the behavior of zoo-housed lions and tigers, with a case study of the effects of a visual barrier on pacing. | tigers and lions in the wild are nocturnal nonhuman animals who may hunt and mate opportunistically during daylight hours. in captivity, they spend most time on exhibit sleeping or pacing. to better understand their activity budget, this study examined the daily behavior patterns of 2 sumatran tigers and 3 african lions in different housings. the proportion of scans the large felids spent engaged in stereotypic pacing varied by time of day and environment. the tigers spent different amounts of t ... | 2007 | 17559318 |
| characterization of taenia madoquae and taenia regis from carnivores in kenya using genetic markers in nuclear and mitochondrial dna, and their relationships with other selected taeniids. | in the present study, we have extended earlier taxonomic, biochemical and experimental investigations to characterize two species of taenia from carnivores in kenya by use of the sequences of a variable domain (d1) of nuclear ribosomal dna and the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and nadh dehydrogenase 1 genes of mitochondrial dna. emphasis was placed on the characterization of taenia madoquae from the silver-backed jackal (canis mesomelas) and taenia regis from the lion (panthera leo), given the ... | 2007 | 17600673 |
| climate extremes promote fatal co-infections during canine distemper epidemics in african lions. | extreme climatic conditions may alter historic host-pathogen relationships and synchronize the temporal and spatial convergence of multiple infectious agents, triggering epidemics with far greater mortality than those due to single pathogens. here we present the first data to clearly illustrate how climate extremes can promote a complex interplay between epidemic and endemic pathogens that are normally tolerated in isolation, but with co-infection, result in catastrophic mortality. a 1994 canine ... | 2008 | 18575601 |
| vocal identity and species recognition in male australian sea lions, neophoca cinerea. | the acoustic channel is important for communication in otariids (fur seals and sea lions). discrimination between species, sex or individuals is essential in communication; therefore insight into the role of vocalisations in recognition is vital to understanding otariid social interactions. we measured vocalisations and their use in discriminating sex and species in male australian sea lions (neophoca cinerea). barking calls of mature males were recorded and analysed based on five acoustic param ... | 2008 | 18587123 |
| seroepidemiology of toxoplasma gondii in zoo animals in selected zoos in the midwestern united states. | toxoplasma gondii infections in zoo animals are of interest because many captive animals die of clinical toxoplasmosis and because of the potential risk of exposure of children and elderly to t. gondii oocysts excreted by cats in the zoos. seroprevalence of t. gondii antibodies in wild zoo felids, highly susceptible zoo species, and feral cats from 8 zoos of the midwestern united states was determined by using the modified agglutination test (mat). a titer of 1:25 was considered indicative of t. ... | 2008 | 18605803 |
| glycan stem-cell markers are specifically expressed by spermatogonia in the adult non-human primate testis. | the glycan cell surface molecules, stage-specific embryonic antigen (ssea)-1, -3 and -4 and tumor-rejection antigen (tra)-1-60 and -1-81, are expressed in specific combinations by undifferentiated pluripotent cells, i.e. embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonal carcinoma cells, primordial germ cells and embryonic germ cells. upon differentiation of the cells, these markers vanish. recently, it has been shown that also neonatal and adult mouse testes contain pluripotent cel ... | 2008 | 18621756 |
| ancient papillomavirus-host co-speciation in felidae. | estimating evolutionary rates for slowly evolving viruses such as papillomaviruses (pvs) is not possible using fossil calibrations directly or sequences sampled over a time-scale of decades. an ability to correlate their divergence with a host species, however, can provide a means to estimate evolutionary rates for these viruses accurately. to determine whether such an approach is feasible, we sequenced complete feline pv genomes, previously available only for the domestic cat (felis domesticus, ... | 2007 | 17430578 |
| systemic calicivirus epidemic in captive exotic felids. | a 5-day-old, mother-raised, amur tiger cub (panthera tigris altaica) presented with tongue ulcerations. identical lesions appeared and progressed to sloughing of the tongue in the three littermates of this cub the following day. the lesions progressed in all cubs to include sloughing of the carpal, tarsal, metacarpal, and metatarsal foot pad epithelium. oral ulcerations were also noted in adult african lions (panthera leo) and amur tigers (panthera tigris altaica), but not in two adult snow leop ... | 2007 | 17679514 |
| neonatal mortality in new zealand sea lions (phocarctos hookeri) at sandy bay, enderby island, auckland islands from 1998 to 2005. | as part of a health survey of new zealand sea lions (phocarctos hookeri) on enderby island, auckland islands (50 degrees 30's, 166 degrees 17'e), neonatal mortality was closely monitored at the sandy bay colony for seven consecutive years. throughout the breeding seasons 1998-99 to 2004-05, more than 400 postmortem examinations were performed on pups found dead at this site. the primary causes of death were categorized as trauma (35%), bacterial infections (24%), hookworm infection (13%), starva ... | 2007 | 17699084 |
| composition of the milk from zalophus californianus, the california sea lion. | the milk of zalophus californianus is similar to that of other marine mammals. the chief protein of the milk is casein, which has a lower phosphorus content than bovine casein. there appears to be a complete absence of lactose, and it is believed that this is the first unequivocal demonstration of the absence of lactose from the milk of any mammal. | 1962 | 17793875 |
| escherichia coli in the intestine of a wild sea lion. | | 1952 | 17809576 |
| echinococcus multilocularis infection of several old world monkey species in a breeding enclosure. | echinococcus multilocularis, the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis, is spreading geographically in europe, and prevalence rates in foxes, the final host, are increasing. concomitantly, the rate of newly diagnosed human infections has already doubled in germany. we report a cluster of alveolar echinococcosis in 24 animals of different old world monkey species (15 cynomolgus monkeys, 5 rhesus monkeys, and 4 lion-tailed macaques) in northern germany. the cluster described is the largest ev ... | 2007 | 17827368 |
| characterization of klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from new zealand sea lion pups. | | 2007 | 17875370 |
| supermodeled sabercat, predatory behavior in smilodon fatalis revealed by high-resolution 3d computer simulation. | the american sabercat smilodon fatalis is among the most charismatic of fossil carnivores. despite broad agreement that its extraordinary anatomy reflects unique hunting techniques, after >150 years of study, many questions remain concerning its predatory behavior. were the "sabers" used to take down large prey? were prey killed with an eviscerating bite to the abdomen? was its bite powerful or weak compared with that of modern big cats? here we quantitatively assess the sabercat's biomechanical ... | 2007 | 17911253 |
| characterization of cauxin in the urine of domestic and big cats. | cauxin is an abundant protein in feline urine. we have used proteomics strategies to characterize cauxin from the urine of domestic cats and a number of big cat species. proteins were resolved by gel-based electrophoretic purification and subjected to in-gel digestion with trypsin. the resultant tryptic peptides were mass-measured by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. peptides were also resolved by liquid chromatography and analyzed by electrospray ioni ... | 2007 | 17924168 |
| a technique for simulating visual field losses in virtual environments to study human navigation. | the following paper describes a new technique for simulating peripheral field losses in virtual environments to study the roles of the central and peripheral visual fields during navigation. based on geisler and perry's (2002) gaze-contingent multiresolution display concept, the technique extends their methodology to work with three-dimensional images that are both transformed and rendered in real time by a computer graphics system. in order to assess the usefulness of this method for studying v ... | 2007 | 17958167 |
| extended stenting of distal left main coronary artery for the treatment of branch ostial disease -- belling the cat or bearding the lion! | | 2007 | 17986720 |
| islands in the sea: extreme female natal site fidelity in the australian sea lion, neophoca cinerea. | pinnipeds (seals, fur seals, sea lions and walrus) form large breeding aggregations with females often remaining faithful to a natal site or area. in these cases, females are philopatric to regional areas on broad geographical scales of hundreds to thousands of kilometers. an investigation of variation in a control region sequence of mtdna in the australian sea lion (neophoca cinerea) has shown a case of extreme female natal site fidelity that has resulted in almost fixed population differentiat ... | 2008 | 18042512 |
| which lesions cause myocardial infarctions? lambs versus lions. | | 2007 | 18044745 |
| maternal-fetal transfer of domoic acid in rats at two gestational time points. | prenatal exposure to asymptomatic doses of domoic acid (da) causes learning and memory deficits later in life; therefore, we sought to measure distribution of da in maternal plasma and brain, prenatal brain, and amniotic fluid 1 hr after exposure, a time frame that normally encompasses acute seizure behavior. | 2007 | 18087593 |
| age-structured modeling reveals long-term declines in the natality of western steller sea lions. | since the mid-1970s, the western steller sea lion (eumetopias jubatus), inhabiting alaskan waters from prince william sound west through the aleutian islands, has declined by over 80%. changing oceanographic conditions, competition from fishing operations, direct human-related mortality, and predators have been suggested as factors driving the decline, but the indirect and interactive nature of their effects on sea lions have made it difficult to attribute changes in abundance to specific factor ... | 2007 | 18213964 |
| the complete cds of the prion protein (prnp) gene of african lion (panthera leo). | we provide the complete prnp cds sequence for the african lion, which is different from the previously published sequence and more similar to other carnivore sequences. the newly obtained prion protein sequence differs from the domestic cat sequence at three amino acid positions and contains only four octapeptide repeats. we recommend that this sequence be used as the reference sequence for future studies of the prnp gene for this species. | 2008 | 18256917 |
| a hepatozoon species genetically distinct from h. canis infecting spotted hyenas in the serengeti ecosystem, tanzania. | health monitoring of spotted hyenas (crocuta crocuta) in the serengeti ecosystem, tanzania, revealed hepatozoon infection in all of 11 immature individuals examined following death from natural causes. hepatozoon infection was probably an important factor contributing to mortality in two cases that exhibited clinical signs of ataxia, lethargy, ocular discharge, retching, and labored breathing before death. whether hepatozoon infection contributed to six deaths from fire, probable lion predation ... | 2008 | 18263820 |
| fiv cross-species transmission: an evolutionary prospective. | feline and primate immunodeficiency viruses (fivs, sivs, and hiv) are transmitted via direct contact (e.g. fighting, sexual contact, and mother-offspring transmission). this dynamic likely poses a behavioral barrier to cross-species transmission in the wild. recently, several host intracellular anti-viral proteins that contribute to species-specificity of primate lentiviruses have been identified revealing adaptive mechanisms that further limit spread of lentiviruses between species. consistent ... | 2008 | 18299153 |
| how to build a mammalian super-predator. | questions surrounding the biology of large fossil predators that differ markedly from living forms have long intrigued palaeobiologists. among such taxa few have excited more interest than sabertooth cats, whose distinctive hypertrophied canines are suggestive of killing behaviors and feeding ecologies that may have departed widely from those of extant carnivores. moreover, considerable variation among sabertooth species is further suggestive of intriguing differences within the group. behavior ... | 2008 | 18313908 |
| hiv/aids: an encounter with death or a journey into life? | this is an account of a panel discussion. it focuses on an encounter with the hiv/aids virus. such an encounter may result in a descent into despair, hopelessness and ultimately death, or it may offer the opportunity of possible transformation of consciousness to embrace a life lived productively and meaningfully with a chronic but manageable disease. a picture is provided of the dire situation that exists regarding the hiv/aids pandemic in south africa. the hi-virus is compared to a malevolent ... | 2008 | 18352950 |
| estimating sustainable bycatch rates for california sea lion populations in the gulf of california. | commercial and subsistence fisheries pressure is increasing in the gulf of california, mexico. one consequence often associated with high levels of fishing pressure is an increase in bycatch of marine mammals and birds. fisheries bycatch has contributed to declines in several pinniped species and may be affecting the california sea lion (zalophus californianus) population in the gulf of california. we used data on fisheries and sea lion entanglement in gill nets to estimate current fishing press ... | 2008 | 18410402 |
| applications and limitations of genetically modified mouse models in drug discovery and development. | genetically modified mouse models in which a specific gene is removed or replaced have proven to be powerful tools for identification/validation of target gene and scientific understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying drug-induced toxicity through mechanistic studies. in spite of the advantage, there are significant limitations of genetically modified mouse models. modification of a given gene does not always result in the anticipated phenotype. in some instances, phenotypes of targeted mo ... | 2008 | 18537578 |
| dynamics of a multihost pathogen in a carnivore community. | 1. we provide the first theoretical analysis of multihost disease dynamics to incorporate social behaviour and contrasting rates of within- and between-group disease transmission. 2. a stochastic susceptible-infected-recovered (sir) model of disease transmission involving one to three sympatric species was built to mimic the 1994 serengeti canine distemper virus outbreak, which infected a variety of carnivores with widely ranging social structures. the model successfully mimicked the erratic and ... | 2008 | 18540966 |
| organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in california sea lions (zalophus californianus californianus) from the gulf of california, méxico. | we report concentrations of several classes of organochlorines (ocs) in the blubber of california sea lions (zalophus californianus) from the gulf of california. summed oc levels measured in 34 wild-ranging animals were, in general, lower than those previously reported in sea lions from the eastern pacific. the rank order of ocs was sigmaddts (mean=3400 ng g(-1 ) lipid weight [lw]) > sigmapcbs (1400 ng g(-1 ) lw) > sigmahchs (50 ng g(-1 ) lw) >or= sigmachlors (46 ng g(-1 ) lw). the most abundant ... | 2009 | 18560925 |
| refinement of a commercial bench-top relaxin assay for pregnancy diagnosis using urine from domestic and nondomestic felids. | relaxin, a 6-kda polypeptide hormone, is excreted in the urine during pregnancy in several mammalian species. a recent study showed that detection of urinary relaxin using a bench-top serum assay (witness relaxin kit, synbiotics corp., san diego, california 92127, usa) can be diagnostic for pregnancy in domestic cats (felis silvestris catus), but it is unknown whether the bench-top kit is applicable with urine across felid species. our objectives were to 1) examine modifications in urine process ... | 2008 | 18634207 |
| molecular evidence for a novel encapsulated genotype of trichinella from patagonia, argentina. | at present, trichinella spiralis is the only species of this genus reported from south america. herein, we detail a molecular analysis of a new encapsulated isolate of muscle larvae of trichinella, found in a mountain lion (puma concolor) coming from the patagonia, argentina. we studied three dna regions previously probed to be useful for the identification of all eleven recognized trichinella genotypes: expansion segment 5 (es5), cytochrome c-oxidase subunit i (coi) and 5s ribosomal dna interge ... | 2008 | 18650017 |
| frugivory and seed dispersal of golden lion tamarin (leontopithecus rosalia (linnaeus, 1766)) in a forest fragment in the atlantic forest, brazil. | the influence of the golden lion tamarin (leontopithecus rosalia) as a seed disperser was studied by monitoring two groups of tamarins from december 1998 to december 2000 (871.9 hours of observations) in a forest fragment in south-east brazil. the tamarins consumed fruits of 57 species from at least 17 families. they ingested the seeds of 39 species, and 23 of these were put to germinate in the laboratory and/or in the field. l. rosalia is a legitimate seed disperser because the seeds of all spe ... | 2008 | 18660951 |
| 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 |
| detection of helicobacter and campylobacter spp. from the aquatic environment of marine mammals. | the mechanism by which helicobacter species are transmitted remains unclear. to examine the possible role of environmental transmission in marine mammals, we sought the presence of helicobacter spp. and non-helicobacter bacteria within the order campylobacterales in water from the aquatic environment of marine mammals, and in fish otoliths regurgitated by dolphins. water was collected from six pools, two inhabited by dolphins and four inhabited by seals. regurgitated otoliths were collected from ... | 2009 | 18676103 |
| detection and molecular characterization of a canine norovirus. | we identified a novel calicivirus in a pup with enteritis. the isolate was related genetically (90.1% aa identity in the capsid protein) to a lion norovirus strain. | 2008 | 18680664 |
| incorporating covariates into fisheries stock assessment models with application to pacific herring. | we present a framework for evaluating the cause of fishery declines by integrating covariates into a fisheries stock assessment model. this allows the evaluation of fisheries' effects vs. natural and other human impacts. the analyses presented are based on integrating ecological science and statistics and form the basis for environmental decision-making advice. hypothesis tests are described to rank hypotheses and determine the size of a multiple covariate model. we extend recent developments in ... | 2008 | 18686586 |
| a noninvasive demographic assessment of sea lions based on stage-specific abundances. | a pressing need exists to develop new approaches for obtaining information on demographic rates without causing further threats to imperiled animal populations. in this paper, we illustrate and apply a data-fitting technique based on quadratic programming that uses stage-specific abundance data to estimate demographic rates and asymptotic population growth rates (lambda). we used data from seven breeding colonies of california sea lions (zalophus californianus) in the gulf of california, mexico. ... | 2008 | 18686587 |
| can the emotional connotation of concepts modulate the lexico-semantic deficits in alzheimer's disease? | semantic memory impairments are a common symptom of alzheimer's disease (ad) and may occur at a relatively early stage. these disturbances can be evidenced by a hyperpriming effect (greater semantic priming in ad patients than in controls). up till now, very few studies of semantic memory have included emotionally charged concepts. our aim was therefore to study the semantic processing of such concepts, as opposed to neutral ones, in early ad. given that emotional processes are relatively preser ... | 2009 | 18692515 |
| medical doctors profile in ethiopia: production, attrition and retention. in memory of 100-years ethiopian modern medicine & the new ethiopian millennium. | although the practice of western medicine in ethiopia dates back to the time of king libne dengel (1520-1535), organized and sustainable modern medical practice started after the battle of adwa (1896). | 2008 | 18709707 |