| occurrence of puma lentivirus infection in cougars from washington. | puma lentivirus (plv) antibodies were detected in 13 (25%) of 52 serum samples obtained from cougars (felis concolor) collected by hunters. the serum samples were collected from november 1993 through january 1994 from four specific regions throughout the state of washington (usa), and included the olympic mountains, the cascade mountains, the blue mountains, and the selkirk mountains. more (38%) seropositive cougar samples originated from the cascade mountains than from any other site. the overa ... | 1997 | 9131566 |
| bartonella henselae antibody prevalence in free-ranging and captive wild felids from california. | in order to determine the importance of wild felids in the epidemiology of bartonella spp. infection, 136 nobuto strips or serum samples from free-ranging mountain lions (felis concolor) and bobcats (felis rufus) captured in california (usa) between 1985 and 1996 were tested for b. henselae antibodies (titer > or = 1:64) using an immunofluorescence test. similarly, 124 serum samples from 114 captive wild cats representing 26 species or subspecies collected between 1991 and 1995 were retrieved fr ... | 1998 | 9476226 |
| peritoneal coccidioidomycosis in a mountain lion in california. | an adult mountain lion (felis concolor) from the vicinity of weldon, california (usa) was necropsied following euthanasia due to emaciation and proximity to semi-rural housing. there were spherules consistent with coccidioides immitis within peritoneal surfaces with granulomatous inflammation and fungi consistent with c. immitis were cultured from abdominal fluid. this is the first reported case of coccidioidomycosis in a wild mountain lion. | 1999 | 10073349 |
| granulocytic ehrlichiosis and tick infestation in mountain lions in california. | forty-seven mountain lions (puma concolor) collected year-round in 1996 to 1998 from the sierra nevada foothills, the northern coast ranges, and in monterey county (california, usa) were examined for infestation with ixodes pacificus and dermacentor variabilis ticks. ticks were found predominantly in winter and spring. the seroprevalence of granulocytic ehrlichiae (ge) antibodies (ehrlichia equi or the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis) was 17% and the pcr-prevalence of dna characteristic ... | 1999 | 10574529 |
| prevalence of bartonella henselae antibody in florida panthers. | serum samples from 28 free-ranging florida panthers (puma concolor coryi) and seven mountain lions from texas (p. concolor stanleyana) living in south florida (usa) between 1997 to 1998 were tested for antibodies to bartonella henselae. twenty percent (7/35) of the samples were reactive to b. henselae antisera with a subspecies prevalence of 18% (5/ 28) for florida panthers and 28% (2/7) for cougars from texas (usa). there was not a significant sex related difference in infection rates among the ... | 2000 | 10682759 |
| seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii in american free-ranging or captive pumas (felis concolor) and bobcats (lynx rufus). | toxoplasma gondii is a major zoonotic agent infecting a wide range of mammals, including wild felids. like domestic cats, wild felids are involved in the complete infective cycle of t. gondii, as they can host in their gastrointestinal tract sexually mature parasites and shed infective oocysts in their feces. in order to evaluate the importance of this wildlife reservoir, 438 serum samples collected between 1984 and 1999 from 438 pumas (felis concolor) and from 58 bobcats (lynx rufus) from north ... | 2004 | 15019138 |
| seroprevalence of bartonella infection in american free-ranging and captive pumas (felis concolor) and bobcats (lynx rufus). | bartonella henselae is the main agent of cat scratch disease in humans and domestic cats are the main reservoir of this bacterium. we conducted a serosurvey to investigate the role of american wild felids as a potential reservoir of bartonella species. a total of 479 samples (439 serum samples and 40 nobuto strips) collected between 1984 and 1999 from pumas (felis concolor) and 91 samples (58 serum samples and 33 nobuto strips) collected from bobcats (lynx rufus) in north america, central americ ... | 2004 | 15099499 |
| distribution and prevalence of cytauxzoon felis in bobcats (lynx rufus), the natural reservoir, and other wild felids in thirteen states. | cytauxzoon felis, a protozoan parasite of wild and domestic felids, is the causative agent of cytauxzoonosis in domestic and some exotic felids in the united states. the bobcat (lynx rufus) is the natural reservoir for this parasite, but other felids such as florida panthers (puma concolor coryii) and domestic cats may maintain long-term parasitemias and serve as reservoirs. experimentally, two tick species, dermacentor variabilis and amblyomma americanum, have demonstrated the ability to transm ... | 2010 | 21071149 |
| 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 |
| molecular tracking of mountain lions in the yosemite valley region in california: genetic analysis using microsatellites and faecal dna. | twelve microsatellite loci were characterized in california mountain lions (puma concolor) and sufficient polymorphism was found to uniquely genotype 62 animals sampled at necropsy. microsatellite genotypes obtained using mountain lion faecal dna matched those from muscle for all of 15 individuals examined. dna from potential prey species and animals whose faeces could be misidentified as mountain lion faeces were reliably distinguished from mountain lions using this microsatellite panel. in a f ... | 2000 | 10736046 |
| serologic survey and serum biochemical reference ranges of the free-ranging mountain lion (felis concolor) in california. | serum samples from 58 mountain lions (felis concolor) in california (usa) were collected between april 1987 and february 1990. nineteen serum samples were used for serum biochemistry determinations; the ranges were similar to reference values in domestic cats, captive exotic felidae and free-ranging mountain lions. a serological survey was conducted to determine whether antibodies were present against selected infectious agents. fifty-four (93%) of 58 sera had antibodies against feline panleukop ... | 1994 | 8028105 |
| conserving connectivity: some lessons from mountain lions in southern california. | habitat corridors can be essential for persistence of wildlife populations in fragmented landscapes. although much research has focused on identifying species and places critical for conservation action, the conservation literature contains surprisingly few examples of corridors that actually have been protected and so provides little guidance for moving from planning through implementation. we examined a case study from southern california that combines monitoring of radio-collared mountain lio ... | 2009 | 18983604 |
| development and validation of a fecal pcr assay for notoedres cati and application to notoedric mange cases in bobcats (lynx rufus) in northern california, usa. | notoedric mange in felids is a devastating disease caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to the mite notoedres cati. the burrowing of the mite causes intense pruritis resulting in self-mutilation, secondary bacterial infection, and often death of affected felids if left untreated. our understanding of how notoedric mange is maintained in felid populations, and the true geographic extent of infestations, has been hampered because wild felids are elusive and, thus, traditional diagnostic methods a ... | 2013 | 23568905 |
| novel gammaherpesviruses in north american domestic cats, bobcats, and pumas: identification, prevalence, and risk factors. | gammaherpesviruses (ghvs) are a diverse and rapidly expanding group of viruses associated with a variety of disease conditions in humans and animals. to identify felid ghvs, we screened domestic cat (felis catus), bobcat (lynx rufus), and puma (puma concolor) blood cell dna samples from california, colorado, and florida using a degenerate pan-ghv pcr. additional pan-ghv and long-distance pcrs were used to sequence a contiguous 3.4-kb region of each putative virus species, including partial glyco ... | 2014 | 24453374 |
| characterization of regionally associated feline immunodeficiency virus (fiv) in bobcats (lynx rufus). | feline immunodeficiency virus (fiv) classically infects felid species with highly divergent species-specific fivs. however, recent studies have detected an fiv strain infecting both bobcats (lynx rufus) and pumas (puma concolor) in california and florida. to further investigate this observation, we evaluated fiv from bobcats in florida (n=25) and colorado (n=80) between 2008 and 2011. partial viral sequences from five florida bobcats cluster with previously published sequences from florida panth ... | 2013 | 23778629 |
| pathogen exposure varies widely among sympatric populations of wild and domestic felids across the united states. | understanding how landscape, host, and pathogen traits contribute to disease exposure requires systematic evaluations of pathogens within and among host species and geographic regions. the relative importance of these attributes is critical for management of wildlife and mitigating domestic animal and human disease, particularly given rapid ecological changes, such as urbanization. we screened > 1000 samples from sympatric populations of puma (puma concolor), bobcat (lynx rufus), and domestic ca ... | 2016 | 27209780 |
| isolation of bartonella henselae, bartonella koehlerae subsp. koehlerae, bartonella koehlerae subsp. bothieri and a new subspecies of b. koehlerae from free-ranging lions (panthera leo) from south africa, cheetahs (acinonyx jubatus) from namibia and captive cheetahs from california. | bartonellae are blood- and vector-borne gram-negative bacteria, recognized as emerging pathogens. whole-blood samples were collected from 58 free-ranging lions (panthera leo) in south africa and 17 cheetahs (acinonyx jubatus) from namibia. blood samples were also collected from 11 cheetahs (more than once for some of them) at the san diego wildlife safari park. bacteria were isolated from the blood of three (5%) lions, one (6%) namibian cheetah and eight (73%) cheetahs from california. the lion ... | 2016 | 27453220 |
| zoonotic vector-borne bacterial pathogens in california mountain lions (puma concolor), 1987-2010. | sera collected from 442 mountain lions in 48 california counties between the years of 1987 and 2010 were tested using immunofluorescence assays and agglutination tests for the presence of antibodies reactive to yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, bartonella henselae, borrelia burgdorferi, and anaplasma phagocytophilum antigens. data were analyzed for spatial and temporal trends in seropositivity. seroprevalences for b. burgdorferi (19.9%) and b. henselae (37.1%) were relatively high, with t ... | 2012 | 22925024 |
| frequent transmission of immunodeficiency viruses among bobcats and pumas. | with the exception of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), which emerged in humans after cross-species transmissions of simian immunodeficiency viruses from nonhuman primates, immunodeficiency viruses of the family lentiviridae represent species-specific viruses that rarely cross species barriers to infect new hosts. among the felidae, numerous immunodeficiency-like lentiviruses have been documented, but only a few cross-species transmissions have been recorded, and these have not been perpetuate ... | 2007 | 17670835 |
| survival and mortality of pumas (puma concolor) in a fragmented, urbanizing landscape. | wide-ranging large carnivores pose myriad challenges for conservation, especially in highly fragmented landscapes. over a 13-year period, we combined monitoring of radio collared pumas (puma concolor) with complementary multi-generational genetic analyses to inform puma conservation in southern california, usa. our goals were to generate survivorship estimates, determine causes of mortality, identify barriers to movement, and determine the genetic and demographic challenges to puma persistence a ... | 2015 | 26177290 |
| the role of scent marking in mate selection by female pumas (puma concolor). | mate selection influences individual fitness, is often based on complex cues and behaviours, and can be difficult to study in solitary species including carnivores. we used motion-triggered cameras at 29 community scrapes (i.e. scent marking locations used by multiple individuals) and home range data from 39 gps-collared pumas (puma concolor) to assess the relevance of communication behaviours for mate selection by female pumas in california. female pumas visited community scrapes irregularly an ... | 2015 | 26489008 |
| multi-level, multi-scale resource selection functions and resistance surfaces for conservation planning: pumas as a case study. | the importance of examining multiple hierarchical levels when modeling resource use for wildlife has been acknowledged for decades. multi-level resource selection functions have recently been promoted as a method to synthesize resource use across nested organizational levels into a single predictive surface. analyzing multiple scales of selection within each hierarchical level further strengthens multi-level resource selection functions. we extend this multi-level, multi-scale framework to model ... | 2017 | 28609466 |
| fractured genetic connectivity threatens a southern california puma (puma concolor) population. | pumas (puma concolor; also known as mountain lions and cougars) in southern california live among a burgeoning human population of roughly 20 million people. yet little is known of the consequences of attendant habitat loss and fragmentation, and human-caused puma mortality to puma population viability and genetic diversity. we examined genetic status of pumas in coastal mountains within the peninsular ranges south of los angeles, in san diego, riverside, and orange counties. the santa ana mount ... | 2014 | 25295530 |
| interactions between demography, genetics, and landscape connectivity increase extinction probability for a small population of large carnivores in a major metropolitan area. | the extinction vortex is a theoretical model describing the process by which extinction risk is elevated in small, isolated populations owing to interactions between environmental, demographic, and genetic factors. however, empirical demonstrations of these interactions have been elusive. we modelled the dynamics of a small mountain lion population isolated by anthropogenic barriers in greater los angeles, california, to evaluate the influence of demographic, genetic, and landscape factors on ex ... | 2016 | 27581877 |
| feline immunodeficiency virus cross-species transmission: implications for emergence of new lentiviral infections. | owing to a complex history of host-parasite coevolution, lentiviruses exhibit a high degree of species specificity. given the well-documented viral archeology of human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) emergence following human exposures to simian immunodeficiency virus (siv), an understanding of processes that promote successful cross-species lentiviral transmissions is highly relevant. we previously reported natural cross-species transmission of a subtype of feline immunodeficiency virus, puma lent ... | 2017 | 28003486 |
| feline infectious peritonitis in a mountain lion (puma concolor), california, usa. | feline infectious peritonitis (fip) is a fatal immune-mediated vasculitis of felids caused by a mutant form of a common feline enteric virus, feline enteric coronavirus. the virus can attack many organ systems and causes a broad range of signs, commonly including weight loss and fever. regardless of presentation, fip is ultimately fatal and often presents a diagnostic challenge. in may 2010, a malnourished young adult male mountain lion (puma concolor) from kern county, california, usa was eutha ... | 2013 | 23568918 |