| sarcocystis sp. in muscles of free-ranging florida panthers and cougars (felis concolor). | sarcocysts of sarcocystis sp. were found in the striated muscles from 11 of 14 wild florida panthers (felis concolor coryi) and four of four cougars (two wild f. concolor stanleyana and two captive f. concolor of undetermined subspecies). the common occurrence of sarcocysts in muscles of top carnivores such panthers and cougars is unexplained. this stage of the life cycle is normally confined to the muscles of the prey species. because large felids are rarely preyed upon, it is unlikely that a s ... | 1989 | 2509739 |
| seroprevalence of infectious disease agents in free-ranging florida panthers (felis concolor coryi). | serum samples obtained from 38 free-ranging florida panthers (felis concolor coryi) in southern florida, march 1978 through february 1991, were tested for antibodies against eight bacterial, parasitic, and viral disease agents. sera were positive for antibodies against feline panleukopenia virus (fpv) (78%), feline calicivirus (56%), feline immunodeficiency virus/puma lentivirus (37%), feline enteric coronavirus/feline infectious peritonitis virus (19%), and toxoplasma gondii (9%). all samples w ... | 1993 | 8445789 |
| notoedric mange in the florida panther (felis concolor coryi). | notoedric mange (notoedres cati) was found in a neonate florida panther (felis concolor coryi) and presumably its mother on 22 june 1992 and 8 february 1993, respectively, in collier county, florida (usa). both infestations were treated successfully with 0.2 mg/kg ivermectin. this is the first known case of notoedric mange in the endangered florida panther. | 1995 | 8583647 |
| ixodid ticks from panthers and bobcats in florida. | ixodid ticks were present in all 189 samples examined from 53 florida panthers (felis concolor coryi, 104 collections) and 85 bobcats (felis rufus floridana) in florida (usa) between 1974 and 1991. we identified 3,251 ticks from panthers and 918 from bobcats. specimens of dermacentor variabilis, ixodes scapularis, i. affinis, amblyomma maculatum, and a. americanum were present on 49, 39, 17, seven, and two of the 53 florida panthers, respectively, and comprised 36%, 55%, 7%, 1%, and < 1% of the ... | 1995 | 8592378 |
| hematologic effects of cytauxzoonosis in florida panthers and texas cougars in florida. | cytauxzoon felis is a long-recognized hemoparasite of free-ranging florida panthers (puma concolor coryi), but its prevalence and effect on the population has not been assessed. red blood cell indices and white blood cell counts were compared between infected and noninfected florida panthers and texas cougars (puma concolor stanleyana) from 1983-1997 in florida (usa). the prevalence of cytauxzoonosis for both populations was 39% (11/28) for texas cougars, 35% for florida panthers (22/63) and 36% ... | 1999 | 10479103 |
| 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 |
| causes of mortality of free-ranging florida panthers. | the florida panther (puma concolor coryi) is one of the most endangered mammals, with the entire population estimated to consist of only 30-50 adult animals. between 1978 and 1999, 73 free-ranging florida panther carcasses were submitted for postmortem evaluation, of which 47 (64%) were radiocollared and 26 (36%) were uncollared cats. overall, mortality of panthers > 6-mo-old was due to vehicular trauma in 25 (35%), intraspecific aggression in 19 (26%), illegal kill in seven (10%), research acti ... | 2002 | 11838201 |
| feline immunodeficiency virus and puma lentivirus in florida panthers (puma concolor coryi): epidemiology and diagnostic issues. | this study documents the seroprevalence of feline immunodeficiency virus (fiv) and puma lentivirus (plv) in free-ranging and captive florida panthers (puma concolor coryi) (n = 51) and translocated texas cougars (p. concolor stanleyana) (n = 10) from 1985 to 1998. the sera were tested for anti-fiv antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and western blot tests. the elisas were read kinetically (kela) and the sera were retrospectively examined by plv peptide elisa. eleven panthers ... | 2006 | 16437306 |
| molecular detection and characterization of cytauxzoon felis and a babesia species in cougars from florida. | piroplasms, morphologically indistinguishable from cytauxzoon felis, previously were detected in 36% of cougars in florida. we utilized a nested 18s rrna assay, which amplifies dna from all piroplasms, to screen blood samples collected from 41 cougars from florida (39 native florida panthers [puma concolor coryi] and two translocated texas cougars [p. c. stanleyana]) from 1989-2005. thirty-nine of the 41 cougars (95%) were positive for piroplasms; however, sequence analysis and restriction enzym ... | 2006 | 16870859 |
| gastrointestinal helminths of free-ranging florida panthers (puma concolor coryi) and the efficacy of the current anthelmintic treatment protocol. | thirty-five florida panthers (puma concolor coryi [bangs, 1899]) collected from six counties in southern florida between 1978 and 2003 were examined at necropsy for gastrointestinal helminths. the panthers were placed into two groups: 1) treated with anthelmintics (n = 17), and 2) untreated (n = 18). nine species of helminths (one trematode, six nematodes, and two cestodes) were identified in the untreated panthers. the most prevalent helminths were alaria marcianae (larue, 1917) (100%), spirome ... | 2006 | 16870865 |
| laboratory findings in acute cytauxzoon felis infection in cougars (puma concolor couguar) in florida. | intraerythrocytic piroplasms, morphologically indistinguishable from cytauxzoon felis, were identified in stained blood films from more than one third of free-ranging cougars (puma concolor couguar) in southern florida in a study that failed to demonstrate negative effects of piroplasm infection on measured hematologic parameters. however, a recent study with a nested 18s rrna polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay identified only 9% of the free-ranging cougars in southern florida as infected wit ... | 2007 | 17679513 |
| epizootiology and management of feline leukemia virus in the florida puma. | feline leukemia virus (felv) was not detected in florida pumas (puma concolor coryi) in almost 20 yr of surveillance; however, the finding of two felv antigen-positive pumas during the 2002-2003 capture season led to an investigation of felv in the population. between january 1990 and april 2007, the proportion of pumas testing felv antibody positive increased, with antibody-positive pumas concentrated in the northern portion of puma range. five of 131 (4%) pumas sampled between july 2000 and ap ... | 2008 | 18689639 |
| 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 |
| Content Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of the Florida Panther. | Populations of large carnivores are declining globally, and analysis of public discourse about carnivores is useful for understanding public opinion and influences on management and policy. Portrayal of carnivores in the media affects public perceptions and support for their conservation. We conducted a content analysis of 513 articles about Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) published from 2003 to 2006 in newspapers with local circulation in core panther habitat in southwest Florida and p ... | 2011 | 21978166 |
| a conservation-based approach to compensation for livestock depredation: the florida panther case study. | calf (bos taurus) depredation by the federally endangered florida panther (puma concolor coryi) on ranches in southwest florida is an important issue because ranches represent mixed landscapes that provide habitat critical to panther recovery. the objectives of this study were to (1) quantify calf depredation by panthers on two ranches in southwest florida, and (2) develop a habitat suitability model to evaluate the quality of panther hunting habitat on ranchlands, assess whether the model could ... | 2015 | 26421433 |
| high prevalence of trichinella pseudospiralis in florida panthers (puma concolor coryi). | parasites of the genus trichinella are zoonotic nematodes common in carnivores throughout the world. we determined the prevalence and species of trichinella infections in florida panthers (puma concolor coryi). | 2015 | 25649739 |
| variation in the its-1 and its-2 rrna genomic regions of cytauxzoon felis from bobcats and pumas in the eastern united states and comparison with sequences from domestic cats. | cytauxzoon felis, a tick-borne protozoan parasite, is the causative agent of cytauxzoonosis in domestic cats in the united states. the natural reservoir for this parasite is the bobcat (lynx rufus), which typically does not develop clinical signs. although not likely important reservoirs, c. felis has also been detected in pumas (puma concolor) in florida and louisiana. recent studies suggest that specific genotypes of c. felis that circulate in domestic cats may be associated with variable clin ... | 2012 | 22776107 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| leukoencephalomyelopathy of mature captive cheetahs and other large felids: a novel neurodegenerative disease that came and went? | a novel leukoencephalomyelopathy was identified in 73 mature male and female large captive felids between 1994 and 2005. while the majority of identified cases occurred in cheetahs (acinonyx jubatus), the disease was also found in members of 2 other subfamilies of felidae: 1 generic tiger (panthera tigris) and 2 florida panthers (puma concolor coryi). the median age at time of death was 12 years, and all but 1 cheetah were housed in the united states. characteristic clinical history included pro ... | 2014 | 24129896 |
| pathogenicity of the hookworm, ancylostoma pluridentatum, in a florida panther (felis concolor coryi) kitten. | we evaluated clinical signs and administered anthelmintic treatment to a wild-caught, captive florida panther (felis concolor coryi) kitten from big cypress national preserve, florida (usa) infected with the hookworm, ancylostoma pluridentatum. clinical signs observed included poor body condition, lethargy, and below normal red blood cell numbers, hemoglobin concentration, and packed cell volume, and elevated eosinophil numbers. in addition, a maximum of 936 ancylostoma sp. eggs/g of feces were ... | 1994 | 7760486 |
| evolutionary and functional mitogenomics associated with the genetic restoration of the florida panther. | florida panthers are endangered pumas that currently persist in reduced patches of habitat in south florida, usa. we performed mitogenome reference-based assemblies for most parental lines of the admixed florida panthers that resulted from the introduction of female texas pumas into south florida in 1995. with the addition of 2 puma mitogenomes, we characterized 174 single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) across 12 individuals. we defined 5 haplotypes (pco1-pco5), one of which (pco1) had a geogra ... | 2017 | 28204600 |
| hidden semi-markov models reveal multiphasic movement of the endangered florida panther. | animals must move to find food and mates, and to avoid predators; movement thus influences survival and reproduction, and ultimately determines fitness. precise description of movement and understanding of spatial and temporal patterns as well as relationships with intrinsic and extrinsic factors is important both for theoretical and applied reasons. we applied hidden semi-markov models (hsmm) to hourly geographic positioning system (gps) location data to understand movement patterns of the enda ... | 2015 | 25251870 |
| a cat's tale: the impact of genetic restoration on florida panther population dynamics and persistence. | 1. genetic restoration has been suggested as a management tool for mitigating detrimental effects of inbreeding depression in small, inbred populations, but the demographic mechanisms underlying population-level responses to genetic restoration remain poorly understood. 2. we studied the dynamics and persistence of the endangered florida panther puma concolor coryi population and evaluated the potential influence of genetic restoration on population growth and persistence parameters. as part of ... | 2013 | 23252671 |
| does genetic introgression improve female reproductive performance? a test on the endangered florida panther. | genetic introgression has been suggested as a management tool for mitigating detrimental effects of inbreeding depression, but the role of introgression in species conservation has been controversial, partly because population-level impacts of genetic introgressions are not well understood. concerns about potential inbreeding depression in the endangered florida panther (puma concolor coryi) led to the release of eight female texas pumas (p. c. stanleyana) into the florida panther population in ... | 2012 | 21805300 |
| intentional genetic introgression influences survival of adults and subadults in a small, inbred felid population. | 1. inbreeding and low genetic diversity can cause reductions in individual fitness and increase extinction risk in animal populations. intentional introgression, achieved by releasing genetically diverse individuals into inbred populations, has been used as a conservation tool to improve demographic performance in endangered populations. 2. by the 1980s, florida panthers (puma concolor coryi) had been reduced to a small, inbred population that appeared to be on the brink of extinction. in 1995, ... | 2011 | 21338353 |
| genetic restoration of the florida panther. | the rediscovery of remnant florida panthers (puma concolor coryi) in southern florida swamplands prompted a program to protect and stabilize the population. in 1995, conservation managers translocated eight female pumas (p. c. stanleyana) from texas to increase depleted genetic diversity, improve population numbers, and reverse indications of inbreeding depression. we have assessed the demographic, population-genetic, and biomedical consequences of this restoration experiment and show that panth ... | 2010 | 20929847 |
| hematology and serum chemistry values for free-ranging florida panther neonates with a comparison to adult panther values. | hematologic and serum chemistry values were determined for 25 free-ranging florida panther (puma concolor couguar) neonates from southern florida sampled from january 2001 to april 2007. the kittens were < or = 25 days old, belonging to 12 litters, from 11 different dams. forty-one blood samples also were collected from 32 free-ranging adult panthers (3-10 yr-old) from southern florida from november 2000 to february 2007. male kittens had higher hemoglobin (hb), hematocrit (hct), and red blood c ... | 2009 | 19617501 |
| historical and other patterns of monomethyl and inorganic mercury in the florida panther (puma concolor coryi). | since the late 1980s, elevated levels of mercury have been reported in the tissues of the florida panther (puma concolor coryi) from the florida everglades. the extent, degree, and length of time of mercury contamination in the florida panther are unknown. the objective of this study was to determine the historical and other patterns of monomethyl and inorganic mercury in the florida panther by analysis of mercury in panther hair from museum collections. in addition, this study evaluated the eff ... | 2005 | 15657808 |
| cryptorchidism in florida panthers: prevalence, features, and influence of genetic restoration. | the overall prevalence of cryptorchidism in florida panthers (puma concolor coryi) from 1972-2001 was 49% (24/49), with a significant increase over time. the earliest age at which descent of both testicles was known to occur was 2 mo and the latest was 10-13 mo. delayed testicular descent was documented in 23% (8/35) of juveniles examined. most retained testicles were in the inguinal canal. there was no apparent difference in reproductive success between cryptorchid and normal panthers, although ... | 2002 | 12528434 |
| causes of mortality in the florida panther (felis concolor coryi). | panthers necropsied at the university of florida ranged between 2 weeks and 14 years of age; there were 38 males and 17 females in the cohort. main categories of causes of death included trauma inflicted from either vehicular collisions (43%) or territorial fights (16%). specific endogenous diseases involved the respiratory system in 13%, the urinary system in 4%, and the central nervous system in 2%. ostium secundum atrial septal defects (asd) were diagnosed in 11% of the panthers necropsied. s ... | 2002 | 12381616 |
| retrospective study of proliferative papillary vulvitis in florida panthers. | proliferative, papillary vulvitis was identified in 16 of 34 (47%) free-ranging and captive female florida panthers (puma concolor coryi) monitored over a period from 1983-98. gross lesions were characterized by extensive papilliferous proliferation in the mucosa of the vestibulum vaginae. within lesions, the mean length and width of vestibular papillae were 1.07 +/- 0.39 mm (cv = 36%) and 0.55 +/- 0.11 mm (cv = 20%) respectively. histologically, three to 12 layers of non-cornified stratified sq ... | 2002 | 11838202 |
| atrial septal defects in florida panthers. | ostium secundum atrial septal defects (asds) were observed in six (3 m, 3 f) of 33 (20 m, 13 f) (18%) florida panthers (puma concolor coryi) necropsied by veterinary pathologists between 1985 and 1998. a seventh asd was found in a female panther necropsied in the field and is included in the pathological description but not the prevalence of asds in florida panthers. one panther (fp205) with severe asd also had tricuspid valve dysplasia (tvd). atrial septal defects and/or tvd are believed to hav ... | 1999 | 10479086 |
| vitamin a concentrations in serum and liver from florida panthers. | many of the anomalies and clinical signs afflicting the florida panther (felis concolor coryi) are suggestive of vitamin a deficiency. our objectives in this study were to determine if a vitamin a deficiency exists in the free-ranging panther population and to determine if there are differences in vitamin a levels among various subgroups of free-ranging panthers. retinol concentrations were used as an index to vitamin a concentrations and were determined in serum and liver from free-ranging (ser ... | 1999 | 10231743 |
| hematologic and serum biochemical reference intervals for florida panthers. | ninety-four blood samples were collected from 48 (29 males and 19 females) free-ranging florida panthers (felis concolor coryi) captured in southern florida (usa) from 1983 to 1994 for routine hematological and serum biochemical analysis. florida panthers in the northern portion of their range had significantly higher red blood cell (mean +/- sd = 7.923 x 10(6) +/- 0.854 x 10(6)/microliter), hemoglobin (12.53 +/- 1.66 g/dl), and packed cell volume (36.97 +/- 4.27%) values compared to those of pa ... | 1997 | 9391962 |
| reproductive impairment in the florida panther: nature or nurture? | many of the remaining members of the endangered florida panther (felis concolor coryi) population suffer from one or more of a variety of physiological, reproductive, endocrine, and immune system defects including congenital heart defects, abnormal sperm, low sperm density, cryptorchidism, thyroid dysfunction, and possible immunosuppression. mercury contamination, determined to be the cause of death of a female panther in 1989, was presented as the likely cause of thyroid dysfunction. as genetic ... | 1995 | 7556029 |
| 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 |
| individual behaviors dominate the dynamics of an urban mountain lion population isolated by roads. | large carnivores can be particularly sensitive to the effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic diversity [1, 2]. the santa monica mountains (smms), a large natural area within greater los angeles, is completely isolated by urban development and the 101 freeway to the north. yet the smms support a population of mountain lions (puma concolor), a very rare example of a large carnivore persisting within the boundaries of a megacity. gps locations of radio-collared lions indicate that freeways are ... | 2014 | 25131676 |
| 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 |