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Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 11-1, Fall 2005

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Canada Takes a Big Step Forward
Update from the Centre for Coastal Health
West Nile Virus in non-corvid Bird Species
National Cervid Population Estimates
Fatal Encounter of a Great Horned Owl with a Porcupine
Total Amputation of Extremities in a Raccoon
Foot Gangrene in Northern Gannets
Avian Cholera in the St. Lawrence Estuary in the Common Eider
Verminous pneumonia in beluga whales from the St. Lawrence Estuary
Pesticide Toxicities in Birds
Virus Infections in Gulls & Cormorants on Lakes Erie and Ontario
A Mortality Event in Freshwater Drum from Lake Ontario, Associated with Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus (VHSv), Type IV …

The Finding Of Echinostoma (Trematoda: Digenea) And Hookworm Eggs In Coprolites Collected From A Brazilian Mummified Body Dated 600–1,200 Years Before Present, L. Sianto, Karl J. Reinhard, M. Chame, S. Chaves, S. Mendonça, M. L. C. Gonçalves, A. Fernandes, L. F. Ferreira, A. Araújo

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The identification of parasites from ancient cultures expands our list of parasites infective to extant humans. A partially mummified human body from the archeological site of Lapa do Boquete, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, was recently discovered. It was interred between 600 and 1,200 yr ago. Dietary analysis showed that the mummified body was from a society that had a mixed subsistence of agriculture and gathering of wild foods. Coprolites from the body contained numerous helminth eggs. The eggs were identified as those of Echinostoma sp. and hookworm. Hookworm infection in pre-Columbian populations is already established, but this is the first …

Trace Elements Status Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) And Moose (Alces Alces) In Nova Scotia, Beth Pollock

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

The province of Nova Scotia is considered to have two moose (Alces alces) populations. In 2003, the moose of the mainland area of the province were formally listed “ENDANGERED” under the Nova Scotia Endangered Species Act. To date, the specific causes of the Mainland moose population decline have not been determined. Trace element imbalances have been considered as a potential etiology for the population decline. Liver and kidney samples were collected from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose throughout Nova Scotia during the fall and winter 2000-01 to compare trace element concentrations between the two species, in relation to age, …

Alphabetical Index To Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings, Volumes 1–21 (1962–2004)

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: Indexes

This is a 62-page (searchable) document. Listings show all authors (arranged by 1st author), full titles, and complete citations.

Date Index To Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings, Volumes 1–21 (1962–2004)

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: Indexes

This is a 64-page (searchable) document. Listings are by conference year, alphabetical by 1st author, and show all authors, full titles, and complete citations.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 21, Number 2 (July 2005), Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Unexplained Sea Bird Mortality: Since June 12, 2005, there have been numerous reports of dead or dying sea birds along the beaches of the eastern seaboard from Florida to Maryland.
Deer as Hosts of Anaplasmosis: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the causative agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA)
Vesicular Stomatitis Update: Vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus (VSNJV) infection was confirmed in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Utah.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that four transplant recipients had developed severe illnesses after receiving organs from a Rhode Island donor. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection was confirmed in all …

Centre Canadien Cooperatif De La Sante De La Faune, Rapport Annuel 2004-2005 (Francais)

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Le CCCSF est un partenariat inter agences qui permet aux quatre facultés de médecine vétérinaire du Canada, à des agences de tous les paliers de gouvernement et à des agences non gouvernementales de mettre leurs ressources et leur savoir-faire en commun, en vue de réduire le fardeau économique et écologique ainsi que les effets néfastes des maladies qui touchent les animaux de la faune.

Risk And Consequence Analysis Focused On Biota Transfers Potentially Associated With Surface Water Diversions Between The Missouri River And Red River Basins, Greg Linder, Ed Little, Lynne Johnson, Chad Vishy, Bruce Peacock, Heather Goeddecke

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Section 1 provides a brief overview of the project, including a cursory summary of the history of the “Garrison Diversion” and how that history relates to this work focused on the analysis of risks and consequences potentially associated with interbasin biota transfers. The present study was initiated under the auspices of the Dakota Water Resources Act (DWRA) of 2000, which directed the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a comprehensive study of the water quality and quantity needs of the Red River Valley and the options for meeting those needs. As such, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) requested technical support …

Preliminary Serologic Survey Of Selected Diseases And Movements Of Feral Swine In Texas, A. Christy Wyckoff, Scott E. Henke, Tyler Campbell, David G. Hewitt, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) populations occur throughout eastern, central, and southern Texas, and their populations appear to be increasing. Despite their abundance and wide distribution, little is known about their range and interaction with domestic animals. In the last decade the national pork production industry has enforced an eradication program for economically detrimental swine diseases such as pseudorabies and brucellosis. It is hypothesized that feral hogs can be reservoirs that could reintroduce diseases to disease-free domestic swine herds. The objectives of this on-going project are to determine the prevalence of selected swine diseases that exist within feral hog …

Oral Rabies Vaccination—A Progress Report, Dennis Slate, Charles Rupprecht, Mike Dunbar, Robert Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) targeting specific wild Carnivora species has emerged as an integral adjunct to conventional rabies control strategies to protect humans and domestic animals. ORV has been applied with progress toward eliminating rabies in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Europe and southern Ontario, Canada. Beginning in the 1990’s, coordinated ORV was implemented in Texas to contain and eliminate variants of rabies virus in the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus ) and coyote (Canis latrans ) and in several eastern U.S. States with the goal of preventing spread of raccoon (Procyon lotor ) rabies. …

Canadian Cooperatie Wildlife Health Centre, Annual Report 2004-2005 (English)

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Annual Report 2004-2005:
The CCWHC is a university-based, inter-agency partnership through which Canada’s four Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, government agencies at all levels and non-government agencies pool their resources and expertise to reduce the economic and ecological costs and impacts of wild animal diseases in Canada.

Weast Nile Virus Serosurveillance In Iowa White-Tailed Deer (1999-2003), Julian Santatella, Robert Mclean, Jeffrey S. Hall, James S. Gill, Richard A. Bowen, Harlo H. Hadow, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sera from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were collected in Iowa during the winter months (1999-2003), 2 years before and after West Nile virus (WNV) was first reported in Iowa (2001), and were analyzed for antibodies to WNV. Samples from 1999 to 2001 were antibody negalive by blocking enzyme-linikedI immunosorbent assay (bELISA) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT₉₀). Prevalence derived from bELISA (2002, 12.7%; 2003. 11.2%) and WNV PRNT₉₀ (2002,7.9%; 2003, 8.5%) assays were similar. All sanlples were negative for antibodies against St. Louis encephalitis virus as determined by PRNT₉₀. Antibodies to flaviviruses were …

Fence-Line Interactions Among Farmed And Free-Ranging Cervids: Preliminary Results, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Justin W. Fischer, Robert Pooler, Michael J. Lavelle, Greg Phillips

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Occurrences of disease outbreaks within and near captive cervid (mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni)) farms have recently drawn attention to these facilities. Some state wildlife and agricultural agencies have pondered making double fencing mandatory or otherwise increasing regulation of captive operations. Diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Bovine Tuberculosis (bovine TB) are a threat to captive and free-ranging cervid populations. Concerns over these and other diseases being transmitted from captive to wild cervids, and vice versa, have increased. In most cases, captive …

Environmental Factors In Autoimmunity: Assessment Of Immunotoxicity Of Phthalates In The Induction Of Lupus-Type Anti-Dna Antibodies, So-Yon Lim

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Little is known of the role of specific environmental factors in promoting autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The broad objective of this study was to address how exposure to phthalates, common environmental factors m foods, and biomedical devices could affect the immune functions of resistant and autoimmune-prone mice. Methods: The environmental chemical model used in this study is phthalates, which are widely used in various forms and readily occur during day-to-day human contacts. Groups of nonautoimmune-prone (BALB/c, DBA/2 and C57BL/6) and susceptible (NZB, NZB/W Fl) mice were immunized with phthalates ( ortho, meta and para) conjugated …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 21, Number 1 (April 2005)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) recently was found in captive and free-ranging white-tailed deer in New York.
Exotic Bluetongue Virus inLouisiana Deer
The United States Poultry and Egg Association (USPEA) recently funded a SCWDS research project to investigate the epidemiology of the Southeast Asian highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses of the H5N1 serotype.
West Nile virus (WNV) continues to cause morbidity and mortality in humans, horses, and wildlife.
Wild Pigeons as Hosts for WNV
Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak Continues
SCWDS diagnosticians recently diagnosed an unusual case of canine adenovirus (CAV) infection in an adult, male gray fox from Baker County, Georgia. …

Electrocution Of An Adult White-Tailed Deer, Christopher S. Deperno, Benjamin J. Bigalke, Jonathan A. Jenks, Brian S. Haroldson, Robert G. Osborn

The Prairie Naturalist

On 16 May 2002, an adult female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) died after becoming entangled in an electric fence in southeast Minnesota. The deer (#393) was captured 30 January 2000 as part of a cooperative, long-term deer mortality study being conducted in southern Minnesota (Bigalke et al. 2002, Brinkman 2003, Brinkman et al. 2002). Although fence entanglements occur, they do not account for significant losses in white-tailed deer populations (Matschke et al. 1984). Nixon et al. (1991) documented mortality of two fawns with broken cervical vertebrae that had collided with fences, but did not distinguish the type of …

Serologic Evidence Of Exposure Of Wild Mammals To Flavivirusesin The Central And Eastern United States , J. Jeffrey Root, Jeffrey S. Hall, Robert G. Mclean, Nicole L. Marlenee, Barry J. Beaty, Justin Gansowski, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Serosurveys were conducted to obtain flavivirus and West Nile virus (WNV) seroprevalence data from mammals. Sera from 513 small- and medium-sized mammals collected during late summer and fall 2003 from Colorado, Louisiana, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were screened for flavivirus-specific antibodies. Sera samples containing antibody to flaviviruses were screened for WNV-specific antibodies by epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and confirmed with plaque reduction neutralization tests. Prevalence of WNV antibodies among study sites ranged from 0% to 42.8% among the mammal communities sampled. High prevalence rates for WNV were noted among raccoons (100%, with a very small sample size, N 2), …

Assessment Of Texas Medical Providers Concerning Rabies Vaccines, Denise Ruffino, Scott Henke

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Rabies is an important zoonotic disease in Texas and thousands of people each year either request or require rabies prophylaxis because they have ‘high risk’ jobs or are exposed to the disease. After experiencing difficulty in receiving rabies prophylaxis from physicians, we conducted a survey of Texas medical providers to assess their knowledge of rabies vaccine procedures and their experience with rabies vaccines. Most providers in Texas (>95% of 297) rarely saw patients for rabies prophylaxis; therefore, providers have minimal, if any, experience with the procedures of acquiring and administering the vaccine. Providers varied greatly in their responses to …

Challenges Of Invasive Reptiles And Amphibians, William Pitt, Daniel Vice, Mike Pitzler

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Although worldwide distributions of many amphibians and reptiles are declining, a handful of species are spreading rapidly throughout tropical regions of the world. The species that have the greatest effect tend to be generalist feeders, have high reproductive rates, attain large population sizes, and often due to their behavior and or small size, are easily transported or are difficult to detect. The most notable of these species include the coqui frog, cane toad, bullfrog, brown tree snake, and Burmese pythons. The effect of a few individuals typically is small but the combined effect of large populations can be devastating to …

Preliminary Serologic Survey Of Selected Diseases And Movements Of Feral Swine In Texas, A. Christy Wykoff, Scott Henke, Tyler Campbell, David G. Hewitt, Kurt C. Vercauteren

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) populations occur throughout eastern, central, and southern Texas, and their populations appear to be increasing. Despite their abundance and wide distribution, little is known about their range and interaction with domestic animals. In the last decade the national pork production industry has enforced an eradication program for economically detrimental swine diseases such as pseudorabies and brucellosis. It is hypothesized that feral hogs can be reservoirs that could reintroduce diseases to disease-free domestic swine herds. The objectives of this on-going project are to determine the prevalence of selected swine diseases that exist within feral hog …

Oral Rabies Vaccination—A Progress Report, Dennis Slate, Charles Rupprecht, Mike Dunbar, Robert Mclean

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) targeting specific wild Carnivora species has emerged as an integral adjunct to conventional rabies control strategies to protect humans and domestic animals. ORV has been applied with progress toward eliminating rabies in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Europe and southern Ontario, Canada. Beginning in the 1990’s, coordinated ORV was implemented in Texas to contain and eliminate variants of rabies virus in the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus ) and coyote (Canis latrans ) and in several eastern U.S. States with the goal of preventing spread of raccoon (Procyon lotor ) rabies. …

Compressed Air, Wooden Clappers, And Other Non-Traditional Methods For Dispersing European Starlings From An Urban Roost, Randolph White, Richard Dolbeer, Craig Hicks

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

During autumn 2003, several thousand European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) began roosting on exposed I-beams in a newly constructed, decorative glass canopy that covered the passenger pick-up area at the terminal building for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Ohio. The use of lethal control or conventional dispersal techniques, such as pyrotechnics and fire hoses, were not feasible in the airport terminal area. The design and aesthetics of the structure precluded the use of netting and other exclusion materials. In January 2004, an attempt was made to disperse the birds using recorded predator and distress calls broadcast from speakers installed in …

Fence-Line Interactions Among Farmed And Free-Ranging Cervids: Preliminary Results, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Justin Fischer, Robert Pooler, Michael J. Lavelle, Greg Phillips

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Occurrences of disease outbreaks within and near captive cervid (mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni)) farms have recently drawn attention to these facilities. Some state wildlife and agricultural agencies have pondered making double fencing mandatory or otherwise increasing regulation of captive operations. Diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Bovine Tuberculosis (bovine TB) are a threat to captive and free-ranging cervid populations. Concerns over these and other diseases being transmitted from captive to wild cervids, and vice versa, have increased. In most cases, captive …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 20, Number 4 (January 2005), Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Dr. Tom Thorne, a 36-year veteran of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and his wife, Dr. Beth Williams, a professor of pathology at the University of Wyoming, were killed in a tragic automobile accident on December 29, 2004.
Dr. Al Kocan, recently retired professor of parasitology from Oklahoma State University, died of an apparent heart attack on December 15, 2004.
SCWDS Studies on Johne’s Disease in Wildlife Johne’s disease is a chronic, progressive disease of the gastrointestinal tract and lymphoid tissue that is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map). Johne’s disease is known primarily as a …

Breeding Behavior Of The Mongolian Pika (Ochotona Pallasi) In The Gobi Gurvan Saykhan Mountains, Mongolia, Tserendorjiin Munkhzul

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Behavior, morphology, and biology of the Mongolian pika (Ochotona pallasi) were investigated within the framework of the joint ’Grazing Research Project’ of the Philipps-University of Mar-burg, Germany and the Mongolian National University in Ulaanbaatar. The study took place in the Stipa-Allium-steppes of the upper pediments in the Dund Saykhan mountain of the Gobi Gurvan Saykhan National Park, where its burrows cover a significant part of the area.

The behavior of the Mongolian pikas changes seasonally. During the rut in spring males are generally more occupied with defending their territory and fighting off rivals, while females spend more time …

Overview Of Impacts Of Feral And Introduced Ungulates On The Environment In The Eastern United States And Caribbean, Martin Lowney, Paul Schoenfeld, William Haglan, Gary Witmer

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Non-native wild and feral ungulates have been introduced throughout the world for many centuries. Often the reasons for introductions were narrow in scope and benefits or the ungulates escaped or were released. Justifications for some introductions have included providing hunting opportunity, meeting cultural and dietary needs of people, fund raising, and aesthetics. Evaluations about the impacts to the environment, native wildlife, livestock, and people were most likely looked at in a narrow prism or not fully evaluated. Ungulates commonly introduced in the Eastern United States and Caribbean islands over the last 150 years included white-tailed deer, sika deer, hogs, horses, …

Monitoring Raccoon Rabies In Alabama: The Potential Effects Of Habitat And Demographics, Wendy Arjo, Christine Fisher, James Armstrong, Dana Johnson, Frank Boyd

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Density, morphometrics, and disease prevalence of raccoon populations were determined in 4 habitats (agriculture, riverine, managed, and forested) in central Alabama. In addition we monitored 71 collared raccoons to determine survival. Density estimates were similar in the agriculture (ag) and riverine habitats in central Alabama with 8 raccoons/km², and lower in the forested habitat at 5 raccoons/ km². Retention of juveniles did not appear to contribute to observed higher populations in the riverine and ag habitat. Although the riverine and ag, possibly due to supplemental resources, likely provide better habitat for raccoons, we found only body …

Epizootiology Of Sin Nombre And El Moro Canyon Hantaviruses, Southeastern Colorado, 1995–2000, Charles H. Calisher, J. Jeffrey Root, James N. Mills, Joan E. Rowe, Serena A. Reeder, Emily S. Jentes, Kent Wagoner, Barry J. Beaty

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is an etiologic agent of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. To better understand the natural history of this virus we studied population dynamics and temporal pattern of infection of its rodent hosts in southeastern Colorado (USA) from 1995 to 2000. We present evidence for the presence of two hantaviruses, SNV in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and El Moro Canyon virus in western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis), at our study sites. Sin Nombre virus appeared only sporadically in deer mouse populations; overall prevalence of antibody to SNV was 2.6%. El Moro Canyon virus was enzootic: …

Population Dynamics Of A Diverse Rodent Assemblage In Mixed Grass-Shrub Habitat, Southeastern Colorado, 1995–2000, Charles H. Calisher, James N. Mills, William P. Sweeney, J. Jeffrey Root, Serena A. Reeder, Emily S. Jentes, Kent Wagoner, Barry J. Beaty

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We followed seasonal and year-to-year population dynamics for a diverse rodent assemblage in a short-grass prairie ecosystem in southeastern Colorado (USA) for 6 yr. We captured 2,798 individual rodents (range, one to 812 individuals per species) belonging to 19 species. The two most common species, deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis), generally had population peaks in winter and nadirs in summer; several other murid species demonstrated autumn peaks and spring nadirs; heteromyids were infrequently captured in winter, and populations generally peaked in summer or autumn. Interannual trends indicated an interactive effect between …

Potential Consequences Of The Coqui Frog Invasion In Hawaii, Karen H. Beard, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Puerto Rican frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui , has invaded Hawaii and has negatively impacted the state’s multimillion dollar floriculture, nursery and tourist industries; however, little is known about the ecological consequences of the invasion. Using data from Puerto Rico and Hawaii, the authors summarize the potential consequences of the invasion and describe future research needs. It could be predicted that the coqui would reduce the abundance of Hawaii’s endemic invertebrates. However, data suggest that coquis are mostly consuming non-native invertebrates, and not invertebrate pests, such as mosquitoes and termites. Endemic invertebrates are likely to represent a portion of the coqui …