Oral Administration Of Iron And Toltrazuril In Combination Improves Survival Rate And Growth Rate And Reduces Anaemia In Piglets, Pachara Pearodwong, Padet Tummaruk

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The present study was performed to determine the efficacy of an oral administration of iron and toltrazuril in combination on the growth rate, survival rate and the incidence of anaemia in suckling piglets. A total of 406 piglets were randomly allocated to one of three groups: i.) CONTROL (n = 161), the piglets were administered iron dextran 200 mg intramuscularly and toltrazuril (20 mg/kg) orally at 3 days of age; ii.) NEGATIVE (n = 84), the piglets were not treated with iron until 7 days of age, and toltrazuril was given at 5 days of age and iii.) TREATMENT (n …

Radiographic Cardiac Indices For The Evaluation Of Cardiac And Left Atrial Sizes In Healthy Wistar Albino Rats (Rattus Norvegicus), Mehmet Alper Çeti̇nkaya, Mahir Kaya

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

This study was performed for the purpose of comparing vertebral heart score (VHS), radiographic left atrial dimension (RLAD) and vertebral left atrial size (VLAS) values derived from plain and contrast right lateral thoracic radiographs from 70 healthy, young adult Wistar albino rats and to identify reference values for these radiographic cardiac indices. Measurements were taken by two observers blinded to the study data. VHS, RLAD and VLAS median values and reference ranges were 8v and 7-9.3v for plain radiography, 8.2v and 7.4-9.5v for contrast radiography (P< 0.000), 1.3v and 1-1.8v for plain radiography, 1.3v and 1.1-1.6v for contrast radiography (P <0.000) and 1.9v and 1.4-2.4v for plain radiography and 1.95v 1.5-2.4v for contrast radiography (P<0.001), respectively. The only statistically significant difference was observed in terms of gender between VHS values from plain and contrast radiographs (P<0.02). Intraobserver and interobserver measurements revealed excellent agreement for radiographic cardiac indices obtained from contrast radiography. The study measurements indicate that contrast radiography provides a more effective quantitative assessment of cardiac and left atrial sizes than plain radiography. The radiographic cardiac index measurements presented in this study can serve as a reference baseline for both veterinarians and experimental cardiovascular studies.

Haplotype Variation Of Partial Sry Gene In Ongole Grade Bulls (Bos Indicus) Of Indonesia, Widya Pintaka Bayu Putra, Saiful Anwar, Slamet Diah Volkandari, Syahruddin Said

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Ongole grade cattle (Bos indicus) are Indonesian beef cattle that adapt well in a tropical climate. This study was aimed to observe the genetic diversity of partial Sex-determining of the region Y chromosome (SRY) gene (625 bp) in Ongole grade bulls (Bos indicus) of Indonesia. A total twenty-three (23) DNA samples of animal studies were collected from frozen sperm (straws) produced by the National Artificial Insemination Centers (NAICs) of Lembang (13 straws) and Singosari (10 straws). Research showed that a total of four (4) insertion mutations were detected in the intronic region with the position of 1831th, 1844th, 1850th and …

Microbial Diversity And Microbiological Quality Of Edible-Birdnest (Ebn) During Processing And Storage, Shazreena Zuber, Zunita Zakaria, Jalila Abu, Saleha Abdul Aziz

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The microbial quality of 45 EBN consisting of raw unclean and raw clean Edible-birdnest (EBN) from two different premises were analyzed for 8 weeks. Using 3M™ Petrifilm, Total Aerobic Count (TAC) of raw clean EBN and Total Coliform Count (TCC) for raw unclean, 3 days, 2 weeks and 4 weeks EBN in both premises exceeded the limit stated in by the Malaysian Standard (MS 2334:2011; SIRIM/DVS 3:2015). A total of 264 bacteria and 208 fungi species were isolated. Bacteria isolated was identified using bioMérieux’s API® kit and a series of biochemical tests. Fungi were identified using techniques described by the …

Pueraria Mirifica Can Modulate The Ovarian Activity Of Crossbred-Thai Native Does, Phubet Satsook, Sukanya Rattanatabtimtong, Lak Piasai, Patcharapa Towiboon, Chalermchart Somgird, Anuchai Pinyopummin

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

To evaluate the effect of P. mirifica supplementation on ovarian activity in crossbred Thai native does, a study was carried out for three consecutive estrus cycle periods: 1) D0-D21(pre-treatment), 2) D21-D42 (treatment) and 3) D42-D63 (post-treatment); D0, D21 and D42 were the days of expected estrus. P. mirifica was orally fed at 1000 mg/kg BW/d for 21 days in supplemented groups. Twenty-one does were equally divided into three groups: 1) CON – control, no supplementation and 2) supplemented groups included 2.1) FEC – start feeding at early-cycle (D21-D42), and 2.2) FMC – start feeding at mid-cycle (D32-D53). Estrus behavior was …

Sex-Associated Differences In Patellotrochlear Morphology In Small-Breed Dogs, Radka S. Garnoeva

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

The purpose of this study was to make a between-sex comparison of trochlear groove and patellar metrics in healthy dogs on tangential radiographs. A total of 38 stifle joints from 19 healthy dogs (9 males; 10 females) from three small breeds (Pomeranian, Pinscher, Chihuahua) were evaluated. The following morphometric parameters of patella and trochlear groove were measured: trochlear sulcus angle (SA), lateral and medial trochlear inclination angles (LTI; MTI), trochlear groove depth (TD), retropatellar angle of Wiberg (WA), lateral and medial patellar facet angles (LFA, MFA), lateral and medial facet lengths (LF, MF), horizontal and vertical patellar diameters. In the …

Suspected Malignant Mesothelial Cells In Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Of A Dog With Respiratory Distress, Junseok Kim, Jimin Oh, Taesik Yun, Yoonhoi Koo, Dohee Lee, Yeon Chae, Byeong-Teck Kang, Mhan-Pyo Yang, Hakhyun Kim

The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine

An 11-year-old neutered female Labrador Retriever presented with a 1-week history of respiratory distress, lethargy and anorexia. On physical examination, the dog exhibited dyspnea with a rapid and shallow breathing pattern. Thoracic radiography showed diffuse nodular or miliary interstitial patterns, which raised suspicion of bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections and metastatic tumors. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed and the culture yielded no growth of infectious agents, including bacteria and fungi. A presumptive diagnosis of pulmonary mesothelioma was made based on malignant mesothelial cells on BAL fluid cytology. Therefore, this is a report identifying suspected pulmonary mesothelioma using BAL fluid in …

Divergent Neural And Endocrine Responses In Wild-Caught And Laboratory-Bred Rattus Norvegicus, Joanna Jacob, Sally Watanabe, Jonathan Richardson, Nick Gonzales, Emily Ploppert, Garet Lahvis, Aaron Shiels, Sadie Wenger, Kelly Saverino, Janhavi Bhalerao, Brendan Crockett, Erin Burns, Olivia Harding, Krista Fischer-Stenger, Kelly Lambert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Although rodents have represented the most intensely studied animals in neurobiological investigations for more than a century, few studies have systematically compared neural and endocrine differences between wild rodents in their natural habitats and laboratory strains raised in traditional laboratory environments. In the current study, male and female Rattus norvegicus rats were trapped in an urban setting and compared to weight-and sex-matched conspecifics living in standard laboratory housing conditions. Brains were extracted for neural assessments and fecal boli were collected for endocrine [corticosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)] assays. Additionally, given their role in immune and stress functions, spleen and adrenal weights …

Clinical Ophthalmic Parameters Of The Quaker Parrot (Myiopsitta Monachus), Emily Halsmer, Jennifer Jill Heatley Ms, Dvm, Dabvp (Avian, Reptilian, Amphibian), Daczm, Erin M. Scott Dvm, Dacvo

Research Day

Purpose: Ophthalmic diagnosis in many avian species remains hindered by lack of normative values. This study aimed to establish normal ophthalmic parameters for select diagnostic tests in clinically normal Quaker parrots. Methods: Ninety-six captive Quaker parrots ages 8-18 years underwent ophthalmic examination to include assessment of neuro-ophthalmic reflexes, phenol red thread test, rebound tonometry, fluorescein staining, palpebral fissure length measurements, slit lamp biomicroscopy, indirect fundoscopy, and ocular ultrasound biometry. Results: Menace response, dazzle reflex, and direct pupillary light reflex were present for all Quaker parrots. Tear production (mean ± SD) was 13.3 ± 4.0 mm/15 sec and intraocular pressure (IOP, …

Experimental Infection Of Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats (Tadarida Brasiliensis) With Two Strains Of Sars-Cov-2, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth, Stephanie M. Porter, Karen A. Fox, Mary E. Wood, Daniel Neubaum, Marissa Quilici

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is presumed to have originated from wildlife and shares homology with other bat coronaviruses. Determining the susceptibility of North American bat species to SARS-CoV-2 is of utmost importance for making decisions regarding wildlife management, public health, and conservation. In this study, Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) were experimentally infected with two strains of SARS-CoV-2 (parental WA01 and Delta variant), evaluated for clinical disease, sampled for viral shedding and antibody production, and analyzed for pathology. None of the bats (n = 18) developed clinical disease associated with infection, shed infectious virus, or …

Long-Term Effect Of A Gnrh-Based Immunocontraceptive On Feral Cattle In Hong Kong, Rebecca Pinkham, Ka-Kei Koon, Jason To, Jason Chan, Flavie Vial, Matt Gomm, Douglas C. Eckery, Giovanna Massei

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Increasing human-wildlife conflicts worldwide are driving the need for multiple solutions to reducing “problem” wildlife and their impacts. Fertility control is advocated as a non-lethal tool to manage free-living wildlife and in particular to control iconic species. Injectable immunocontraceptives, such as GonaCon, stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which in turn affects the release of reproductive hormones in mammals. Feral cattle (Bos indicus or Bos taurus) in Hong Kong are an iconic species whose numbers and impacts on human activities have increased over the last decade. Previous studies have proven that a …

Long-Term Effect Of A Gnrh-Based Immunocontraceptive On Feral Cattle In Hong Kong, Rebecca Pinkham, Ka-Kei Koon, Jason To, Jason Chan, Flavie Vial, Matt Gomm, Douglas C. Eckery, Giovanna Massei

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Increasing human-wildlife conflicts worldwide are driving the need for multiple solutions to reducing “problem” wildlife and their impacts. Fertility control is advocated as a non-lethal tool to manage free-living wildlife and in particular to control iconic species. Injectable immunocontraceptives, such as GonaCon, stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which in turn affects the release of reproductive hormones in mammals. Feral cattle (Bos indicus or Bos taurus) in Hong Kong are an iconic species whose numbers and impacts on human activities have increased over the last decade. Previous studies have proven that a …

Synthesis And Characterization Of D5-Barbarin For Use In Barbarin-Related Research, Sucheta Kudrimoti, Jacob Machin, Adedamola S. Arojojoye, Samuel G. Awuah, Rodney Eisenberg, Clara Fenger, George Maylin, Andreas F. Lehner, Thomas Tobin

Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center Faculty Publications

Based on structural similarities and equine administration experiments, Barbarin, 5-phenyl-2-oxazolidinethione from Brassicaceae plants, is a possible source of equine urinary identifications of aminorex, (R,S)-5-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazol-2-amine, an amphetamine-related US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) controlled substance considered illegal in sport horses. We now report the synthesis and certification of d₅-barbarin to facilitate research on the relationship between plant barbarin and such aminorex identifications. D₅-barbarin synthesis commenced with production of d₅-2-oxo-2-phenylacetaldehyde oxime (d₅-oxime) from d₅-acetophenone via butylnitrite in an ethoxide/ethanol solution. This d₅-oxime was then reduced with lithium aluminum …

Ex Vivo Biomechanical Evaluation Of A Novel Screw For Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy, William Seth Kettleman

Theses and Dissertations

Twelve pairs of cadaveric pelvic limbs were harvested from skeletally mature dogs. Tibias were randomly assigned pairwise to two study groups: locking buttress screw fixation (LBS) and bone-screw-fastener fixation (BSF). A tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) was performed. Each specimen was positioned in a servohydraulic testing machine to simulate physiological orientation and loading at the mid-point of the stance phase at the walk. Cyclic loading was performed for 30,000 cycles at 4Hz with a peak-load of 1000N. The cyclic test was then continued by stepwise increasing the peak-load at a rate of 75N per 500 cycles until failure of the …

Ex Vivo Biomechanical Comparison Of A Novel Compression Screw Fastener And Traditional Ao Cortical Bone Screw For Fixation Of A Simulated Slab Fracture In The Equine Third Carpal Bone, Allison Salinger

Theses and Dissertations

Frontal plane slab fractures account for the majority of third carpal bone (C3) fractures in performance horses. Treatment is stabilization with an AO cortical screw. Complications are fragment splitting, fragment spinning, and irritation of dorsal soft tissue structures. A novel, headless, cannulated screw with interlocking threads (the Headless Compression Screw Fastener, HCSF) has been developed to resist multidirectional forces. Simulated C3 slab fractures were created in nine paired equine carpi. HCSF or AO cortical screws were loaded in shear to failure. Stiffness, maximum load to failure, and yield load was assessed in linear mixed models. No significant difference was detected …

In Vivo Efficacy Of Pyrantel Pamoate As A Post-Exposure Prophylactic For Rat Lungworm (Angiostrongylus Cantonensis), John Jacob, Argon Steel, Lisa Kaluna, Steven Hess, Israel Leinbach, Carmen Antaky, Robert Sugihara, Lindsey Hamilton, Peter Follett, Kathleen Howe, Steven Jacquier, Supakit Wongwiwatthananukit, Susan Jarvi

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) is a neurotropic nematode, and the leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis worldwide. The parasite is usually contracted through ingestion of infected gastropods, often hidden in raw or partially cooked produce. Pharmaceutical grade pyrantel pamoate was evaluated as a post-exposure prophylactic against A. cantonensis. Pyrantel pamoate is readily available over-the-counter in most pharmacies in the USA and possesses anthelmintic activity exclusive to the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Administering pyrantel pamoate immediately after exposure should theoretically paralyze the larvae in the GIT, causing the larvae to be expelled via peristalsis without entering the systemic circulation. In this study, pyrantel …

Current Ecotoxicity Testing Needs Among Selected U.S. Federal Agencies, Patricia Ceger, Natalia Garcia-Reyero Vinas, David Allen, Elyssa Arnold, Raanan Bloom, Jennifer C. Brennan, Carol Clarke, Karen Eisenreich, Kellie Fay, Jonathan Hamm, Paula F.P. Henry, Katherine E. Horak, Wesley Hunter, Donna Judkins, Patrice Klein, Nicole Kleinstreuer, Kara Koehrn, Carlie A. Lalone, James P. Laurenson, Jessica K. Leet, Anna Lowit, Scott G. Lynn, Teresa Norberg-King, Edward J. Perkins, Elijah J. Petersen, Barnett A. Rattner, Catherine S. Sprankle, Thomas Steeger, Jim E. Warren, Sarah Winfield, Edward Odenkirchen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

U.S. regulatory and research agencies use ecotoxicity test data to assess the hazards associated with substances that may be released into the environment, including but not limited to industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, food additives, and color additives. These data are used to conduct hazard assessments and evaluate potential risks to aquatic life (e.g., invertebrates, fish), birds, wildlife species, or the environment. To identify opportunities for regulatory uses of non-animal replacements for ecotoxicity tests, the needs and uses for data from tests utilizing animals must first be clarified. Accordingly, the objective of this review was to identify the ecotoxicity test data …

Defining An Epidemiological Landscape That Connects Movement Ecology To Pathogen Transmission And Pace-Of-Life, Kezia Manlove, Mark Wilber, Lauren White, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Anni Yang, Marie L.J. Gilbertson, Meggan E. Craft, Paul C. Cross, George Wittemyer, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Pathogen transmission depends on host density, mobility and contact. These components emerge from host and pathogen movements that themselves arise through interactions with the surrounding environment. The environment, the emergent host and pathogen movements, and the subsequent patterns of density, mobility and contact form an ‘epidemiological landscape’ connecting the environment to specific locations where transmissions occur. Conventionally, the epidemiological landscape has been described in terms of the geographical coordinates where hosts or pathogens are located. We advocate for an alternative approach that relates those locations to attributes of the local environment. Environmental descriptions can strengthen epidemiological forecasts by allowing for …

The Role Of Temperature Variation On Macrophage Physiology And Function In Vitro In Mice, Chicken, And Fish, Intisar Abdullah Hassan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fever is an essential component of the immune response. Baseline body temperatures vary in different species, and fever represents increased temperature over baseline. Fever initiates and enhances immune responses as well as creates an environment in which the body has advantages over pathogens. Macrophages are often the first line of cells that come in contact with pathogens, asthey reside in and traffic through tissues. They are important for their engulfment of pathogens that results in the digestion of the pathogen, and they also produce nitric oxide and cytokines that contribute to immune responses in a variety of ways, including initiating …

Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis In Broilers: Bacterial Species Involvement And Influence Of Probiotics And Synbiotics, Amer Abdullah Hasan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since 1945, the market for broiler production has evolved from a collection of smallholder poultry farms into an industry worth billions of dollars. Poultry production has not gone without challenges. Lameness in young broilers is presently a serious issue in the poultry industry for reasons of animal health and welfare, as well as significant lost production and revenue. Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is a major form of lameness in broilers. This dissertation contains information about (i) the influence of Staphylococcus agnetis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecalis on inducing BCO lameness, (ii) evaluation of of probiotics for reducing …

Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis In Broilers: Genomics, Phylogenomics, And Methods To Detect Specific Pathogens During Outbreaks., Abdulkarim Abdulaziz A. Shwani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lameness is a major issue in animal welfare and the broiler industry. Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is one of the main causes of lameness. Many staphylococcal species, including Staphylococcus agnetis isolate 908, have been isolated from the bones and blood of lame broilers at the University of Arkansas. Staphylococcus agnetis is a coagulase-variable, Gram-positive bacterial species that has been previously associated with subclinical or mild clinical cases of mastitis in dairy cattle. The annotated complete genome of hypervirulent strain 908 was published at NCBI. In this study, it has been compared to nine genomes we assembled for hypervirulent isolates …

Effect Of A Glp-1 Mimetic On The Insulin Response To Oral Sugar Testing In Horses, Darko Stefanovski, Mary A Robinson, Andrew Van Eps

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Insulin dysregulation (ID) is the most important risk factor for the development of laminitis in horses and therapies to control it are needed.

HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of a single dose of the synthetic GLP-1 analog exenatide on postprandial insulin dynamics. We hypothesized that exenatide would improve insulin sensitivity and lower postprandial blood insulin concentrations.

STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, crossover, experimental study.

ANIMALS: Six horses (3 mares, 3 geldings; 2 with normal insulin regulation [NIR] and 4 with mild ID).

METHODS: Horses completed both study arms: subcutaneous administration of exenatide (or no treatment) 30 min before an oral sugar …

Optimising Response To An Introduction Of African Swine Fever In Wild Pigs, Kim M. Pepin, Vienna R. Brown, Anni Yang, James C. Beasley, Raoul Boughton, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Ryan S. Miller, Sarah N. Bevins

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

African swine fever virus (ASFv) is a virulent pathogen that threatens domestic swine industries globally and persists in wild boar populations in some countries. Persistence in wild boar can challenge elimination and prevent disease-free status, making it necessary to address wild swine in proactive response plans. In the United States, invasive wild pigs are abundant and found across a wide range of ecological conditions that could drive different epidemiological dynamics among populations. Information on the size of the control areas required to rapidly eliminate the ASFv in wild pigs and how this area should change with management constraints and local …

Amplification Of Black Vulture (Coragyps Atratus) Dna From Regurgitated Food Pellets, Daniel R. Taylor, Bryan M. Kluever, John S. Humphrey, Iona M. Hennessy, Amber Sutton, William E. Bruce, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Studies that rely on noninvasive collection of DNA for birds often use feces or feathers. Some birds, such as vultures, regurgitate undigested matter in the form of pellets that are commonly found under roost sites. Our research demonstrates that regurgitated pellets are a viable, noninvasive source of DNA for molecular ecology studies of vultures. Our objectives were to amplify 5 microsatellite loci designed for distinguishing Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) and Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) in a single, multiplexed PCR, and to determine how long the target nuclear DNA persists after a vulture pellet is regurgitated and …

Evaluation Of Residual Antibacterial Effects On Canine Skin Surface And Hairs Following Treatment With Five Commercial Mousse Products Against Staphylococcus Pseudintermedius In Vitro, Chi-Yen Wu

LSU Master's Theses

Topical products are essential treatments for canine superficial bacterial folliculitis. However, studies for commercial products typically evaluate antibacterial effects on hairs rather than the skin surface. In addition, the interference from the hair length has not been evaluated in these studies. Therefore, the study objective for this study was to evaluate the residual antibacterial effects of five mousse products, (1) 2% chlorhexidine and 2% miconazole, (2) 0.05% phytosphingosine, (3) 2% salicylic acid and 10% ethyl lactate, (4) 3% chlorhexidine and 0.5% climbazole, and (5) 2% chlorhexidine and 1% ketoconazole on both the skin surface and hairs in both short- and …

Seasonal Climatic Niche And Migration Movements Of Double-Crested Cormorants, D. Tommy King, Guiming Wang, Fred L. Cunningham

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Avian migrants are challenged by seasonal adverse climatic conditions and energetic costs of long-distance flying. Migratory birds may track or switch seasonal climatic niche between the breeding and non-breeding grounds. Satellite tracking enables avian ecologists to investigate seasonal climatic niche and circannual movement patterns of migratory birds. The Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum, hereafter cormorant) wintering in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) migrates to the Northern Great Plains and Great Lakes and is of economic importance because of its impacts on aquaculture. We tested the climatic niche switching hypothesis that cormorants would switch climatic niche between summer and winter …

Understanding How High Levels Of Noise Affect The Equine Auditory System, Shelby Brown

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Abstract

Mounted shooting is becoming a very popular sport within the equestrian community, exposing many horses to extreme levels of noise that the animals would not be exposed to otherwise. I selected this project because it is important for me to know how this hobby that I personally enjoy is impacting the health and well-being of my equine partners. Veterinarians can provide an elementary answer by clapping and checking for a physical reaction. However, that does not tell the client much other than the animal responded to one auditory cue.

It is important to understand how firearm exposure could affect …

Comparative Susceptibility Of Eastern Cottontails And New Zealand White Rabbits To Classical Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (Rhdv) And Rhdv2, Fawzi Mohamed, Thomas Gidlewski, Mary L. Berninger, Heather M. Petrowski, Alexa J. Bracht, Carla Bravo De Rueda, Roger W. Barrette, Meredith Grady, Emily S. O'Hearn, Charles E. Lewis, Karen E. Moran, Tracy L. Sturgill, Lorenzo Capucci, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is associated with high morbidity and mortality in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In 2010, a genetically distinct RHDV named RHDV2 emerged in Europe and spread to many other regions, including North America in 2016. Prior to this study it was unknown if eastern cottontails (ECT(s); Sylvilagus floridanus), one of the most common wild lagomorphs in the United States, were susceptible to RHDV2. In this study, 10 wild-caught ECTs and 10 New Zealand white rabbits (NZWR(s); O. cuniculus) were each inoculated orally with either RHDV (RHDVa/GI.1a; n = 5 per species) or RHDV2 (a recombinant …

Solar Radiation And Soil Moisture Drive Tropical Forest Understory Responses To Experimental And Natural Hurricanes, J. Aaron Hogan, Joanne M. Sharpe, Ashley Van Beusekom, Sarah Stankavich, Samuel Matta Carmona, John E. Bithorn, Jamarys Torres-Díaz, Grizelle González, Jess K. Zimmerman, Aaron B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Tropical forest understory regeneration occurs rapidly after disturbance with compositional trajectories that depend on species availability and environmental conditions. To predict future tropical forest regeneration dynamics, we need a deeper understanding of how pulse disturbance events, like hurricanes, interact with environmental variability to affect understory demography and composition. We examined fern and sapling mortality, recruitment, and community composition in relation to solar radiation and soil moisture using 17 years of forest dynamics data (2003–2019) from the Canopy Trimming Experiment in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Solar radiation increased 150% and soil moisture increased 40% following canopy trimming of experimental …

Genomic Tools Reveal Complex Social Organization Of An Invasive Large Mammal (Sus Scrofa), Chelsea L. Titus, Courtney F. Bowden, Timothy J. Smyser, Stephen L. Webb, James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A comprehensive understanding of sociality in wildlife is vital to optimizing conservation and management efforts. However, sociality is complicated, especially for widely distributed species that exhibit substantive behavioral plasticity. Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa), often representing hybrids of European wild boar and domestic pigs, are among the most adaptable and widely distributed large mammals. The social structure of wild pigs is believed to be similar to European wild boar, consisting of matriarchal groups (sounders) and solitary males. However, wild pig social structure is understudied and largely limited to visual observations. Using a hierarchical approach, we incorporated genomic tools …