Mortality of wild and captive chimpanzees

Mortality of chimpanzees in the wild (Gombe National Park) and in captivity (Taronga Zoo, Sydney and Melbourne Zoo) was compared using standard cohort life table techniques. Overall mortality probabilities up to age 30 were compared using a logrank test. No significant difference in overall mortality was revealed, and the mortality curves did appear to be surprisingly similar, but there were nevertheless some differences in the distribution of mortality. Perinatal mortality was higher in the zoo, while post-perinatal and infant mortality were higher in the wild. Survivorship in the older zoo animals (over age 27) was better than the wild. These differences were attributed to the more sheltered zoo environment, including the availability of veterinary care, which could be expected to improve survival in infants and older adults. The higher perinatal mortality experienced by zoo infants could be reflecting higher levels of inbreeding among the zoo animals.     

The role of wildlife (wild birds)in the global transmission of antimicrobial resistance genes

Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent global health challenge in human and veterinary medicine.Wild animals are not directly exposed to clinically relevant antibiotics;however,antibacterial resistance in wild animals has been increasingly reported worldwide in parallel to the situation in human and veterinary medicine.This underlies the complexity of bacterial resistance in wild animals and the possible interspecies transmission between humans,domestic animals,the environment,and wildlife.This review summarizes the current data on expandedspectrum β-lactamase (ESBL),AmpC β-lactamase,carbapenemase,and colistin resistance genes in Enterobacteriaceae isolates of wildlife origin.The aim of this review is to better understand the important role of wild animals as reservoirs and vectors in the global dissemination of crucial clinical antibacterial resistance.In this regard,continued surveillance is urgently needed worldwide.     

Differences in carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures amongst wild and released pheasant populations

Game birds such as pheasants Phasianus colchicus (Horsfield) are bred and released to supplement wild living populations prior to the hunting season. The total bag records of these birds are, therefore, not suitable for monitoring the development of wild populations because they are heavily influenced by game management. Wild and released pheasants can be expected to be genetically similar or identical to wild birds because wild birds are captured and used for breeding. It is, therefore, not possible to use genetic methods for identifying released individuals. Heavy stable isotopes are incorporated in animal tissues in a predictable manner and depend on the concentration of heavy isotopes in the diet. The heavy isotopes ¹³C and ¹⁵N accumulate in the food chain because the more common lighter isotopes are excreted at a higher rate than the heavy isotopes. Bred and released pheasant feed on a uniform plant-based diet, and it can, therefore, be expected that these animals have lower and less variable levels of heavy isotopes than individuals from a wild populations which feed on a diverse diet of plants and invertebrates. We investigated the isotope signatures in feathers from wild and released pheasant populations and compared the levels and variation in isotope signature amongst the populations. Bred and released pheasants are clearly identified in comparison to released pheasants as wild types have higher δ ¹⁵N.     

Advances in infrared thermography: Surgical aspects,vascular changes,and pain monitoring in veterinary medicine

One of the main functions of infrared thermography (IRT) consists in detecting temperature changes in organisms caused by variations in surface blood circulation. IRT is a useful tool that has been used mainly as a diagnostic method for various stress-causing pathologies, though recent suggestions indicate that it can be used to assess the block quality of certain body regions. In the field of anaesthesiology, IRT has been applied to brachial and epidural blocks, while in algology, changes in surface blood circulation associated with sympathetic activity have been investigated. Thermography has also been employed to complement pain level scales based on the facial expressions of patients in critical condition, or after surgery. In addition, it has been used as a tool in research designed to evaluate different surgical procedures in human medicine, as in the case of surgical burrs for placing dental implants, where IRT helps assess the degree of heating associated with bone devascularisation, reduction in vascular perfusion as a consequence of stroke, and changes in the autonomous nervous system, or the degree of vascular changes in flaps applied to burn patients. In veterinary medicine, thermography has brought several benefits for animals in terms of evaluating lesions, diseases, and surgical procedures. The aim of this review is to evaluate how IRT can be used as a tool in surgical procedures, cases of vascular change, and pain monitoring in veterinary medicine with an emphasis on small animals.     

Blow Collection as a Non-Invasive Method for Measuring Cortisol in the Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas)

Non-invasive sampling techniques are increasingly being used to monitor glucocorticoids, such as cortisol, as indicators of stressor load and fitness in zoo and wildlife conservation, research and medicine. For cetaceans, exhaled breath condensate (blow) provides a unique sampling matrix for such purposes. The purpose of this work was to develop an appropriate collection methodology and validate the use of a commercially available EIA for measuring cortisol in blow samples collected from belugas (Delphinapterus leucas). Nitex membrane stretched over a petri dish provided the optimal method for collecting blow. A commercially available cortisol EIA for measuring human cortisol (detection limit 35 pg ml⁻¹) was adapted and validated for beluga cortisol using tests of parallelism, accuracy and recovery. Blow samples were collected from aquarium belugas during monthly health checks and during out of water examination, as well as from wild belugas. Two aquarium belugas showed increased blow cortisol between baseline samples and 30 minutes out of water (Baseline, 0.21 and 0.04 µg dl⁻¹; 30 minutes, 0.95 and 0.14 µg dl⁻¹). Six wild belugas also showed increases in blow cortisol between pre and post 1.5 hour examination (Pre 0.03, 0.23, 0.13, 0.19, 0.13, 0.04 µg dl⁻¹, Post 0.60, 0.31, 0.36, 0.24, 0.14, 0.16 µg dl⁻¹). Though this methodology needs further investigation, this study suggests that blow sampling is a good candidate for non-invasive monitoring of cortisol in belugas. It can be collected from both wild and aquarium animals efficiently for the purposes of health monitoring and research, and may ultimately be useful in obtaining data on wild populations, including endangered species, which are difficult to handle directly.     

Bioreduction of Cu(II) by Cell-Free Copper Reductase from a Copper Resistant <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas</Emphasis> sp. NA

Environmental copper contamination is a serious human health problem. Copper reductase is produced by microorganisms to facilitate copper uptake by ATPases into the cells increasing copper biosorption. This study assessed the reduction of Cu(II) by cell-free extracts of a highly copper-resistant bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. strain NA, isolated from vineyard soil contaminated with copper. Both intact cells and cell-free extract of Pseudomonas sp. strain NA displayed substantial reduction of Cu(II). Intact cells reduced more then 80 mg L⁻¹ of Cu(II) from medium amended with 200 mg L⁻¹ of copper after 24 h of incubation. Cell-free extract of the isolate reduced more than 65% of the Cu(II) at initial copper concentration of 200 mg L⁻¹ after 24 h. Soluble protein production was high at 72 h of incubation at 100 mg L⁻¹ of copper, with more then 60 μg L⁻¹ of total soluble protein in cell-free extract recorded. Cu(II) reduction by isolate NA was increased when copper concentration increased for both intact cells and cell-free extract. Results indicate that Pseudomonas sp. strain NA produces copper reductase enzyme as the key mechanism of copper biotransformation.     

The Bovine Lung in Biomedical Research: Visually Guided Bronchoscopy,Intrabronchial Inoculation and In Vivo Sampling Techniques

There is an ongoing search for alternative animal models in research of respiratory medicine. Depending on the goal of the research, large animals as models of pulmonary disease often resemble the situation of the human lung much better than mice do. Working with large animals also offers the opportunity to sample the same animal repeatedly over a certain course of time, which allows long-term studies without sacrificing the animals.The aim was to establish in vivo sampling methods for the use in a bovine model of a respiratory Chlamydia psittaci infection. Sampling should be performed at various time points in each animal during the study, and the samples should be suitable to study the host response, as well as the pathogen under experimental conditions.Bronchoscopy is a valuable diagnostic tool in human and veterinary medicine. It is a safe and minimally invasive procedure. This article describes the intrabronchial inoculation of calves as well as sampling methods for the lower respiratory tract. Videoendoscopic, intrabronchial inoculation leads to very consistent clinical and pathological findings in all inoculated animals and is, therefore, well-suited for use in models of infectious lung disease. The sampling methods described are bronchoalveolar lavage, bronchial brushing and transbronchial lung biopsy. All of these are valuable diagnostic tools in human medicine and could be adapted for experimental purposes to calves aged 6-8 weeks. The samples obtained were suitable for both pathogen detection and characterization of the severity of lung inflammation in the host.     

Synthesis, physicochemical and spectroscopic characterization of copper(II)-polysaccharide pullulan complexes by UV-vis, ATR-FTIR, and EPR

Bioactive copper(II) complexes with polysaccharides, like pullulan and dextran, are important in both veterinary and human medicine for the treatment of hypochromic microcitary anemia and hypocupremia. In aqueous alkaline solutions, Cu(II) ion forms complexes with the exopolysaccharide pullulan and its reduced low-molecular derivative. The metal content and the solution composition depend on pH, temperature, and time of the reaction. The complexing process begins in a weak alkali solution (pH >7) and involves OH groups of pullulan monomer (glucopyranose) units. Complexes of Cu(II) ion with reduced low-molecular pullulan (RLMP, M_w 6000 g mol⁻¹) were synthesized in water solutions, at the boiling temperature and at different pH values ranging from 7.5 to 12. The Cu(II) complex formation with RLMP was analyzed by UV–vis spectrophotometry and other physicochemical methods. Spectroscopic characterizations (ATR-FTIR, FT-IRIS, and EPR) and spectra–structure correlation of Cu(II)–RLMP complexes were also carried out.     

Development of a generic approach to native metalloproteomics: application to the quantitative identification of soluble copper proteins in Escherichia coli

A combination of techniques to separate and quantify the native proteins associated with a particular transition metal ion from a cellular system has been developed. The procedure involves four steps: (1) labeling of the target proteins with a suitable short-lived radioisotope (suitable isotopes are ⁶⁴Cu, ⁶⁷Cu, ¹⁸⁷W, ⁹⁹Mo, ⁶⁹Zn, ⁵⁶Mn, ⁶⁵Ni); (2) separation of intact soluble holoproteins using native isoelectric focusing combined with blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into native–native 2D gel electrophoresis; (3) spot visualization and quantification using autoradiography; and (4) protein identification with tandem mass spectrometry. The method was applied to the identification of copper proteins from a soluble protein extract of wild-type Escherichia coli K12 using the radioisotope ⁶⁴Cu. The E. coli protein CueO, which has previously been only identified as a multicopper oxidase following homologous overexpression, was now directly detected as a copper protein against a wild-type background at an expression level of 0.007% of total soluble protein. The retention of the radioisotope by the copper proteins throughout the separation process corroborates the method to be genuinely native. The procedure developed here can be applied to cells of any origin, and to any metal having suitable radioisotopes. The finding that the periplasmic protein CueO is the only major form of soluble protein bound copper in E. coli strengthens the view that the bacterial periplasm contains only a few periplasmic copper proteins, and that the cytosol is devoid of copper proteins. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Copper binding components of blood plasma and organs,and their responses to influx of large doses of <Superscript>65</Superscript>Cu,in the mouse

To establish for the first time how mice might differ from rats and humans in terms of copper transport, excretion, and copper binding proteins, plasma and organ cytosols from adult female C57CL6 mice were fractionated and analyzed by directly coupled size exclusion HPLC-ICP-MS, before and after i.p. injection of large doses of ⁶⁵Cu. Plasma from untreated mice had different proportions of Cu associated with transcuprein/macroglobulin, ceruloplasmin and albumin than in humans and rats, and two previously undetected copper peaks (Mr 700 k and 15 k) were observed. Cytosols had Cu peaks seen previously in rat liver (Mr > 1000 k, 45 k and 11 k) plus one of 110 kDa. ⁶⁵Cu (141 μg) administered over 14 h, initially loaded plasma albumin and mainly entered liver and kidney (especially 28 kDa and 11 kDa components). Components of other organs were less (but still significantly) enriched. ⁶³Cu/⁶⁵Cu ratios returned almost to normal by 14 days, indicating a robust system for excreting excess copper. We conclude that there are significant differences but also strong similarities in copper metabolism between mice, rats and humans; that the liver is able to buffer enormous changes in copper status; and that a large number of mammalian copper proteins remain to be identified.     

Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) in Swedish sewage sludge

Background  

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat in veterinary medicine and human healthcare. Resistance genes can spread from animals, through the food-chain, and back to humans. Sewage sludge may act as the link back from humans to animals. The main aims of this study were to investigate the occurrence of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) in treated sewage sludge, in a Swedish waste water treatment plant (WWTP), and to compare VRE isolates from sewage sludge with isolates from humans and chickens.     

Where Are Zoos Going—or Are They Gone?

ABSTRACT

To some, zoos are prisons exploiting animals. In reality zoos range from bad to better. I make this distinction: A bad zoo makes animals work for it; a good zoo works for animals. Good zoos do effective conservation work and continually strive to improve exhibits, relevance to conservation, and inspiring public engagement for wildlife. Many zoos have improved enormously; the better ones being crucial in saving species that would have otherwise gone extinct. Nonetheless, for some people the mere word “zoo” carries impressions of old zoos, bad zoos, circuses, and theme-park shows that many find distasteful. Good zoos know they must innovate forward. As society grows increasingly estranged from nature and continues driving broad declines of wildlife, wild lands, and natural systems, the goal of zoos and every organization concerned with animal welfare should not be to separate humans from other animals, but to entangle all humans in nonhuman lives. Zoos of the next decades must become the first stage in bringing young people into life-long, engaged caring about animals. They could carry on that mission in their communities, in schools, in wild lands, as well as inside their gates. Without a strong public constituency, wild animals will not withstand continued human proliferation. Zoos and aquariums must innovate toward being a crucial force abetting the continued existence of wildness on Earth. Zoos of the future must become uplifting places of respect, rescue, enhancement, conservation, and public engagement.     

Copper nanocluster‐based fluorescence enhanced determination of d‐penicillamine

Taking advantage of the compelling properties of d ‐penicillamine (d ‐PA) combined with copper, a method for the sensitive and selective determination of d ‐PA was established using copper nanocluster (Cu NC)‐based fluorescence enhancement. d ‐PA molecules containing a thiol compound showed a strong tendency to combine with the surface of Cu NCs, causing the re‐dispersion of nanoclusters and therefore fluorescence intensity was enhanced. Fluorescence enhancement efficiency of Cu NCs induced by d ‐PA was linear, with the d ‐PA concentration varying from 0.6–30 μg ml^?1 (R² = 0.9952) and with a detection limit of 0.54 μg ml^?1. d ‐PA content in human urine samples was detected with recoveries of 104.8–112.99%. Fluorescence‐enhanced determination of d ‐PA using Cu NCs was established for the first time and this rapid, easy and sensitive method should attract much attention for this application.     

Coordinating conservation: global networking for species survival

The Species Survival Commission (SSC) of IUCN—the World Conservation Union is the largest, most comprehensive and diverse professional conservation network in existence today. It brings together over 6000 volunteers from more than 160 countries to contribute to the conservation of biological diversity by developing and executing programmes to study, save, restore, and manage wisely species and their habitats. The SSC is organized primarily along taxonomic lines, with members distributed in 96 Specialist Groups focusing on distinct groups of species. These groups are a source of the most current and expert information on the conservation status and priorities for action for species in the wild. As such, they provide an invaluable resource in setting priorities for captive propagation and in linking ex situ actions. In addition, the SSC has five disciplinary Specialist Groups that provide expertise to both the zoo community and field conservationists in areas such as reintroductions, veterinary medicine, captive breeding as a conservation tool, and the impact of invasive species on native flora and fauna. The effectiveness of the SSC is greatly enhanced by the close connections within its network between zoo professionals, academic scientists, field conservationists, and managers of natural resources. Challenges to the SSC currently include better information management, organization at the national level, and extending coverage in areas such as marine biodiversity.     

Genetic differentiation of the African dwarf crocodile Osteolaemus tetraspis Cope, 1861 (Crocodylia: Crocodylidae) and consequences for European zoos

The endangered African dwarf crocodile Osteolaemus tetraspis is distributed in Central and Western Africa. Conventionally, two subspecies were distinguished: Osteolaemus tetraspis tetraspis and Osteolaemus tetraspis osborni. The taxonomic significance of diagnostic morphological characters is still being discussed and the existence of additional species in the Osteolaemus group remains unclear. Recent molecular studies suggest the existence of three allopatric species in the genus Osteolaemus. These results supported a division of the dwarf crocodile into a Congo Basin form (O. osborni), an Ogooué Basin form (O. tetraspis), and a third separate evolutionary lineage from Western Africa. Several European zoos host African dwarf crocodiles. For reasons of conservation and possible reintroduction, it is important to clarify provenance of these zoo animals. Therefore, we conducted molecular and phylogenetic analyses of three mitochondrial and two nuclear gene sequences with all available samples from European zoos and museums. We also estimated the origin of the zoo animals by comparing sequences of wild animals and museum samples of known provenance. Our study strongly supports three distinct lineages of Osteolaemus as recently postulated, but also reveals a fourth evolutionary lineage. We demonstrate that, of the European zoo animals sampled, only one dwarf crocodile corresponds to the Congo Basin form (O. osborni) whereas the majority of individuals correspond to the three other forms. Four zoo animals belong to the new fourth group; but their provenance is still unresolved. The origin of these animals is probably located in an African region from which no wild animal samples are currently available. Further investigations and sampling of other regions should be completed to clarify the identity of this fourth lineage. We found potential hybrids from European zoological gardens using nuclear DNA sequences. The European Studbook will use these results for further breeding programmes to keep genetically suitable ex-situ populations as reassurance colonies for prospective reintroduction into African countries.     

Diagnosis of foot-and mouth disease by real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction under field conditions in Brazil

Background  

Indication-based data on the use of antimicrobials in animals were collected using a prospective cross-sectional survey, similarly as for surveys carried out in human medicine, but adapting the questionnaire to include veterinary-specific issues. The participating veterinarians were randomly selected from a sample population of practising veterinarians. The sampling was stratified to take into account the proportions of different types of veterinary practice in the country. All patients consulting the veterinary practice during a 1-week period were included in the study and veterinarians returned a completed questionnaire for each patient receiving antimicrobial treatment. As cattle received most of the treatments, results from the survey are given using cattle as an example species.     

Lack of ceruloplasmin expression alters aspects of copper transport to the fetus and newborn, as determined in mice

Copper transport and accumulation were studied in virgin and lactating C57BL/6 mice, with and without expression of ceruloplasmin (Cp), to assess the importance of Cp to these processes. One hour after i.p. injection of tracer ⁶⁴Cu, liver and kidney accounted for 80% of the radioactivity, and mammary gland 1%, while in lactating Cp+/+ mice 2–4 days post partum, uptake by mammary gland was 9-fold higher and that of liver and other organs was decreased, with ⁶⁴Cu rapidly appearing in milk. Parallel studies in Cp−/− mice (siblings from same colony) gave virtually identical results. However, their milk contained less ⁶⁴Cu, and actual copper contents determined by furnace atomic absorption were less than half those for milk from normal dams. Liver copper concentrations of pups born to Cp−/− dams also were half those of pups from wild type dams. Copper in pup brains was unaffected; but iron concentrations were reduced. We conclude that absence of Cp, while not affecting entry of exchangeable copper from the blood into the mammary gland, does have a significant effect on the availability of this metal to the newborn through the milk and in the form of stores accumulating in gestation.     

Tick-borne infections of animals and humans: a common ground

A wide variety of pathogens is transmitted from ticks to vertebrates including viruses, bacteria, protozoa and helminths, of which most have a life cycle that requires passage through the vertebrate host. Tick-borne infections of humans, farm and companion animals are essentially associated with wildlife animal reservoirs. While some flying insect-borne diseases of humans such as malaria, filariasis and Kala Azar caused by Leishmania donovani target people as their main host, major tick-borne infections of humans, although potentially causing disease in large numbers of individuals, are typically an infringement of a circulation between wildlife animal reservoirs and tick vectors. While new tick-borne infectious agents are frequently recognised, emerging agents of human tick-borne infections were probably circulating among wildlife animal and tick populations long before being recognised as clinical causes of human disease as has been shown for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Co-infection with more than one tick-borne infection is common and can enhance pathogenic processes and augment disease severity as found in B. burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum co-infection. The role of wild animal reservoirs in co-infection of human hosts appears to be central, further linking human and animal tick-borne infections. Although transmission of most tick-borne infections is through the tick saliva, additional routes of transmission, shown mostly in animals, include infection by oral uptake of infected ticks, by carnivorism, animal bites and transplacentally. Additionally, artificial infection via blood transfusion is a growing threat in both human and veterinary medicine. Due to the close association between human and animal tick-borne infections, control programs for these diseases require integration of data from veterinary and human reporting systems, surveillance in wildlife and tick populations, and combined teams of experts from several scientific disciplines such as entomology, epidemiology, medicine, public health and veterinary medicine.     

Antimicrobial resistance of zoonotic bacteria: current strategies in veterinary medicine

In the European Union, antimicrobials are administered to animals as veterinary drugs. Monitoring of antimicrobial resistance of zoonotic and indicator bacteria were implemented at the European level during the last decade. This methodology can be applied for emerging bacteria observed at a national level to provide data for a risk characterization towards a risk analysis. Tools for monitoring antimicrobial use in veterinary medicine are developed and need to be harmonized at the European level. Development of antimicrobial resistance for veterinary pathogens must be managed to maintain their efficacy in animal health. Engagement of veterinarians and professionals of animal production is on going to preserve efficacy of antimicrobials in human and animal medicine.     

Cu isotope ratios are meaningful in ovarian cancer diagnosis

BackgroundOvarian cancer diagnosis is currently based on imaging and circulating CA-125 concentrations with well-known limits to sensitivity and specificity. New biomarkers are required to complement CA-125 testing to increase effectiveness. Increases in sensitivity of isotopic separation via multi collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry have recently allowed highly accurate measurement of copper (Cu) isotopic variations. Studies in breast cancer patients have revealed changes of serum copper isotopic composition demonstrating the potential for development as a cancer biomarker. Evaluating ⁶⁵Cu/⁶³Cu ratios (δ⁶⁵Cu) in serum samples from cancer patients has revealed a strong correlation with cancer development. In this study blood samples from forty-four ovarian cancer patients, and 13 ovarian biopsies were investigated.ResultsHere we demonstrate that changes in Cu isotopes also occurs in ovarian cancer patients. Copper composition determined by multiple collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry revealed that the copper isotopic ratio δ⁶⁵Cu in the plasma of 44 ovarian cancer patient cohort was significantly lower than in a group of 48 healthy donors, and indicated that serum was enriched for ⁶³Cu. Further analysis revealed that the isotopic composition of tumour biopsies was enriched for ⁶⁵Cu compared with adjacent healthy ovarian tissues.ConclusionsWe propose that these changes are due to increase lactate and Cu transporter activities in the tumour. These observations demonstrate that, combined with existing strategies, δ⁶⁵Cu could be developed for use in ovarian cancer early detection.