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Ferreira B, Girling S, Guthrie A, Milnes E, Stidworthy MF, Bacon A. MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY REVIEW IN THE UNITED KINGDOM EX SITU POPULATION OF EUROPEAN WILDCATS ( FELIS SILVESTRIS) BETWEEN 2000 AND 2021. J Zoo Wildl Med 2024; 55:369-380. [PMID: 38875193 DOI: 10.1638/2023-0086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The Scottish population of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris), the only remaining native felid species in the United Kingdom, is critically endangered and was declared functionally extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2019. This retrospective study investigated the causes of morbidity and mortality reported in the United Kingdom captive wildcat population from 01 January 2000 to 31 December 2021. The aim was to assess the health and welfare of ex situ wildcats and, by making recommendations for management based on study findings, contribute to the sustainability of the population under managed care. Younger wildcats accounted for 85.7% of all morbidity cases (kittens, 7/77; young adults, 59/77), and the gastrointestinal (67.5% [52/77]), musculoskeletal (10.4% [8/77]), and integumentary (5.2% [4/77]) systems were most affected. Mortality was primarily associated with disease of the gastrointestinal (13.5% [12/89]), respiratory (13.5% [12/89]), neurological (5.6% [5/89]), and renal (5.6% [5/89]) systems. One quarter of all the histopathology examinations reported gastritis with associated Helicobacter-like organisms, often combined with pancreatitis or cholangiohepatitis. Neonates represented 25% (22/89) of all deaths, a high percentage compared with that of previous reviews in other nondomestic felids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bárbara Ferreira
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, United Kingdom,
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London NW1 0TU, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Girling
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, United Kingdom
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Highland Wildlife Park, Kincraig, Kingussie PH21 1NL, United Kingdom
| | - Amanda Guthrie
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Ellie Milnes
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Mark F Stidworthy
- International Zoo Veterinary Group, Keighley BD21 4NQ, United Kingdom
| | - Alice Bacon
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Highland Wildlife Park, Kincraig, Kingussie PH21 1NL, United Kingdom
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Aduriz A, Lanthier I, Lair S, Vergneau-Grosset C. EVALUATION OF MORTALITY CAUSES AND PREVALENCE OF RENAL LESIONS IN ZOO-HOUSED CHAMELEONS: 2011-2022. J Zoo Wildl Med 2024; 55:381-392. [PMID: 38875194 DOI: 10.1638/2023-0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Of the 202 species of Chamaeleonidae, 38.6% are globally threatened. Currently, nearly a thousand individual chameleons from 36 different species are kept in zoological institutions worldwide. The objectives of this study were to assess the main mortality causes of chameleons in zoological institutions, the prevalence of renal lesions at necropsy, and the environmental factors associated with renal lesions. An online survey was sent to 245 zoological institutions worldwide to collect information about species and sex distribution, necropsy results, and husbandry parameters. Necropsy reports of the last 10 yr were requested from participating institutions (n = 65) when available. Mortality causes were classified into three categories (open diagnosis, infectious, and noninfectious), and noninfectious causes were further subdivided into seven categories (renal, reproductive, myoarthroskeletal, digestive, ophthalmologic, denutrition/multisystemic, and neoplastic). The prevalence of renal lesions was recorded. Multiple linear regression models were used with the prevalence of renal diseases as the dependent variable, and exhibit minimum and maximum hygrometry; exhibit highest and coolest temperature; as well as minimum, mean, and maximum hygrometry of the geographical area as independent variables, combining all chameleon species with similar environmental requirements. Results were obtained for 14 species (n = 412 individuals). The main mortality causes were infectious (46.8%), noninfectious renal (11.4%), and noninfectious reproductive (10.7%) diseases, with all cases of fatal reproductive diseases reported in females. Of the individuals that underwent renal histopathology, 41.7% displayed renal lesions. There was a tendency towards higher renal lesion prevalence in zoos located in areas with lower mean hygrometry (P = 0.05). Further research studies about infectious, renal, and reproductive diseases of Chamaeleonidae are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Aduriz
- Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Département des sciences cliniques, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2 Canada
| | - Isabelle Lanthier
- Département de pathologie et microbiologie, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2 Canada
| | - Stéphane Lair
- Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Département des sciences cliniques, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2 Canada
| | - Claire Vergneau-Grosset
- Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Département des sciences cliniques, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, J2S 2M2 Canada,
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Qi H, Lim QL, Kinoshita K, Nakajima N, Inoue-Murayama M. A cost-effective blood DNA methylation-based age estimation method in domestic cats, Tsushima leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) and Panthera species, using targeted bisulphite sequencing and machine learning models. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13928. [PMID: 38234258 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Individual age can be used to design more efficient and suitable management plans in both in situ and ex situ conservation programmes for targeted wildlife species. DNA methylation is a promising marker of epigenetic ageing that can accurately estimate age from small amounts of biological material, which can be collected in a minimally invasive manner. In this study, we sequenced five targeted genetic regions and used 8-23 selected CpG sites to build age estimation models using machine learning methods at only about $3-7 per sample. Blood samples of seven Felidae species were used, ranging from small to big, and domestic to endangered species: domestic cats (Felis catus, 139 samples), Tsushima leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus, 84 samples) and five Panthera species (96 samples). The models achieved satisfactory accuracy, with the mean absolute error of the most accurate models recorded at 1.966, 1.348 and 1.552 years in domestic cats, Tsushima leopard cats and Panthera spp. respectively. We developed the models in domestic cats and Tsushima leopard cats, which were applicable to individuals regardless of health conditions; therefore, these models are applicable to samples collected from individuals with diverse characteristics, which is often the case in conservation. We also showed the possibility of developing universal age estimation models for the five Panthera spp. using only two of the five genetic regions. We do not recommend building a common age estimation model for all the target species using our markers, because of the degraded performance of models that included all species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyuan Qi
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Qi Luan Lim
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Nobuyoshi Nakajima
- Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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McCreesh K, Guthrie AL, Spiro S, Patterson S. A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RETROSPECTIVE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY STUDIES ON CAPTIVE WILDLIFE SPECIES. J Zoo Wildl Med 2024; 55:1-12. [PMID: 38453482 DOI: 10.1638/2023-0093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Zoological institutions manage animals for conservation, education, entertainment, and research purposes. Zoological staff have a responsibility to safeguard the welfare of animals in their care. Retrospective morbidity and/or mortality studies (MMSs) can be useful tools to highlight common diseases in captive wildlife populations. There is currently no standardized methodology for conducting MMSs. Variation in the methodology of MMSs, particularly the categorization of diseases, can make comparisons between studies challenging and may limit the applicability of the results. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) compliant systematic review was performed, which identified 67 MMSs describing 146 species of captive wildlife. These MMSs are becoming more common and were predominantly performed on mammals (76/146). Prospective authors are encouraged to perform MMSs on amphibians, birds, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates. The studied animals were mostly managed at institutions in the United States of America (28/67, 41.2%) and Europe (14/67, 20.9%). Classifying individuals into age groups facilitates the identification of disease trends within age classes. Only 22/67 (32.8%) studies cited justification for their age classification; classifications should be based on a referenced source on the breeding biology of the studied species. There is variation in the body systems used by authors and into which system a disease is categorized, which makes study comparisons challenging. Diseases were predominantly categorized by etiology and body system (28/77, 36.4%). Because of its ubiquity, the use of the categorization system employed by the pathology module of the Zoological Information Management System is recommended as a useful standard. This system is imperfect, and amendments to it are suggested. The results and recommendations of this study were discussed with a panel of zoo and wildlife experts; guidelines have been formulated for prospective authors aiming to conduct MMSs in captive wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle McCreesh
- Wildlife Health, Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom,
| | - Amanda L Guthrie
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Spiro
- Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart Patterson
- Wildlife Health, Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, United Kingdom
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A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF NEOPLASIA IN NONDOMESTIC FELIDS IN HUMAN CARE, WITH A COMPARATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW. J Zoo Wildl Med 2021; 52:413-426. [PMID: 34130383 DOI: 10.1638/2020-0077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This retrospective study of neoplasia in nondomestic felids in human care presents the cases diagnosed at Northwest ZooPath (NWZP), Monroe, Washington, from 1998 to 2017 in conjunction with a scoping literature review. The 554 neoplasms identified in 20 species in the NWZP archive were combined with the 984 neoplasms identified in those same species in the published literature. Some of the cases identified in the literature were from the NWZP archive. Based on this review, mammary adenocarcinoma (183/1,483, 12.3%), lymphoma (89/1,483, 6.0%), squamous cell carcinoma (85/1,483, 5.7%), pheochromocytoma (57/1,483, 3.8%), and thyroid adenoma (57/1,483, 3.8%) are the most frequently reported neoplasms in nondomestic felids in human care. Apparent species predilections for neoplasia include mammary adenocarcinoma in tigers, jaguars, lions, and jungle cats; lymphoma in lions and tigers; squamous cell carcinoma in snow leopards; pheochromocytoma in clouded leopards; ovarian adenocarcinoma in jaguars; cholangiocarcinoma in lions and tigers; multiple myeloma in tigers; bronchoalveolar adenocarcinoma in cougars and lions; hemangiosarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma in lions; mesothelioma in clouded leopards, lions, and tigers; myelolipoma and cutaneous mast cell tumor in cheetahs; soft tissue sarcomas in tigers; and transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder in fishing cats.
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MORTALITY REVIEW FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN SNOW LEOPARD ( PANTHERA UNCIA) ZOO POPULATION FROM JANUARY 1999 TO DECEMBER 2019. J Zoo Wildl Med 2021; 52:145-156. [PMID: 33827171 DOI: 10.1638/2020-0132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The objective of this 20-yr retrospective study was to review and summarize causes of mortality in the North American (NA) snow leopard population to inform and enhance animal health and husbandry practices. Pathology reports were requested from all NA zoological institutions housing snow leopards that died between 01 January 1999 and 31 December 2019. Data were reviewed and cause of death (COD) and concurrent diseases were summarized and compared by age group, organ system, and disease process. The 241 snow leopards in this report include 109 males, 130 females, and two of undetermined sex. Among them were 116 geriatric snow leopards (>15 yr), 72 adults (15-3 yr), 16 juveniles (3 yr to 2 mo), 32 neonates (2 mo to 0 days), and five fetuses (<0 days). Overall, noninfectious diseases were the most common COD across all age groups (73%). In adult and geriatric snow leopards, chronic renal disease (CRD) (38.8%) and malignant neoplasia (19.7%), including oral squamous cell carcinoma (6.4%), were a common COD. In juveniles and neonates, perinatal death and congenital diseases, including ocular coloboma (15.6%), were a common COD. Individuals with CRD were 13.5 and 4.36 times more likely to have veno-occlusive disease and cardiac fibrosis, respectively. Snow leopards with urolithiasis were 5.27 times more likely to have CRD. Infectious (14.1%) and inflammatory diseases (8.7%) for which no specific etiology was identified were less common overall and more common in juveniles and neonates (25% and 21%, respectively). Neoplasms not previously reported in snow leopards or that are generally uncommon in the veterinary literature included transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (n = 7) and mesothelioma (n = 1).
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