OCCURRENCE OF MANGE IN AMERICAN BLACK BEARS (URSUS AMERICANUS) IN NEW YORK STATE, USA

Molecular characterization of Sarcoptes scabiei causing severe mange in two Andean foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus) from Peru

Cases of sarcoptic mange in the wildlife population have been increasing around the world in recent years. In this study, we report the first case of severe sarcoptic mange in two Andean foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus) and molecularly analyze the collected mites. The National Forestry and Wildlife Service of Lima, Peru, found an adult male Andean fox in the province of Callao in August 2022. The veterinarians decided to euthanize the fox due to the severity of the mange. In August 2023, an adult male Andean fox was found dead in the province of Huaral by veterinarians. Both foxes were sent to the veterinary school in Lima for necropsy. Skin samples from different body zones were digested in buffer lysis, and mites were detected in the tissue samples. A morphological diagnosis identified the mites as Sarcoptes scabiei. The mites from both foxes had the same nuclear (ITS2) and mitochondrial (cox1) genetic marker sequences as the S. scabiei sequences from dogs, vicunas, Andean foxes, and water buffalos recorded in GenBank. Unlike ITS2, phylogenetic analysis of S. scabiei cox1 showed host-related nucleotide sequence polymorphisms. Future molecular studies of S. scabiei from different hosts and localities will be necessary to better understand the transmission of this disease in Andean foxes.

SARCOPTIC MANGE IN FREE-RANGING NORTH AMERICAN PORCUPINES (ERETHIZON DORSATUM) IN NEW YORK STATE

Sarcoptic mange causes pruritic and crusting dermatitis in a large number of mammalian species with varying population impacts. Between 2016 and 2022, 15 North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) were diagnosed with sarcoptic mange at Cornell University's Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital in Ithaca, New York. Disease severity varied among individuals but all shared a similar unique presentation with thick, pale tan to yellow crusts limited in distribution to the ventral, nonquilled areas of the body, including the ventral abdomen and thorax, distal limbs, and face. The thick, hard nature of the crusts resulted in additional complications in many individuals, including inability to move the jaw and cracking and fissuring of the crusts and skin over joints of the limbs. Mites were plentiful within the crusts, with some burrowing into the epidermis as deep as the stratum spinosum. Secondary bacterial and/or fungal dermatitis were common, resulting in sepsis and death in three of the porcupines. Treatment with avermectins (ivermectin and/or selamectin) for 4-5 wk was successful in 12 cases in combination with other supportive care measures, including subcutaneous fluids, antimicrobials, and analgesics. Porcupines were hospitalized for an average of 18 d (ranging from 7 to 50 d) prior to transfer to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for continued treatment and eventual release back into the wild.