A wild injured Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) was taken from the Sierra Morena population. During the health check small intraerythrocytic piroplasms, morphologically indistinguishable from other feline piroplasms, were observed in Wright-Giemsa-stained blood films. Amplification by polymerase chain reaction of a portion of the 18S nuclear small subunit (NSS) rRNA gene and sequencing revealed similarity of the unknown organism with sequences obtained from Pallas's cat from Mongolia and from a domestic cat in Spain. In a retrospective (1993-2003) study of 50 Iberian lynx tissue samples, no amplifications of the 18S NSS rRNA gene of the organism were obtained. This is the first report of a naturally occurring erythroparasitemia in the Iberian lynx and the first documented case of naturally occurring piroplasm infection in a free-ranging felid from Europe.

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Abstract. Feline retroviruses are rarely reported in lynx species. Twenty-one Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) blood and tissue samples collected from Doñ ana National Park and Los Villares (Sierra Morena) in southern Spain during 1993-2003 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction to amplify nucleic acids from feline retroviruses. Six samples were positive for Feline leukemia virus (FeLV), but no samples tested positive for Feline immunodeficiency virus. The BLAST analysis indicated that 5 of the 6 sequences were closely related to FeLV strain Rickard subgroup A, whereas 1 sequence was identical to FeLV. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of FeLV in the endangered Iberian lynx.

SUMMARYMothers can strongly influence the development of their offspring, and if maternal resources are limited, they may influence optimal reproductive strategies. In birds, maternally deposited carotenoids are a prominent component of egg yolk and are vital for the development of the embryo. However, results of long-lasting fitness consequences of this early nutritional environment have been scarce and inconsistent. In addition, sex-biased sensitivity to different egg components is one of the mechanisms postulated to account for sex-linked environmental vulnerability during early life. However, this important aspect is usually not accounted for when investigating maternal investment in carotenoids. In this study we gave carotenoid (lutein) supplements to female Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) before and during egg laying. The experiment increased female plasma carotenoids, but this effect was not apparent in hatchling and fledgling plasma carotenoid concentration. Also, results showed that carotenoid supplementation increased the high density lipoprotein to low density lipoprotein ratio in adult females, suggesting that dietary carotenoids may influence lipid metabolism. Furthermore, the effect of the treatment was manifested in several nestling health state parameters. Nestlings of carotenoid-supplemented females were infested by less intestinal parasite groups, had higher lymphocyte concentrations in blood plasma, and were less stressed (heterophile to lymphocyte ratio) than control nestlings. In addition, an interaction between the experimental treatment and nestling sex was apparent for globulin concentrations, favouring the smaller male nestlings. Thereby, suggesting that males benefited more than females from an increase in maternal carotenoid investment. Our study shows that an increase in carotenoids in the maternal diet during egg laying favours nestling development in kestrels, and may also affect nestlings in a sex-specific way.

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