Aleutian mink disease virus is the type species in the genus Amdoparvovirus, and in mink and other Mustelidae can cause either subclinical disease or fatal chronic immune stimulation and immune complex disease. The authors describe a novel amdoparvovirus in the endangered red panda ( Ailurus fulgens), discovered using viral metagenomics. The authors analyzed the prevalence, tissue distribution, and disease association by PCR, in situ hybridization, electron microscopy, and histology in a group of 6 red pandas from a single zoological collection. The study incorporates a fecal shedding survey and analysis of tissues from 4 necropsied animals over a 12-year span. The tentatively named red panda amdoparvovirus (RpAPV) was detected in the feces and/or tissues of all animals tested. At necropsy of 1 geriatric animal, infection was associated with pyogranulomatous peritonitis, pancreatitis, and myocarditis. Other animals had detectable low-level viral nucleic acid in lymph nodes and both oral and intestinal epithelium at the time of necropsy. Full-length genome sequences of RpAPV strains from 2 animals had 12% sequence divergence, demonstrating genetic diversity even among in-contact animals. RpAPV is a persistent infection in this cohort of red pandas, and has variable clinical expression.

A 22-year-old captive Brazilian rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchria cenchria) gave birth to four offspring after being housed with a vasectomized male. Sexual reproduction as a result of failed prior vasectomy, recanalization of the vas deferens, or prolonged sperm storage was ruled out using the clinical history, histopathology, and gross necropsy. Short tandem repeat (STR) DNA markers were genotyped in the male, female, and four offspring. None of the offspring possessed a diagnostic STR allele present in the potential sire. In addition, all offspring were homozygous at each STR locus evaluated, supporting parthenogenetic reproduction. This is the first report of parthenogenesis in a Brazilian rainbow boa and has implications for the conservation of reptiles maintained in captive breeding programs.

Intraocular pressure was measured using rebound tonometry in American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber), with the head in an upright standing position and when lowered in a feeding position, to establish a reference range. Mean +/- standard deviation (SD) (range) intraocular pressure for flamingos with the head in an upright position was right eye (OD)= 10.9 +/- 1.8 mm Hg (7-15 mm Hg) and left eye (OS) = 11.1 +/- 2.3 mm Hg (8-21 mm Hg). Median intraocular pressure for flamingos with the head in an upright position was OD and OS = 11 mm Hg. Mean intraocular pressure for flamingos with the head in a feeding position was OD = 14.3 +/- 2.5 mm Hg (10-22 mm Hg) and OS = 14.4 +/- 2.7 mm Hg (11-24 mm Hg), which were significantly higher. Median intraocular pressure for flamingos with the head in a feeding position was OD and OS = 14 mm Hg.

Surgical procedures of the wing are commonly performed in companion, captive, and wild avian species. To develop a clinically applicable brachial plexus nerve block technique for perioperative analgesia in birds, 8 adult female mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) were anesthetized and used in several local anesthetic trials with bupivacaine (2 or 8 mg/kg) or a combination of lidocaine (15 mg/kg) and epinephrine (3.8 microg/kg) perineurally; equal volumes of saline were administered as control treatments. Both axillary and dorsal approaches to the brachial plexus were evaluated. With the axillary approach, radial and ulnar compound nerve action potentials (CNAP), sensory nerve conduction velocities (SNCVs), and cord dorsum potentials (CDPs) were recorded after distal sensory nerve stimulation. Values were recorded before and at 5, 30, and 60 minutes after injection of local anesthetic or saline. Birds were monitored for the presence of a wing droop and a change in motor function on recovery from anesthesia. Results were highly variable for all techniques. No technique significantly decreased CDPs or resulted in consistent wing droop. Radial and ulnar CNAPs, SNCVs, and CDPs were consistently recorded in all birds. Variable results might indicate that the treatment, concentration, or volume of local anesthetic used was ineffective in producing local anesthesia. Electrodiagnostic methods used in these ducks to assess loss of sensory nerve conduction might not be sensitive enough to assess the effects of local anesthesia. Further research is needed to identify methods for assessing the efficacy of brachial plexus nerve blockade in birds.

Isoflurane MAC appears to be lower in thick-billed parrots than the MAC determined for other bird species. Determination of the species-specific requirements of thick-billed parrots should allow isoflurane anesthesia to be performed more safely in this endangered species.

Sevoflurane MAC in thick-billed parrots determined by mechanical stimulation was similar to values determined in chickens and mammals. Sevoflurane MAC determined by electrical stimulation was significantly higher, which suggested that the 2 types of stimulation did not induce similar results in thick-billed parrots.

Lion lentivirus (LLV; also known as feline immunodeficiency virus of lion, Panthera leo [FIVPle]) is present in free-ranging and captive lion populations at a seroprevalence of up to 100%; however, clinical signs are rarely reported. LLV displays up to 25% interclade sequence diversity, suggesting that it has been in the lion population for some time and may be significantly host adapted. Three captive lions diagnosed with LLV infection displayed lymphocyte subset alterations and progressive behavioral, locomotor, and neuroanatomic abnormalities. No evidence of infection with other potential neuropathogens was found. Antemortem electrodiagnostics and radiologic imaging indicated a diagnosis consistent with lentiviral neuropathy. PCR was used to determine a partial lentiviral genomic sequence and to quantify the proviral burden in eight postmortem tissue specimens. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the virus was consistent with the LLV detected in other captive and free-ranging lions. Despite progressive neurologic signs, the proviral load in tissues, including several regions of the brain, was low; furthermore, gross and histopathologic changes in the brain were minimal. These findings suggest that the symptoms in these animals resulted from nonspecific encephalopathy, similar to human immunodeficiency virus, FIV, and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) neuropathies, rather than a direct effect of active viral replication. The association of neuropathy and lymphocyte subset alterations with chronic LLV infection suggests that long-term LLV infection can have detrimental effects for the host, including death. This is similar to reports of aged sootey mangabeys dying from diseases typically associated with end-stage SIV infection and indicates areas for further research of lentiviral infections of seemingly adapted natural hosts, including mechanisms of host control and viral adaptation.Lion lentivirus (LLV; also known as feline immunodeficiency virus [FIV] of lion, Panthera leo [FIVPle]) is an FIV that is related to yet distinct from the domestic cat (Felis catus) FIV (4, 52). LLV is present in free-ranging prides at seroprevalence rates that approach 100% and is commonly detected in captive lion (Panthera leo) populations, suggesting that it is efficiently transmitted (4,19,22,25,32,42,50,52,53). Five distinct heterogeneous clades of LLV have been identified on the basis of sequence analysis of a conserved region of the pol gene. Up to 25% sequence diversity between clades has been noted in this highly conserved region of the lentiviral genome, suggesting that, for such genetic heterogeneity to occur, this virus has infected the lion population for a considerable time (4,52,53). LLV apparently causes little or no clinical disease in free-ranging lions, although clinical signs and immunopathology reminiscent of lentiviral infection have been reported in geriatric captive animals, perhaps due to their longer life spans and/or stress-related cofactors in these cohorts (6,19,22,41,42).The effects of FIV on do...

Capture myopathy and associated death have been reported with capture and restraint of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber roseus) and lesser flamingos (Phoeniconaias minor). In chickens (Gallus gallus), blood lactate concentration levels have been used as indicators of muscle damage. Lactate has also been used to predict survival in humans and dogs. The goals of this study were to validate two common methods for measuring lactate (i-STAT and VetTest analyzers) in flamingo plasma by comparing measurements to a reference analyzer; and to correlate blood lactate concentration levels in captured flamingos with the duration and difficulty of capture as a possible indicator of capture myopathy. Twenty-seven banked flamingo plasma samples were run in triplicate on each of the three blood analyzers. Values from the i-STAT analyzer were consistently lower than those from the ABL analyzer, while values from the VetTest were consistently higher than those from the ABL analyzer. However, there was a good level of correlation between all three analyzers. Two of the three analyzers were determined to have acceptable total allowable error levels, calculated at 3.6% for the ABL and 10.7% for the VetTest. For clinical purposes, both the i-STAT and the VetTest analyzers provide adequate evaluation of lactate levels when serial samples are measured on the same analyzer. After validating the assay, 34 captive flamingos were captured for routine examinations. Blood lactate concentration levels were positively correlated with the length of time of the individual capture, but lactate did not increase significantly as capture difficulty increased. Only one animal was considered to have a difficult capture. No flamingos demonstrated clinical signs of capture myopathy during this study. Further research is required to determine if blood lactate concentration is a useful indicator of capture myopathy.