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.

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.

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.