Arthropoda

This retrospective study examines pathologic findings in 593 captive cephalopods (340 octopuses, 130 cuttlefish, 33 squid, and 90 nautiluses; 22 species in total) submitted to International Zoo Veterinary Group Pathology between May 2003 and August 2022. Common octopus, European common cuttlefish, hummingbird bobtail squid, and chambered nautilus were the most numerous species from the included orders of Octopoda, Sepiida, Sepiolida, and Nautilida, respectively. Commonly identified conditions included coccidiosis and renal dicyemid mesozoan infection in octopuses, amebiasis in squid, bacterial infections in cuttlefish, and idiopathic multisystemic inflammatory disease in nautiluses. Coccidiosis was most frequent in common octopuses, giant Pacific octopuses, and California 2-spot octopuses (present in 68.4%, 46.3%, and 23.8% of these species, respectively) and was the attributed cause of death in 32.3%, 36.0%, and 60.0% of such cases, respectively. Ulcerative dermatitis (UD) was common, affecting squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses, while many nautiluses exhibited black shell disease and/or UD. Notable differences in the prevalence of UD were detected between laboratory and aquaria-housed decapodiforms; 52.2% for laboratory squid versus 20.0% in aquaria; 51.3% in laboratory cuttlefish versus 11.0% in aquaria. All octopuses and nautiluses in the study were derived from aquaria. Semelparity-associated death in Coleoidea species was identified in 22.4% of octopuses, 11.5% of cuttlefish, and 6.1% of squid. This report aims to provide an overview and reassessment of species-specific disease patterns under aquarium and laboratory management as a starting point for future developments in husbandry and disease investigation.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A retrospective study of pathologic findings in cephalopods (extant subclasses: Coleoidea and Nautiloidea) under laboratory and aquarium management

Rich

Denk²,

Sangster

et al. 2023

“…To assist in microscopic evaluation, normal histology of insects was reviewed and a list of organs for examination was compiled (Table 1). 28,29,51 Inflammatory lesions were routinely stained with histochemical stains (Giemsa, Grocott's methenamine silver [GMS], Gram, and/or Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast stains) to assess for infectious agents.…”

Section: Pathology Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Histological Findings in Captive Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) and a Literature Review

Monahan

Bogan

LaDouceur³

2023

Madagascar hissing cockroaches (MHC, Gromphadorhina portentosa) are members of the Blaberidae (giant cockroaches) family of the Insecta class. They are native to the African island of Madagascar where they live within leaf litter on the rainforest floor. Due to their large size, relative tameness, and general easy keeping, they have become popular in classrooms, zoological collections, museums, research laboratories, and as private exotic pets; however, descriptions of diseases of MHC in the literature are rare. The objective of this study is to describe and characterize postmortem histological findings in 18 captive MHC from a single zoological collection. In this retrospective study, 18 (4 females and 14 males) adult MHC necropsies were submitted to Northwest ZooPath between 2016 and 2020 for evaluation. The main organs with histological lesions were chitinous gut (foregut and/or hindgut; n = 17), tracheae ( n = 15), fat body ( n = 14), ventriculus (midgut) ( n = 13), body wall ( n = 12), Malpighian tubules ( n = 12), and hemolymphatic sinuses ( n = 12). All animals had inflammatory lesions affecting various organs. Inflammatory lesions typically consisted of aggregates of hemocytes with variable amounts of melanization and/or encapsulation. Bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections were common and variably associated with hemocytic inflammation. Many of these organisms may represent symbiotic organisms of the MHC that cause opportunistic infections. This study contributes to the current knowledge of pathological findings and disease response of MHC and reviews diseases reported in multiple cockroach species.

“…The following tissues were examined histologically: exoskeleton, skeletal muscle, epidermis, foregut, midgut, hindgut, fat body, hemocytes, trachea, tracheoles, male and female gonads, and the nervous system. 11…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Histologic findings of Massospora cicadina infection in periodical cicadas (Magicicada septendecim)

Anderson

Corbin²,

Lovett

et al. 2023

Massospora cicadina, an obligate fungal pathogen in the subphylum Entomophthoromycotina (Zoopagomycota), infects periodical cicadas ( Magicicada spp.) during their adult emergence and modifies their sexual behavior to maximize fungal spore dissemination. In this study, 7 periodical cicadas from the Brood X emergence in 2021 infected by M. cicadina were histologically examined. In 7 of 7 cicadas, fungal masses replaced the posterior portion of the abdominal cavity, effacing portions of the body wall, reproductive organs, alimentary tract, and fat bodies. No appreciable inflammation was noted at the intersections of the fungal masses and host tissues. Fungal organisms were present in multiple morphologies including protoplasts, hyphal bodies, conidiophores, and mature conidia. Conidia were clustered into eosinophilic membrane-bound packets. These findings help uncover the pathogenesis of M. cicadina by suggesting there is evasion of the host immune response and by providing a more in-depth description of its relationship with Magicicada septendecim than previously documented.