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Background Meerkats ( Suricata suricatta ) are endemic carnivores of southern Africa and, although currently listed as ‘least concern’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, there is evidence of a significant decrease in wild populations mainly attributed to effects of climate change. Little is known about diseases associated with mortality in captive meerkats. Aim To characterise macroscopic and microscopic lesions that accounted for the death or euthanasia in a series of captive meerkats. Material and methods Eight captive meerkats submitted for post-mortem examination between 2018 and 2022. Results Three animals died unexpectedly without clinical signs, 2 exhibited neurological signs, 2 collapsed after con-specific fighting and 1 showed gastrointestinal signs. Common pathological findings of this study that may be related to the death of captive meerkats included foreign bodies (trichobezoars or plastic materials) within the alimentary tract, traumatic penetrating injuries or starvation associated with abnormal social behaviours (bullying and con-specific attacks), verminous pneumonia and systemic atherosclerosis. Common incidental findings included pulmonary edema and congestion, cholesterol granulomas, pulmonary adenomas and vertebral spondylosis. Conclusions Non-infectious diseases outreach infectious diseases as causes of mortality in captive meerkats including, foreign bodies within the alimentary tract, con-specific attacks and systemic atherosclerosis, which is described for the first time. These data should raise concern about appropriate husbandry (e.g. environmental enrichment, cleaning of facilities and diet formulation) by zookeepers and emphasise the need for further study of meerkat mortality in both captive and wild populations.
Background Meerkats ( Suricata suricatta ) are endemic carnivores of southern Africa and, although currently listed as ‘least concern’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, there is evidence of a significant decrease in wild populations mainly attributed to effects of climate change. Little is known about diseases associated with mortality in captive meerkats. Aim To characterise macroscopic and microscopic lesions that accounted for the death or euthanasia in a series of captive meerkats. Material and methods Eight captive meerkats submitted for post-mortem examination between 2018 and 2022. Results Three animals died unexpectedly without clinical signs, 2 exhibited neurological signs, 2 collapsed after con-specific fighting and 1 showed gastrointestinal signs. Common pathological findings of this study that may be related to the death of captive meerkats included foreign bodies (trichobezoars or plastic materials) within the alimentary tract, traumatic penetrating injuries or starvation associated with abnormal social behaviours (bullying and con-specific attacks), verminous pneumonia and systemic atherosclerosis. Common incidental findings included pulmonary edema and congestion, cholesterol granulomas, pulmonary adenomas and vertebral spondylosis. Conclusions Non-infectious diseases outreach infectious diseases as causes of mortality in captive meerkats including, foreign bodies within the alimentary tract, con-specific attacks and systemic atherosclerosis, which is described for the first time. These data should raise concern about appropriate husbandry (e.g. environmental enrichment, cleaning of facilities and diet formulation) by zookeepers and emphasise the need for further study of meerkat mortality in both captive and wild populations.
— Coronaviruses have tremendous evolutionary potential, and three major outbreaks of new human coronavirus infections have occurred in the recent history of humankind. In this paper, the patterns of occurrence of new zoonotic coronavirus infections and the role of bioveterinary control in preventing their potential outbreaks in the future are determined. The possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection in companion animals is considered. Diverse human activities may trigger various interactions between animal species and their viruses, sometimes causing the emergence of new viral pathogens. In addition, the possibility of using probiotics for the control of viral infections in animals is discussed.
Background The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the transcriptomic changes that occur in a wild species when infected with Toxoplasma gondii. The masked palm civet, an artifically domesticated animal, was used as the model of a wild species. Transcriptome analysis was used to study alterations in gene expression in the domesticated masked palm civet after chronic infection with T. gondii. Methods Masked palm civets were infected with 105 T. gondii cysts and their brain tissue collected after 4 months of infection. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to gain insight into the spectrum of genes that were differentially expressed due to infection. Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) was also used to validate the level of expression of a set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) obtained by sequencing. Results DEGs were screened from the sequencing results and analyzed. A total of 2808 DEGs were detected, of which 860 were upregulated and 1948 were downregulated. RNA-Seq results were confirmed by qRT-PCR. DEGs were mainly enriched in cellular process and metabolic process based on gene ontology enrichment analysis. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis showed that transcriptional changes in the brain of infected masked palm civets evolved over the course of infection and that DEGs were mainly enriched in the signal transduction, immune system processes, transport and catabolic pathways. Finally, 10 essential driving genes were identified from the immune signaling pathway. Conclusions This study revealed novel host genes which may provide target genes for the development of new therapeutics and detection methods for T. gondii infection in wild animals. Graphical Abstract
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