Mass Mortality of Green Frog ( Rana clamitans) Tadpoles in Wisconsin, USA, Associated with Severe Infection with the Pathogenic Perkinsea Clade.

We documented mortality of green frog ( Rana clamitans) tadpoles in Wisconsin, US, attributed to severe Perkinsea infection. Final diagnosis was determined by histopathology. followed by molecular detection of pathogenic Perkinsea clade (PPC) of frogs in the liver.

On the Enigma of Glutathione-Dependent Styrene Degradation in Gordonia rubripertincta CWB2.

Among bacteria, only a single styrene-specific degradation pathway has been reported so far. It comprises the activity of styrene monooxygenase, styrene oxide isomerase, and phenylacetaldehyde dehydrogenase, yielding phenylacetic acid as the central metabolite. The alternative route comprises ring-hydroxylating enzymes and yields vinyl catechol as central metabolite, which undergoes -cleavage.

Experimental Infection of Common Eider Ducklings with Wellfleet Bay Virus, a Newly Characterized Orthomyxovirus.

Wellfleet Bay virus (WFBV), a novel orthomyxovirus in the genus Quaranjavirus, was first isolated in 2006 from carcasses of common eider (Somateria mollissima) during a mortality event in Wellfleet Bay (Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA) and has since been repeatedly isolated during recurrent mortality events in this location. Hepatic, pancreatic, splenic, and intestinal necrosis was observed in dead eiders. We inoculated 6-week-old common eider ducklings with WFBV in an attempt to recreate the naturally occurring disease.

GREEN TREE FROG ( HYLA CINEREA) AND GROUND SQUIRREL ( XEROSPERMOPHILUS SPILOSOMA) MORTALITY ATTRIBUTED TO INLAND BREVETOXIN TRANSPORT AT PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL SEASHORE, TEXAS, USA, 2015.

:  On 16 September 2015, a red tide ( Karenia brevis) bloom impacted coastal areas of Padre Island National Seashore Park, Texas, US. Two days later and about 0.9 km inland, 30-40 adult green tree frogs ( Hyla cinerea) were found dead after displaying tremors, weakness, labored breathing, and other signs of neurologic impairment.

DISPERSAL HAZARDS OF PSEUDOGYMNOASCUS DESTRUCTANS BY BATS AND HUMAN ACTIVITY AT HIBERNACULA IN SUMMER.

Bats occupying hibernacula during summer are exposed to Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the causative agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), and may contribute to its dispersal. Furthermore, equipment and clothing exposed to cave environments are a potential source for human-assisted spread of Pd. To explore dispersal hazards for Pd during the nonhibernal season, we tested samples that were collected from bats, the environment, and equipment at hibernacula in the eastern US between 18 July-22 August 2012.

Snake fungal disease: an emerging threat to wild snakes.

Since 2006, there has been a marked increase in the number of reports of severe and often fatal fungal skin infections in wild snakes in the eastern USA. The emerging condition, referred to as snake fungal disease (SFD), was initially documented in rattlesnakes, where the infections were believed to pose a risk to the viability of affected populations. The disease is caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a fungus recently split from a complex of fungi long referred to as the Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV).

First Detection of Bat White-Nose Syndrome in Western North America.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease of bats caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Since it was first detected near Albany, NY, in 2006, the fungus has spread across eastern North America, killing unprecedented numbers of hibernating bats. The devastating impacts of WNS on Nearctic bat species are attributed to the likely introduction of P.

Detection of Snake Fungal Disease Due to Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Virginia, USA.

Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging disease of wildlife believed to be caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. Although geographic and host ranges have yet to be determined, this disease is characterized by crusty scales, superficial pustules, and subcutaneous nodules, with subsequent morbidity and mortality in some snake species. To confirm the presence of SFD and O.

Acute pasteurellosis in wild big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus).

We report acute fatal pasteurellosis in wild big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in Wisconsin, USA. Mortality of approximately 100 bats was documented over 4 wk, with no evidence for predatory injuries. Pasteurella multocida serotype 1 was isolated from multiple internal organs from four of five bats examined postmortem.

Experimental infection of bats with Geomyces destructans causes white-nose syndrome.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) has caused recent catastrophic declines among multiple species of bats in eastern North America. The disease's name derives from a visually apparent white growth of the newly discovered fungus Geomyces destructans on the skin (including the muzzle) of hibernating bats. Colonization of skin by this fungus is associated with characteristic cutaneous lesions that are the only consistent pathological finding related to WNS.

Recovery of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from natural infection with Geomyces destructans, white-nose syndrome.

Geomyces destructans produces the white fungal growth on the muzzle and the tacky white discoloration on wings and ears that characterize white-nose syndrome (WNS) in cave-hibernating bats. To test the hypothesis that postemergent WNS-infected bats recover from infection with G. destructans, 30 little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) were collected in May 2009 from a WNS-affected hibernation site in New Jersey.

A gene expression signature of confinement in peripheral blood of red wolves (Canis rufus).

The stresses that animals experience as a result of modification of their ecological circumstances induce physiological changes that leave a signature in profiles of gene expression. We illustrate this concept in a comparison of free range and confined North American red wolves (Canis rufus). Transcription profiling of peripheral blood samples from 13 red wolf individuals in the Alligator River region of North Carolina revealed a strong signal of differentiation.