Toxoplasmosis in Captive Ring-Tailed Lemurs ().

is one of the most common protozoan parasites and is widely present in all warm-blooded animals. Although clinical disease is uncommon, some species, including ring-tailed lemurs (), have been found to develop acute and lethal toxoplasmosis. The aim of this study was to describe the pathologic, immunohistochemical, serological, and molecular findings of an outbreak of fatal toxoplasmosis in three captive ring-tailed lemurs in Central Italy in 2009.

Wild carnivores and Thelazia callipaeda zoonotic eyeworms: A focus on wolves.

is a zoonotic parasite causing ocular disease in domestic dogs, cats, several wild carnivores, hares, and humans. This nematode is widely distributed in Europe, where it is transmitted by the drosophilid fly . Since the first report of infection in grey wolves () from southern Italy, other cases of thelaziosis have been recorded in this animal species throughout Europe, raising questions about their role in spreading .

Morphological and Immunohistochemical Description of a Splenic Haemangioma in a Captive European Wolf () and a Review of the Current Literature.

Neoplastic diseases are rarely described in wild carnivores; only a few reports have been published on this topic. Here, we describe the histological and immunohistochemical features of a haemangioma in the spleen of a grey wolf () and we compare the results with the dog (). Additionally, we list the different publications found in the literature with neoplastic lesions in wolves.

Echocardiographic evaluation of four giant Aldabra tortoises ().

Objectives: In recent years echocardiography has become a good diagnostic tool in Zoo Medicine but in some cases, it is still a challenge. In Aldabra giant tortoise () the big size of animals and the few individuals hosted in Zoo are critical points for the application of this diagnostic technique.The purposes of this research were: to evaluate the feasibility of the diagnostic imaging technique on big-sized turtles; to define the echographic parameters for this species; and to describe the morphofunctional and physiological echographic characteristics of their cardiovascular system.

Sharing playful mood: rapid facial mimicry in Suricata suricatta.

One of the most productive behavioural domains to study visual communication in mammals is social play. The ability to manage play-fighting interactions can favour the development of communicative modules and their correct decoding. Due to their high levels of social cohesion and cooperation, slender-tailed meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are a very good model to test some hypotheses on the role of facial communication in synchronizing playful motor actions.

Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome (MODS) induced by in an Aldabra giant tortoise ( and confirmed by electron microscopy analysis.

A young female Aldabra giant tortoise () was presented with anorexia, ataxia, severe constipation and bloating. Analysis revealed liver disease and collected biopsy diagnosed infection. Despite Itraconazole treatment, the tortoise got worse and died.

Fatal Angiostrongylus dujardini infection in callitrichid monkeys and suricates in an Italian zoological garden.

This paper reports four fatal cases of metastrongylid nematode Angiostrongylus dujardini infection observed in a Saguinus oedipus and a Callimico goeldii monkey and in two suricates (Suricata suricatta). All animals were kept in captivity in a zoo of central Italy. The two monkeys died with no premonitory signs, while the two-month-old suricates showed malaise, anorexia and tachypnea for a few days prior to death.

Gastrointestinal parasites in mammals of two Italian zoological gardens.

The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was investigated in mammals housed in two of the main Italian zoological gardens: the Zoo Safari of Fasano (province of Bindisi, Apulia, Italy) and the Giardino Zoologico of Pistoia (Tuscany, Italy). In November 2007, fecal samples were collected at the Zoo Safari of Fasano (n = 96) and at the Giardino Zoologico of Pistoia (n = 60), from primates, carnivores, perissodactyls, artiodactyls and proboscideans. In most of the cases, the same animal species or genera were considered in both the zoos.

Fibrocartilaginous embolic myelopathy in a lion (Panthera leo).

A 6-yr-old, captive-born male lion (Panthera leo) with a 3-day history of acute and nonprogressive spastic paraplegia of the hind limbs and flaccid paraplegia of the left forelimb, was submitted for postmortem examination. Before and after the onset of the neurologic signs, neither hematologic nor other significant clinical abnormalities were observed. The only remarkable gross lesion was restricted to the C6-C7 segments of the spinal cord, where a focal and asymmetric enlargement of the cord displaced the nerve roots.

Norovirus in captive lion cub (Panthera leo).

African lions (Panthera leo) are susceptible to viral diseases of domestic carnivores, including feline calici-virus infection. We report the identification of a novel enteric calicivirus, genetically related to human noroviruses of genogroup IV, in a lion cub that died of severe hemorrhagic enteritis.

Lentivirus infection in an African lion: a clinical, pathologic and virologic study.

In May 1991, clinical, pathologic, and virologic investigations were carried out on an 8-yr-old male lion (Panthera leo), with recurrent infections, in captivity with two lionesses in the Zoological Garden of Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy. The lion had severe pneumonia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and an increase in blood urea nitrogen and creatininemia; in spite of therapy, it died within 3 months. At necropsy, the animal had a lymphoma and other lesions similar to those described in feline immunodeficiency virus-infected cats.

Experimental infection in chickens with larvae of Baylisascaris transfuga (Nematoda: Ascaridoidea).

The larvae of Baylisascaris transfuga (Rudolphi, 1819) were able to penetrate the liver, lungs, carcass and brain of infected chickens, but a great number of larvae accumulated in the liver. No clinical signs were seen. Birds may serve as paratenic hosts of the parasite, but B.