Safety and immunogenicity of an adjuvanted recombinant spike protein-based severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine, SpikeVet™, in selected Carnivora, Primates and Artiodactyla in Australian zoos.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect a broad range of animal species and has been associated with severe disease in some taxa. Few studies have evaluated optimal strategies to mitigate the risk to susceptible zoo animals. This study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of a protein-based veterinary SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (SpikeVet™) in zoo animals.

Welfare Assessment Tools in Zoos: From Theory to Practice.

Zoos are increasingly implementing formalized animal welfare assessment programs to allow monitoring of welfare over time, as well as to aid in resource prioritization. These programs tend to rely on assessment tools that incorporate resource-based and observational animal-focused measures. A narrative review of the literature was conducted to bring together recent studies examining welfare assessment methods in zoo animals.

An Analysis of Demographic and Triage Assessment Findings in Bushfire-Affected Koalas () on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, 2019-2020.

In the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, experienced catastrophic bushfires that burnt approximately half the island, with an estimated 80% of the koala population lost. During and after the event, rescued koalas were triaged at a designated facility and a range of initial data were recorded including rescue location and date, sex, estimation of age, body condition and hydration, and assessment of burn severity ( = 304 records available). Koalas were presented to the triage facility over a span of 10 weeks, with 50.

Porphyromonas spp., Fusobacterium spp., and Bacteroides spp. dominate microbiota in the course of macropod progressive periodontal disease.

Macropod progressive periodontal disease (MPPD) is a necrotizing, polymicrobial, inflammatory disease commonly diagnosed in captive macropods. MPPD is characterized by gingivitis associated with dental plaque formation, which progresses to periodontitis and then to osteomyelitis of the mandible or maxilla. However, the underlying microbial causes of this disease remain poorly understood.

Therapeutics in Herd/Flock Medicine.

When treatment is required for a herd/flock health concern, a range of factors must be considered to determine the preferred treatment strategy. If a group treatment strategy is pursued, considerations to optimize the likelihood of safe and effective group treatment include taxon-specific pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, the formulation of prescribed medication, the type and amount of food, the number and type of water sources, enclosure design, size and demography of the group, weather conditions, and health status of individuals in the group. In addition, antimicrobial stewardship principles and relevant legislation/regulation must be at the forefront of decision making.