FIVE YEARS OF SNAIL PRE-EXPORT HEALTH SCREENING.

Between 2015 and 2019, a health screening was carried out annually on captive-bred snails prior to export for reintroduction as part of an international effort to repopulate areas of French Polynesia, where the snails were extinct or critically endangered. In total, 129 separate tank populations of 12 different species were screened at ZSL London Zoo. Wet mounts and smears stained with modified Ziehl-Neelsen (MZN) of 535 fecal samples were examined, and 45% contained flagellated protozoa, and 35.

RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH YOLK SAC RETENTION IN CAPTIVE-BRED HUMBOLDT PENGUIN () CHICKS.

Multiple occurrences of yolk sac retention prompted a retrospective investigation in a recently formed colony of captive Humboldt penguins (). Necropsy reports of 141 parent-reared penguin chicks that died between January 2014 and December 2018 were reviewed for evidence of yolk sac retention, defined as the presence of a yolk sac at postmortem examination of a chick aged 7 d or greater, and analyzed by demographic and pathological variables for identification of risk factors. Fifty-nine (65%) chicks that died at age 7 d or greater had a retained yolk sac at postmortem examination, revealing that this was a common condition in penguins in this population.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Heavy Metal Toxicosis in Six Waldrapp Ibis ().

Six adult Waldrapp ibis () were presented with heavy metal toxicosis secondary to paint chip ingestion after being placed in an indoor confinement enclosure because of a regional highly pathogenic avian influenza epornitic and government restrictions. Four of the ibis developed clinical disease signs between 45 and 64 days of confinement, including weakness, lethargy, inability to fly, low body condition, and bilateral wing droop while 2 birds appeared to remain normal during that period. Common clinicopathological findings included elevated plasma aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, glutamate dehydrogenase, and bile acids values.

Isolation and characterisation of from fish examined postmortem at ZSL London Zoo between 2014 and 2018.

Background: When suspect were cultured from fish at ZSL London Zoo, investigations were carried out to determine whether they were possible causes of cholera.

Methods: Bacterial culture was carried out on fish examined postmortem and colonies were identified using standard techniques including the API 20NE biochemical test kits. Suspect isolates were submitted to the Public Health England laboratory for additional testing.

POSTMORTEM FINDINGS IN EIGHT SPECIES OF CAPTIVE CAECILIAN (AMPHIBIA: GYMNOPHIONA) OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD.

Between July 2007 and June 2017 there were 86 deaths in the populations of eight caecilian species at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) London Zoo. The mortality rate (deaths per animal-year at risk) ranged from 0.03 in the Congo caecilian () to 0.

FERLAVIRUS-RELATED DEATHS IN A COLLECTION OF VIPERID SNAKES.

Between June and October 2013, 26 snakes of six viperid species kept in two adjoining rooms died ( n = 16) or were euthanized on medical (1) or welfare grounds (9). Two were from the main zoo collection, but the other 24 had been imported and quarantined for a minimum of 6 mo. Four of those that died and the single snake euthanized on medical grounds showed minor signs of respiratory disease prior to death, and five were weak, lethargic, and/or poor feeders.

Retrospective study of Campylobacter infection in a zoological collection.

Little is known about the epidemiology of Campylobacter spp. in wild animal populations. However, zoological collections can provide valuable insights.

A novel subgroup of rhadinoviruses in ruminants.

In the course of investigating the malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) subgroup of rhadinoviruses, seven novel rhadinoviruses were identified in a variety of ruminants, including domestic sheep, bighorn sheep, bison, black-tailed deer, mule deer, fallow deer, elk and addax. Based on the DNA polymerase gene sequences, these newly recognized viruses clustered into a second distinct subgroup in ruminants with three members identified previously in cattle, goats and oryx. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the currently known ruminant rhadinoviruses appear to comprise three distinct genetic lineages: (i) the MCF subgroup, defined by sequence identity and the presence of the 15A antigenic epitope; (ii) a second distinct subgroup, devoid of the 15A epitope, which contains the previously reported bovine lymphotropic herpesvirus and related viruses; and (iii) a third distinct subgroup represented by Bovine herpesvirus 4.

Tannin-binding salivary proteins in three captive rhinoceros species.

Tannin-binding salivary proteins (TBSP) are considered to be counter-defences acquired in the course of evolution by animals whose natural forage contains such tannins. As tannins mostly occur in browse material but not in grasses, it is assumed that grazers do not have a need for TBSP. Whereas it has been shown in several non-ungulate species that TBSP can be induced by dietary tannins, their presence or absence in ungulates has, so far, been shown to be a species-specific characteristic independent of dietary manipulations.