Avian Chlamydia abortus Strains Detected in Galápagos Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata).

Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), Flightless Cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi), and Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) are among the most vulnerable species to natural and anthropogenic factors in the Galápagos Islands. In 2017, a dedicated study was conducted to detect Chlamydiaceae on cloacal swabs collected from 59 albatrosses, 68 penguins, and 10 cormorants in different islands and sites in the Galápagos Archipelago. A real-time PCR method targeting the conserved 23S ribosomal RNA gene of the Chlamydiaceae family detected the presence of the bacterium only in albatrosses from Punta Suárez, Española Island, with 21 positive samples (35.

Free-ranging avifauna as a source of generalist parasites for captive birds in zoological settings: An overview of parasite records and potential for cross-transmission.

Captive birds in zoological settings often harbor parasites, but little information is available about the potential for free-ranging avifauna to act as a source of infection. This review summarizes the gastrointestinal parasites found in zoo birds globally and in seven common free-ranging avian species [mallard (), Eurasian blackbird (), common starling (), Eurasian jackdaw (), house sparrow (), European robin (), and rock dove ()] to identify the overlap and discuss the potential for cross-species transmission. Over 70 references were assessed, and papers spanned over 90 years from 1925 to 2019.

Diversity of compounds in femoral secretions of Galápagos iguanas (genera: and ), and their potential role in sexual communication in lek-mating marine iguanas ().

Background: Chemical signals are widely used in the animal kingdom, enabling communication in various social contexts, including mate selection and the establishment of dominance. Femoral glands, which produce and release waxy secretions into the environment, are organs of central importance in lizard chemical communication. The Galápagos marine iguana () is a squamate reptile with a lek-mating system.

Gastrointestinal Parasites in the Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) of Galápagos.

Using a fecal flotation technique, we detected three genera of endoparasites in the critically endangered Waved Albatross (Phoebastria irrorata) of Galápagos. These genera were Contracaecum, Tetrabothrius, and Cardiocephaloides. Juvenile albatrosses were more likely to be infected than adults, but we found no effect of sex or mass on infection probability.

DDT in endangered Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki).

We characterize for the first time the presence of DDT and its metabolites in tropical Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wolleabeki). ∑DDT concentrations in Galapagos sea lion pups sampled in 2005 and 2008 ranged from 16 to 3070 μg/kg lipid. Concentrations of ∑DDT in pups in 2008 averaged 525 μg/kg lipid and were 1.

110 years of Avipoxvirus in the Galapagos Islands.

The role of disease in regulating populations is controversial, partly owing to the absence of good disease records in historic wildlife populations. We examined birds collected in the Galapagos Islands between 1891 and 1906 that are currently held at the California Academy of Sciences and the Zoologisches Staatssammlung Muenchen, including 3973 specimens representing species from two well-studied families of endemic passerine birds: finches and mockingbirds. Beginning with samples collected in 1899, we observed cutaneous lesions consistent with Avipoxvirus on 226 (6.

Causes of mortality of wild birds submitted to the Charles Darwin Research Station, Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador from 2002-2004.

Necropsy findings were reviewed from wild birds submitted to the Charles Darwin Research Station, Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos Archipelago between 2004 and 2006. One hundred and ninety cases from 27 different species were submitted, and 178 of these cases were evaluated grossly or histologically. Trauma and trauma-related deaths (n=141) dominated necropsy submissions.

Characterization of canarypox-like viruses infecting endemic birds in the Galápagos Islands.

The presence of avian pox in endemic birds in the Galápagos Islands has led to concern that the health of these birds may be threatened by avipoxvirus introduction by domestic birds. We describe here a simple polymerase chain reaction-based method for identification and discrimination of avipoxvirus strains similar to the fowlpox or canarypox viruses. This method, in conjunction with DNA sequencing of two polymerase chain reaction-amplified loci totaling about 800 bp, was used to identify two avipoxvirus strains, Gal1 and Gal2, in pox lesions from yellow warblers (Dendroica petechia), finches (Geospiza spp.