Pathology of sarcoptic mange in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes): macroscopic and histologic characterization of three disease stages.

Sarcoptic mange is a highly contagious skin disease that can have a devastating impact on affected wild mammal populations. There are notable variations in the clinical and pathologic picture of sarcoptic mange among species and among conspecifics. However, the origin of these variations is unclear.

Septicaemia caused by Edwardsiella tarda and Plesiomonas shigelloides in captive penguin chicks.

Three cases of fatal septicaemia due to Plesiomonas shigelloides and one due to Edwardsiella tarda were diagnosed in newborn penguins from the Basle Zoo, Switzerland from 2003 to 2007. The affected penguins were of two different species (king penguin, Aptenodytes patagonicus, and African penguin, Spheniscus demersus) and between 2 and 10 days old at the time of death. The causative agents, E.

Is ITS-2 rDNA suitable marker for genetic characterization of Sarcoptes mites from different wild animals in different geographic areas?

The present study examined the relationship among individual Sarcoptes scabiei mites from 13 wild mammalian populations belonging to nine species in four European countries using the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) as genetic marker. The ITS-2 plus primer flanking 5.8S and 28S rDNA (ITS-2+) was amplified from individual mites by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the amplicons were sequenced directly.

Rapid diagnosis and quantification of Francisella tularensis in organs of naturally infected common squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus).

Francisella tularensis, a small Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium, is the causative agent of tularaemia, a severe zoonotic disease transmitted to humans mostly by vectors such as ticks, flies and mosquitoes. The disease is endemic in many parts of the northern hemisphere. Among animals, the most affected species belong to rodents and lagomorphs, in particular hares.

Transient Expression of a Major Ampullate Spidroin 1 Gene Fragment from sp. in Mammalian Cells.

Spider silk possesses extraordinary and unsurpassed mechanical properties and several attempts have been made to artificially produce spider silk in order to manufacture strong and light engineering composites. In the field of oncology, recombinant spider silk has the potential to be used as a biomaterial for bone replacement after tumour surgery. In this study, a 636-base pair gene fragment, coding for a part of major ampullate spidroin 1 from the African spider, Euprosthenops sp.