Midge Abundance across Years: Modeling Inter-Annual Variation for an Avian Feeder and a Candidate Vector of Hemorrhagic Diseases in Farmed Wildlife.

(1) Background: Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) and bluetongue virus (BTV) are orbiviruses that cause hemorrhagic disease (HD) with significant economic and population health impacts on domestic livestock and wildlife. In the United States, white-tailed deer () are particularly susceptible to these viruses and are a frequent blood meal host for various species of biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) that transmit orbiviruses. The species of that transmit EHDV and BTV vary between regions, and larval habitats can differ widely between vector species.

LETHAL TOXIN NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY RESPONSE INDUCED FOLLOWING ORAL VACCINATION WITH A MICROENCAPSULATED STERNE STRAIN 34F2 VACCINE PROOF-OF-CONCEPT STUDY IN WHITE-TAILED DEER ().

Improved methods are needed to prevent wildlife deaths from anthrax. Caused by , naturally occurring outbreaks of anthrax are frequent but unpredictable. The commercially available veterinary vaccine is labeled for subcutaneous injection and is impractical for large-scale wildlife vaccination programs; therefore, oral vaccination is the most realistic method to control and prevent these outbreaks.

In Vitro Protection and Titer Duration of Anthrax-Specific Antibodies Following Subcutaneous Vaccination of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with Bacillus anthracis Sterne 34F2 Strain Spores.

Outbreaks of anthrax, caused by the soilborne bacterium Bacillus anthracis, are a continuous threat to free-ranging livestock and wildlife in enzootic regions of the United States, sometimes causing mass mortalities. Injectable anthrax vaccines are commercially available for use in livestock, and although hand injection is not a cost- or time-effective long-term management plan for prevention in wildlife, it may provide a tool for managers to target selectively animals of high conservation or economic value. Vaccine-induced anthrax-specific antibody responses have been reported previously in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), but the protective nature was not determined.

Unsuccessful Chemical Immobilization of a Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus) Using a Premixed Medetomidine-Ketamine Combination.

We unsuccessfully attempted to safely chemically immobilize a roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) with a premixed combination of medetomidine (5 mg/mL) and ketamine (150 mg/mL) for injury treatment. This dose (0.066 mg/kg medetomidine and 1.

Characterization of Bacillus anthracis replication and persistence on environmental substrates associated with wildlife anthrax outbreaks.

Anthrax is a zoonosis caused by the environmentally maintained, spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis, affecting humans, livestock, and wildlife nearly worldwide. Bacterial spores are ingested, inhaled, and may be mechanically transmitted by biting insects or injection as occurs during heroin-associated human cases. Herbivorous hoofstock are very susceptible to anthrax.

Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies longer than 13 months in naturally infected, captive white-tailed deer (), Texas.

After identifying a captive herd of white-tailed deer in central Texas with >94% seroprevalence with SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in September 2021, we worked retrospectively through archived serum samples of 21 deer and detected seroconversion of all animals between December 2020 and January 2021. We then collected prospective samples to conclude that the duration of persistence of neutralizing antibodies is at least 13 months for 19 (90.5%) of the animals, with two animals converting to seronegative after six and eight months.

Culicoides species community composition and infection status with parasites in an urban environment of east central Texas, USA.

Background: Despite their importance as vectors of zoonotic parasites that can impact human and animal health, Culicoides species distribution across different habitat types is largely unknown. Here we document the community composition of Culicoides found in an urban environment including developed and natural sites in east central Texas, a region of high vector diversity due to subtropical climates, and report their infection status with haemoparasites.

Results: A total of 251 individual Culicoides were collected from May to June 2016 representing ten Culicoides species, dominated by C.