Unilateral phacoemulsification in a captive African elephant ().

Background: The following case reports describe the clinical presentation, surgical protocol, post-operative care, and long-term follow-up of an African elephant () presenting with a unilateral cataract.

Case Description: A 42-year-old female African elephant presented for the assessment of ocular discomfort and visual deterioration in the left eye. Pre-surgical treatment included topical anti-inflammatory medication for 20 days prior to surgery.

CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS IN A WILD FAR EASTERN LEOPARD ( PANTHERA PARDUS ORIENTALIS).

The critically endangered population of Far Eastern leopards ( Panthera pardus orientalis) may number as few as 60 individuals and is at risk from stochastic processes such as infectious disease. During May 2015, a case of canine distemper virus (CDV) was diagnosed in a wild leopard exhibiting severe neurologic disease in the Russian territory of Primorskii Krai. Amplified sequences of the CDV hemagglutinin gene and phosphoprotein gene aligned within the Arctic-like clade of CDV, which includes viruses from elsewhere in Russia, China, Europe, and North America.

Detection of Hepatozoon felis in Ticks Collected from Free-Ranging Amur Tigers ( Panthera tigris altaica), Russian Far East, 2002-12.

We collected 69 ticks from nine, free-ranging Amur tigers ( Panthera tigris altaica) between 2002 and 2011 and investigated them for tick-borne pathogens. DNA was extracted using alkaline digestion and PCR was performed to detect apicomplexan organisms. Partial 18S rDNA amplification products were obtained from 14 ticks from four tigers, of which 13 yielded unambiguous nucleotide sequence data.

Serosurvey of free-ranging Amur tigers in the Russian Far East.

Wild Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica, n=44) from the Russian Far East were tested for antibodies to feline leukemia virus, feline corona virus (FCoV), feline immunodeficiency virus, feline parvovirus (FPV), canine distemper virus (CDV), Toxoplasma gondii, and Bartonella henselae. Antibodies to FCoV, CDV, FPV, and T. gondii were detected in 43, 15, 68, and 42% of tigers, respectively.

Characterization of cauxin in the urine of domestic and big cats.

Cauxin is an abundant protein in feline urine. We have used proteomics strategies to characterize cauxin from the urine of domestic cats and a number of big cat species. Proteins were resolved by gel-based electrophoretic purification and subjected to in-gel digestion with trypsin.

Peri-anaesthetic and anaesthetic-related mortality risks in great apes (Hominidae) in zoological collections in the UK and Ireland.

Objective: To estimate the risk of death and identify the major risk factors for peri-anaesthetic mortality in great apes (Hominidae) that underwent anaesthesia in zoological collections in the UK and Ireland between 1 January 1990 and 30 June 2005.

Study Design: confidential, retrospective cohort study.

Animal Population: The study population comprised all great apes from 16 zoological collections in the UK and Ireland that were anaesthetised during that period.

Field use of isoflurane and air anesthetic equipment in wildlife.

Conventional inhalation anesthesia of wildlife species within natural habitats presents significant practical problems. Heavy cylinders of medical grade oxygen are often unavailable in field situations. Equipment has been modified to permit the delivery of isoflurane in ambient air as the carrier and to be fitted with circuitry adaptable for different species and anesthetic situations.