AN OUTBREAK OF FELINE INFECTIOUS PERITONITIS IN THREE RELATED SAND CATS () IN HUMAN CARE.

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a systemic disease in felid species caused by infection with mutated forms of feline coronavirus (FCoV), and outbreaks can devastate exotic felid populations in human care. Feline infectious peritonitis was diagnosed in three of four related juvenile sand cats () from a single institution over a 6-wk period. Case 1 was a 7-mon-old male found deceased with no premonitory signs.

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A NOVEL DUPLEX PROBE-HYBRIDIZATION QUANTITATIVE PCR FOR LYMPHOMA-ASSOCIATED MIROUNGINE GAMMAHERPESVIRUS 3 IN NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS (MIROUNGA ANGUSTIROSTRIS).

Recently, a novel gammaherpesvirus, miroungine gammaherpesvirus 3 (MirGHV3), was described in two juvenile elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. We developed and validated a quantitative (q)PCR for rapid detection of MirGHV3 and investigated its potential association with lymphoma. We developed a duplex probe-hybridization qPCR with MirGHV3 DNA polymerase (pol) as the target gene.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma and a novel gammaherpesvirus in northern elephant seals Mirounga angustirostris.

Two emaciated male northern elephant seal (NES) Mirounga angustirostris pups were admitted to The Marine Mammal Center (Sausalito, California, USA) and treated for malnutrition. Complete blood counts showed a progressive moderate to marked leukocytosis characterized by a predominance of large monomorphic mononuclear cells of probable lymphoid origin, frequently with flower-shaped nuclei. Both seals were euthanized due to suspected lymphoid neoplasia.

Gut microbiota and age shape susceptibility to clostridial enteritis in lorikeets under human care.

Background: Enteritis is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in lorikeets that can be challenging to diagnose and treat. In this study, we examine gut microbiota in two lorikeet flocks with enteritis (Columbus Zoo and Aquarium-CZA; Denver Zoo-DZ). Since 2012, the CZA flock has experienced repeated outbreaks of enteritis despite extensive diet, husbandry, and clinical modifications.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs restore immune function to respiratory syncytial virus in geriatric cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus).

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is not only a childhood disease, but also a serious health risk for the elderly. We investigated in cotton rats how age affected viral clearance, immune responses, and whether pharmacological intervention was beneficial. Our results demonstrated that in geriatric animals, virus grew to similar titers, but with delayed clearance, compared to adult animals.

Consistency and strength of grapheme-color associations are separable aspects of synesthetic experience.

Consistency of synesthetic associations over time is a widely used test of synesthesia. Since many studies suggest that consistency is not a completely reliable feature, we compared the consistency and strength of synesthetes' grapheme-color associations. Consistency was measured by scores on the Synesthesia Battery and by the Euclidean distance in color space for the specific graphemes tested for each participant.

Immunogenicity and inflammatory properties of respiratory syncytial virus attachment G protein in cotton rats.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in infants and young children worldwide. The attachment (G) protein of RSV is synthesized by infected cells in both a membrane bound (mG) and secreted form (sG) and uses a CX3C motif for binding to its cellular receptor. Cell culture and mouse studies suggest that the G protein mimics the cytokine CX3CL1 by binding to CX3CR1 on immune cells, which is thought to cause increased pulmonary inflammation in vivo.

Cotton Rat Placenta Anatomy and Fc Receptor Expression and Their Roles in Maternal Antibody Transfer.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and viral pneumonia in infants and young children worldwide. Currently no vaccine is available to prevent RSV infection, but virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies can be given prophylactically, emphasizing the protective potential of antibodies. One concept of RSV vaccinology is mothers' immunization to induce high antibody titers, leading to passive transfer of high levels of maternal antibody to the fetus through the placenta and to the neonate through colostrum.

Pulmonary function analysis in cotton rats after respiratory syncytial virus infection.

The cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is an excellent small animal model for human respiratory viral infections such as human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV). These respiratory viral infections, as well as other pulmonary inflammatory diseases such as asthma, are associated with lung mechanic disturbances. So far, the pathophysiological effects of viral infection and allergy on cotton rat lungs have not been measured, although this information might be an important tool to determine the efficacy of vaccine and drug candidates.

Patterns of Osteopontin Expression in Abusive Head Trauma Compared with Other Causes of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective: To examine levels of plasma osteopontin (OPN), a recently described neuroinflammatory biomarker, in children with abusive head trauma (AHT) compared with children with other types of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Study Design: The study cohort comprised children aged <4 years diagnosed with TBI and seen in the intensive care unit in a tertiary children's hospital. Patients were classified as having confirmed or suspected AHT or TBI by other mechanisms (eg, motor vehicle accidents), as identified by a Child Protection Team clinician.

SYSTEMIC AMYLOIDOSIS IN A POPULATION OF PRONGHORN ANTELOPE ().

Thirteen pronghorn antelope () from a single captive herd at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium underwent complete or partial necropsies between 1997 and 2016. Ten of the 13 animals had histologic evidence of amyloidosis resulting in a 77% prevalence. Histologic and ultrastructural changes were characterized in an attempt to determine the underlying cause of the amyloid.

Synesthesia strengthens sound-symbolic cross-modal correspondences.

Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which an experience in one domain is accompanied by an involuntary secondary experience in another, unrelated domain; in classical synesthesia, these associations are arbitrary and idiosyncratic. Cross-modal correspondences refer to universal associations between seemingly unrelated sensory features, e.g.

The functional significance of the last 5 residues of the C-terminus of cardiac troponin I.

The C-terminal region of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is known to be important in cardiac function, as removal of the last 17 C-terminal residues of human cTnI has been associated with myocardial stunning. To investigate the C-terminal region of cTnI, three C-terminal deletion mutations in human cTnI were generated: Δ1 (deletion of residue 210), Δ3 (deletion of residues 208-210), and Δ5 (deletion of residues 206-210). Mammalian two-hybrid studies showed that the interactions between cTnI mutants and cardiac troponin C (cTnC) or cardiac troponin T (cTnT) were impaired in Δ3 and Δ5 mutants when compared to wild-type cTnI.

Emotion regulation difficulties in anorexia nervosa before and after inpatient weight restoration.

Objective: This study examined: (1) changes in emotion regulation difficulties in underweight inpatients with anorexia nervosa (AN) following weight restoration, (2) differences in emotion regulation between AN subtypes at acute and weight-restored stages of illness.

Method: Repeated measure analyses of variance examined changes in scores on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz and Roemer, J Psychopathol Behav Assess, 26, 41-54, 2004) and other clinical variables in a group of inpatients with AN from hospital admission (N = 65) to weight restoration (N = 51). Correlations between BMI and DERS scores at both time points were examined.

The evolution of intergroup bias: perceptions and attitudes in rhesus macaques.

Social psychologists have learned a great deal about the nature of intergroup conflict and the attitudinal and cognitive processes that enable it. Less is known about where these processes come from in the first place. In particular, do our strategies for dealing with other groups emerge in the absence of human-specific experiences? One profitable way to answer this question has involved administering tests that are conceptual equivalents of those used with adult humans in other species, thereby exploring the continuity or discontinuity of psychological processes.

Helping behaviour and regard for others in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella).

Altruism is an evolutionary puzzle. To date, much debate has focused on whether helping others without regard to oneself is a uniquely human behaviour, with a variety of empirical studies demonstrating a lack of altruistic behaviour in chimpanzees even when the demands of behaving altruistically seem minimal. By contrast, a recent experiment has demonstrated that chimpanzees will help a human experimenter to obtain an out-of-reach object, irrespective of whether or not they are offered a reward for doing so, suggesting that the cognitions underlying altruistic behaviour may be highly sensitive to situational demands.