PMEL is involved in snake colour pattern transition from blotches to stripes.

Corn snakes are emerging models for animal colouration studies. Here, we focus on the Terrazzo morph, whose skin pattern is characterized by stripes rather than blotches. Using genome mapping, we discover a disruptive mutation in the coding region of the Premelanosome protein (PMEL) gene.

Evidence for seasonal shift in the reproduction of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) in managed care in the Northern hemisphere compared to the natural habitat in the Southern hemisphere.

Ex situ breeding constitutes an important tool for species conservation; however, many reptile species are not managed sustainably under human care due to poor fecundity in ex situ settings. In this study, we tested whether the translocation of a seasonally reproducing species to a different environment results in decoupling of extrinsic signals and intrinsic conditions. The endocrinological patterns of plasma steroid sex hormones, follicular development, and mating behaviour of two female and two male sexually mature Aldabra tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) in a zoological institution in the Northern hemisphere was aligned with enclosure climate data (mean monthly daylight duration, temperature, and precipitation) and compared with respective hormone patterns of wild individuals and climate conditions in the native habitat on the Aldabra Atoll in the Southern hemisphere.

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE IN FEMALE VEILED CHAMELEONS ().

Female veiled chameleons, , have a high fecundity and fast maturation, which makes them a suitable model species for squamate reproduction. The authors investigated the morphological follicular development of a group of 20 healthy adult animals over a 12-mon period using ultrasonography (US) and CT. Four stages of follicular development could be distinguished by imaging diagnostics and were confirmed by histology: previtellogenesis, vitellogenesis, gravidity, and atresia.

Somitic positional information guides self-organized patterning of snake scales.

Two influential concepts in tissue patterning are Wolpert's positional information and Turing's self-organized reaction-diffusion (RD). The latter establishes the patterning of hair and feathers. Here, our morphological, genetic, and functional-by CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene disruption-characterization of wild-type versus "scaleless" snakes reveals that the near-perfect hexagonal pattern of snake scales is established through interactions between RD in the skin and somitic positional information.

Fecal adrenal hormone patterns during ovulatory and non-ovulatory reproductive cycles in female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus).

The relationship between the reproductive (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal; HPG) and adrenal (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal; HPA) hormone axes is complex and can vary depending on the species and environmental factors affecting an individual. In an effort to understand this relationship in female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus), the patterns of fecal metabolites of corticosterone (C), estradiol (E), testosterone (T), and progesterone (P) were analyzed by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) during ovulatory (OC; eggs laid) and non-ovulatory cycles (NOC; no eggs laid). Glucocorticoid (GC) metabolites in the fecal extracts were characterized by HPLC and corticosterone EIA performance was assessed by parallelism, accuracy and precision tests.

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Guidelines to Abnormal Behavior in Captive Nonhuman Primates.

Abnormal behavior in nonhuman primates is oftentimes prematurely blamed on certain conditions, in the case of captive non-human primates, readily so on their husbandry, largely ignoring the underlying pathophysiological processes in the brain. Each life history shapes an individual's predisposition to develop or resist the development of a psychopathological disorder, which manifests itself in abnormal behavior when triggered by certain situations or conditions. In order to sustainably address the symptoms of psychopathologies, therapeutic approaches must be based on a structured, comprehensive diagnostic procedure, including behavioral and functional analyses, research into life history, and personality assessment.

Orchiectomy in species: technical aspects and effect on courtship behaviour.

Courtship behaviour of tortoises includes biting, ramming, chasing, same-sex sexual behaviour, and it commonly is excessive in European tortoise species kept as pets. As a result, males are kept individually. To assess the effect of orchiectomy on excessive courtship behaviour in European tortoises, 50 tortoises ( , and ) underwent endoscopically assisted orchiectomy from April through September 2013 to 2017.

REVIEW: PSYCHOPATHOLOGIES IN CAPTIVE NONHUMAN PRIMATES AND APPROACHES TO DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT.

  Despite the growing knowledge and literature on primate medicine, assessment and treatment of behavioral abnormalities in nonhuman primates (NHPs) is an underdeveloped field. There is ample evidence for similarity between humans and great apes, including basic neurologic physiology and emotional processes, and no substantial argument exists against a concept of continuity for abnormal conditions in NHPs that emerge in response to adverse experiences, akin to human psychopathology. NHPs have served as models for human psychopathologies for many decades, but the acquired knowledge has only hesitantly been applied to primates themselves.

New Avian Hepadnavirus in Palaeognathous Bird, Germany.

In 2015, we identified an avian hepatitis B virus associated with hepatitis in a group of captive elegant-crested tinamous (Eudromia elegans) in Germany. The full-length genome of this virus shares <76% sequence identity with other avihepadnaviruses. The virus may therefore be considered a new extant avian hepadnavirus.

CONTINUOUS INTRAVENOUS INFUSION ANESTHESIA WITH MEDETOMIDINE, KETAMINE, AND MIDAZOLAM AFTER INDUCTION WITH A COMBINATION OF ETORPHINE, MEDETOMIDINE, AND MIDAZOLAM OR WITH MEDETOMIDINE, KETAMINE, AND BUTORPHANOL IN IMPALA (AEPYCEROS MELAMPUS).

In order to develop a long-term anesthesia for flighty antelope species in field situations, two different protocols for induction and maintenance with an intravenous infusion were evaluated in wild-caught impala ( Aepyceros melampus ). Ten adult female impala were induced with two induction protocols: one consisted of 0.2 mg/kg medetomidine, 4 mg/kg ketamine, and 0.

Propofol-medetomidine-ketamine total intravenous anaesthesia in thiafentanil-medetomidine-immobilized impala (Aepyceros melampus).

Objective: To characterize a propofol-medetomidine-ketamine total intravenous anaesthetic in impala (Aepyceros melampus).

Study Design: Prospective clinical study.

Animals: Ten adult female impala.

ETORPHINE-KETAMINE-MEDETOMIDINE TOTAL INTRAVENOUS ANESTHESIA IN WILD IMPALA (AEPYCEROS MELAMPUS) OF 120-MINUTE DURATION.

There is a growing necessity to perform long-term anesthesia in wildlife, especially antelope. The costs and logistics of transporting wildlife to veterinary practices make surgical intervention a high-stakes operation. Thus there is a need for a field-ready total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) infusion to maintain anesthesia in antelope.

Serum protein electrophoresis by using high-resolution agarose gel in clinically healthy and Aspergillus species-infected falcons.

Serum protein electrophoresis has gained importance in avian medicine during the past decade. Interpretation of electrophoretic patterns should be based on species-specific reference intervals and the electrophoresis gel system. In this study, serum protein electrophoresis by using high-resolution agarose gels was performed on blood samples collected from 105 falcons, including peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus), saker falcons (Falco cherrug), red-naped shaheens (Falco pelegrinoides babylonicus), and hybrid falcons, that were submitted to the Dubai Falcon Hospital (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) between 2003 and 2006.

Neoplasia of captive yellow sea horses (Hippocampus kuda) and weedy sea dragons (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus).

Syngnathidae is the family of fish that includes sea horses, pipefish, and sea dragons. To date, only a single publication has described neoplasia in syngnathids, a fibrosarcoma of the brood pouch in an aquarium-reared lined sea horse (Hippocampus erectus). From 1998 until 2010, the Toronto Zoo submitted 172 syngnathids for postmortem; species included the spotted or yellow sea horse (Hippocampus kuda), the pot-bellied sea horse (Hippocampus abdominalis) and the weedy sea dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus).

Noninvasive analysis of fecal reproductive hormone metabolites in female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) by enzyme immunoassay.

The noninvasive technique of gonadal steroid metabolite measurement in feces for evaluation of reproductive activity has proven an effective and important tool for population management in various captive species, but has not yet been validated and used in reptile species. In this study, enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) were validated for the analysis of fecal samples from female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) for estrogen (E2), testosterone (T), and progesterone (P) and their metabolites. High performance liquid chromatography and physiological methods (GnRH stimulation) were used for the validation of the assays.

Cerebral xanthomatosis in three green water dragons (Physignathus cocincinus).

Cerebral xanthomatosis was diagnosed in three female green water dragons (Physignathus cocincinus), all of which presented with progressive neurologic signs. No antemortem evidence for xanthomatosis was identified, but on postmortem examination cholesterol granulomas, composed of cholesterol clefts surrounded by macrophages and multinucleated giant cells, were found in the forebrain of each animal and were associated with significant displacement and pressure on the adjacent brain. Although the cause of xanthomatosis in these animals is unknown, nutrition and trauma may be involved in the pathogenesis of this condition.

Fecal hormone patterns during non-ovulatory reproductive cycles in female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus).

Reproductive failure, in particular preovulatory stasis, is a common problem in captive female reptiles. For a better understanding of its pathogenesis, the patterns of fecal estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), progesterone (P) and their metabolites of 21 anovulatory female veiled chameleons, Chamaeleo calyptratus, were compared with those of 25 animals which ovulated during at least one cycle over the study period. Regular, cyclical hormone patterns, consisting of E2 peaks followed by simultaneous T and P peaks, were observed in all animals, regardless of whether oviposition occurred, indicating continuous ovarian activity.

Characterization of fecal hormone patterns associated with the reproductive cycle in female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus).

Reptiles have gained popularity in the North American and European pet trade. Large numbers of captive-born veiled chameleons, Chamaeleo calyptratus, are produced annually but knowledge of their reproductive cycle has been limited to anecdotal observations. This study describes the hormonal changes associated with reproductive cycling in female veiled chameleons using non-invasive fecal evaluation of metabolites of the three principal ovarian steroids, estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), progesterone (P), and their metabolites, by enzyme immunoassays.

Anesthetic management of a white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) undergoing an emergency exploratory celiotomy for colic.

Observations: A 26-year-old male white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), weighing approximately 2000 kg was anesthetized for an exploratory celiotomy. Sedation was achieved with intramuscular butorphanol (0.04 mg kg(-1)) and detomidine (0.

Pharmacokinetics of buprenorphine after single-dose subcutaneous administration in red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans).

Buprenorphine, a mu opioid receptor agonist, is expected to be a suitable analgesic drug for use in reptiles. However, to date, dosage recommendations have been based on anecdotal observations. The aim of this study was to provide baseline pharmacokinetic data in red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) targeting a plasma level of 1 ng/ml reported effective for analgesia in humans.

Feline coronavirus serotypes 1 and 2: seroprevalence and association with disease in Switzerland.

To determine the prevalence of antibodies to feline coronavirus (FCoV) serotypes 1 and 2 in Switzerland and their association with different disease manifestations, a serological study based on immunofluorescence tests was conducted with Swiss field cats using transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), FCoV type 1 and FCoV type 2 as antigens. A total of 639 serum samples collected in the context of different studies from naturally infected cats were tested. The current study revealed that, with an apparent prevalence of 83%, FCoV serotype 1 is the most prevalent serotype in Switzerland.