Validation of a LC-MS/MS method to simultaneously quantify thiafentanil and naltrexone in plasma for pharmacokinetic studies in wildlife.

Thiafentanil is a popular opioid agonist that is fully reversed by administering naltrexone. This agonist-antagonist combination is administered to a wide variety of wildlife species for chemical immobilisation, however plasma concentrations for thiafentanil remain unreported. This report describes a method that was developed and validated using human plasma and cross-validated for the analysis of goat plasma.

A comparison of immobilisation quality and cardiorespiratory effects of etorphine-azaperone versus etorphine-midazolam combinations in blesbok.

The study compared immobilisation of blesbok () with etorphine and azaperone vs etorphine and midazolam. Twelve female blesbok, weighing 59.4 ± 2.

Evaluation of two different etorphine doses combined with azaperone in blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi) immobilisation.

Chemical immobilisation is essential for veterinarians to perform medical procedures in wild African ungulates. Potent opioids combined with neuroleptic drugs are most often used for this purpose. The present study aimed at comparing the quality of immobilisation and effects on physiological variables between a high (high etorphine-azaperone [HE]: 0.

EVALUATING THE USE OF A BUTORPHANOL-AZAPERONE-MEDETOMIDINE FIXED-DOSE COMBINATION FOR STANDING SEDATION IN AFRICAN ELEPHANTS ().

This study investigated the use of a fixed-dose combination of 30 mg/ml butorphanol, 12 mg/ml azaperone, and 12 mg/ml medetomidine for the standing sedation of captive African elephants (). In total, seven females (mean age 19.6 yr; range 6-31 yr) and six males (mean age 33.

Comparison of some cardiopulmonary effects of etorphine and thiafentanil during the chemical immobilization of blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi).

Objective: To determine the cardiopulmonary effects of etorphine and thiafentanil for immobilization of blesbok.

Study Design: Blinded, randomized, two-way crossover study.

Animals: A group of eight adult female blesbok.

Comparison of cardiopulmonary effects of etorphine and thiafentanil administered as sole agents for immobilization of impala (Aepyceros melampus).

Objective: To compare the cardiopulmonary effects of the opioids etorphine and thiafentanil for immobilization of impala.

Study Design: Two-way crossover, randomized study.

Animals: A group of eight adult female impala.

Do potent immobilising-opioids induce different physiological effects in impala and blesbok?

Potent opioids are known to cause negative alterations to the physiology of immobilised antelope. How these effects differ between species has not been studied. This study aimed to compare time to recumbence and effects of opioid-based immobilisation on the physiology of impala (Aepyceros melampus) and blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi).

Immobilization quality and cardiopulmonary effects of etorphine alone compared with etorphine-azaperone in blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi).

Objective: To evaluate the immobilization quality and cardiopulmonary effects of etorphine alone compared with etorphine-azaperone in blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi).

Study Design: Blinded, randomized, crossover design.

Animals: A total of 12 boma-habituated female blesbok weighing [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] 57.

Evaluation of the reliability of pulse oximetry, at different attachment sites, to detect hypoxaemia in immobilized impala (Aepyceros melampus).

Objective: Evaluation of the reliability of pulse oximetry at four different attachment sites compared to haemoglobin oxygen saturation measured by a co-oximeter and calculated by a blood gas analyser in immobilized impala.

Study Design: Randomized crossover study.

Animals: A total of 16 female impala.

Adenoviral hepatitis in two Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) hatchlings from South Africa.

Adenoviral infections may cause mild to severe morbidity or fatality in a large array of animal species. In crocodilians, hatchlings under 5 months of age are usually affected. However, there is a paucity of information on actual incidences in hatchlings originating from South Africa.

Dose-effect study of the serotonin agonist R-8-OH-DPAT on opioid-induced respiratory depression in blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus philipsi) and impala (Aepyceros melampus).

Objective: To determine whether the R-enantiomer of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (R-8-OH-DPAT) alleviates respiratory depression in antelope species immobilized with etorphine. The experiment also aimed to establish the most clinically effective dose of this serotonin 5- HT receptor agonist.

Animals: A group of six female blesbok and six female impala.

Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability after intramuscular injection of the 5-HT serotonin agonist R-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) in domestic goats (Capra aegagrus hircus).

To determine the bioavailability and pharmacokinetic properties of the serotonin 5-HT receptor agonist R-8-OH-DPAT in goats, and 0.1 mg kg R-8-OH-DPAT hydrobromide was administered intramuscularly (i.m.

Evaluation of butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine in captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) immobilization.

Objective: The butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine fixed-dose combination (BAM, respectively, 30-12-12 mg mL) with subsequent antagonism by naltrexone-atipamezole was evaluated for reversible immobilization of captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Study Design: Prospective, clinical trial.

Animals: Twelve cheetahs (six males and six females, weighing 37-57 kg) housed in enclosures, were immobilized at Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre in the Republic of South Africa.

Evaluation of butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine (BAM) in captive blesbok immobilization (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi).

Objective: The fixed-dose combination of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine (BAM; 30, 12 and 12 mg mL, respectively) with subsequent antagonism by naltrexone-atipamezole was evaluated for reversible immobilization of captive blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi).

Study Design: Prospective, clinical trial.

Animals: Sixteen blesbok (four males and twelve females), weighing 52.

Perineal urethrostomy to treat obstructive urolithiasis in a captive hand-raised steenbok ().

The steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) is a small antelope of the family Bovidae native to the African continent. Urolithiasis, the formation of urinary calculi in the urinary tract, can be caused by a variety of factors such as diet, dehydration, infection and anatomical predisposition. Urolithiasis, with uroliths identified as magnesium calcium phosphate carbonate in composition, was diagnosed in a hand-reared 5-month-old steenbok.

Evaluation of BAM (butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine) in captive African lion (Panthera leo) immobilization.

Objective: The combination of butorphanol, azaperone and medetomidine (BAM) with subsequent antagonism by naltrexone-yohimbine or naltrexone-atipamezole was evaluated for reversible immobilization of captive African lions (Panthea leo).

Study Design: Prospective, clinical trial.

Animals: Twenty lions, 11 males and nine females, weighing 38-284 kg were immobilized in South Africa.

Capture of farmed Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus): comparison of physiological parameters after manual capture and after capture with electrical stunning.

The electric stunner (e-stunner) is commonly used to handle Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) on commercial farms in South Africa, but while it seems to improve handling and safety for the keepers, no information regarding physiological reactions to e-stunning is currently available. The aim of this study was therefore to compare various physiological parameters in farmed C niloticus captured either manually (noosing) or by using an e-stunner. A total of 45 crocodiles were captured at a South African farm by either e-stunning or noosing, and blood samples were taken immediately as well as four hours after capture.

Malignant Catarrhal Fever: An Emerging Disease in the African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer).

Within the tribe Bovini in the subfamily Bovinae, the water buffalo (Bubalus Bubalis), American bison (Bison bison), European bison (Bubalus bonasus) and yak (Bos grunniens) are recognized as species highly susceptible to malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). In contrast, the lack of reports describing clinical MCF in the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) whether free ranging or captive has led to a perception that African buffaloes are resistant to MCF. During the last decade, several cases of MCF in African buffaloes were confirmed in South Africa and experience with seven of these cases is described in this report.

Tick-borne blood parasites in nyala (Tragelaphus angasii, Gray 1849) from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

A total of 97 blood samples of nyala (Tragelaphus angasii, Gray 1849) from South Africa were tested for the presence of tick-borne haemoparasites by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization. The majority of blood samples contained several different haemoparasites, often in combination. Prevalent haemoparasites were Theileria sp.

Possible death of a buffalo calf (Syncercus caffer) due to suspected heartwater (Ehrlichia ruminantium).

Rickettsial organisms resembling Ehrlichia ruminantium (the causative organism of heartwater) were demonstrated in brain smears and formalin-fixed brain sections derived from a buffalo calf that died on a private game reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The possibility that the tick-free environment of a quarantine boma may have affected the calf's immunity, is discussed. These findings suggest that monitoring heartwater in wild ruminants and making brain smears as a routine during post mortem evaluations of wild ruminants, should be encouraged.

Newcastle disease and avian influenza A virus in wild waterfowl in South Africa.

In an intensive ostrich farming area in South Africa with a history of ostrich influenza outbreaks, we conducted a survey of avian influenza virus (AIV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in wild aquatic birds. During late autumn and winter 1998, the time of year when outbreaks in ostriches typically start to occur, 262 aquatic birds comprising 14 species were sampled and tested for both virus infections. From eight samples, AIV, serotype H10N9, could be isolated.