Evaluating the transmission dynamics and host competency of aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) experimentally infected with Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and leukotoxigenic Pasteurellaceae.

Feral populations of aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) occur in Texas bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) habitat and pose several conceptual ecological threats to bighorn sheep re-establishment efforts. The potential threat of disease transmission from aoudad to bighorn sheep may exacerbate these issues, but the host competency of aoudad and subsequent pathophysiology and transmissibility of pneumonic pathogens involved in the bighorn sheep respiratory disease complex is largely unknown. Because the largest population-limiting diseases of bighorn sheep involve pathogens causing bronchopneumonia, we evaluated the host competency of aoudad for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and leukotoxigenic Pasteurellaceae.

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.

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.

Safety and Efficacy of Nalbuphine, Medetomidine, and Azaperone for Immobilizing Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia).

We evaluated the safety and efficacy of nalbuphine (40 mg/mL), plus medetomidine (10 mg/mL), plus azaperone (10 mg/mL) under the premixed label NalMed-A. From January to March 2020, 10 aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) were immobilized via dart-gun for seven separate sampling periods for a total of 45 recorded individual immobilization events. Induction and reversal times with NalMed-A were 5.

High Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at One of Three Captive Cervid Facilities in Texas.

Free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) across the United States are increasingly recognized for infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Through a cross-sectional study of 80 deer at three captive cervid facilities in central and southern Texas, we provide evidence of 34 of 36 (94.4%) white-tailed deer at a single captive cervid facility seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 by neutralization assay (PRNT), with endpoint titers as high as 1,280.

Protective antibody response following oral vaccination with microencapsulated Sterne strain 34F2 spores.

An oral vaccine against anthrax () is urgently needed to prevent annual anthrax outbreaks that are causing catastrophic losses in free-ranging livestock and wildlife worldwide. The Sterne vaccine, the current injectable livestock vaccine, is a suspension of live attenuated Sterne strain 34F2 spores (Sterne spores) in saponin. It is not effective when administered orally and individual subcutaneous injections are not a practical method of vaccination for wildlife.

Chronic Wasting Disease Drives Population Decline of White-Tailed Deer.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an invariably fatal transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose. Despite a 100% fatality rate, areas of high prevalence, and increasingly expanding geographic endemic areas, little is known about the population-level effects of CWD in deer. To investigate these effects, we tested the null hypothesis that high prevalence CWD did not negatively impact white-tailed deer population sustainability.

Comparison of the humoral response between sheep vaccinated with a killed-virus vaccine and those vaccinated with a modified-live virus vaccine against bluetongue virus serotype 17.

OBJECTIVE To compare the humoral response between sheep vaccinated with a killed-virus (KV) vaccine and those vaccinated with a modified-live virus (MLV) vaccine against bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 17. DESIGN Randomized clinical trial followed by a field trial. ANIMALS 30 yearling crossbred ewes (phase 1) and 344 sheep from 7 Wyoming farms (phase 2).

Paresis and death in elk (Cervus elaphus) due to lichen intoxication in Wyoming.

During February-April 2004, an estimated 400-500 free-ranging elk (Cervus elaphus) developed paresis, became recumbent, and died or were euthanized in the Red Rim Wildlife Habitat Management Area (RRWHMA), Wyoming, USA. Elk were found in sternal recumbency, alert and responsive, but unable to rise. Their condition progressed to lateral recumbency followed by dehydration, obtundation, and death.

Brucellosis in captive Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) caused by Brucella abortus biovar 4.

Nine (four female, five male) captive adult Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) contracted brucellosis caused by Brucella abortus biovar 4 as a result of natural exposure to an aborted elk (Cervus elaphus) fetus. Clinical signs of infection were orchitis and epididymitis in males and lymphadenitis and placentitis with abortion in females. Gross pathologic findings included enlargement of the testes or epididymides, or both, and yellow caseous abscesses and pyogranulomas of the same.

Validation of a Brucella abortus competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for use in Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni).

Brucellosis caused by infection with Brucella abortus is present in some elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) of the Greater Yellowstone Area (parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, USA). Since 1985, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department has vaccinated elk on elk feedgrounds in northwestern Wyoming during the winter months using B. abortus strain 19 (strain 19).

Safety of Brucella abortus strain RB51 vaccine in non-target ungulates and coyotes.

Brucellosis is endemic in free-ranging elk (Cervus elaphus) and bison (Bison bison) in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA; USA). It is possible that an oral brucellosis vaccine could be developed and disseminated in the GYA to reduce disease transmission. Should this occur, non-target species other than elk and bison may come in contact with the vaccine resulting in morbidity or mortality.

Brucella abortus strain RB51 vaccination in elk. II. Failure of high dosage to prevent abortion.

Brucella abortus strain RB51 is used as a vaccine because it induces antibodies that do not react on standard serologic tests for brucellosis allowing differentiation between vaccination and infection. Strain RB51 was evaluated in captive elk (Cervus elaphus) to determine if vaccination protected against abortion following experimental challenge. Thirty elk were vaccinated intramuscularly with 1.

Brucella abortus strain RB51 vaccination in elk. I. Efficacy of reduced dosage.

Bovine brucellosis is a serious zoonotic disease affecting some populations of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) and bison (Bison bison) in the Greater Yellowstone Area, USA. The fear that elk and/or bison may spread Brucella abortus to livestock has prompted efforts to reduce or eliminate the disease in wildlife. Brucella abortus strain RB51 (RB51) vaccine has recently been approved for use in cattle.