A female jogger was attacked by a common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and was scratched lightly at the back of the head. One week later she was taken ill with high fever and headache which was later diagnosed as ulcero-glandular tularemia in regional lymph nodes, caused by Francisella tularensis. Recovery was only achieved after several weeks of systemic antibiotic treatment (Gentamicin/ Ciprofloxacine). Tularemia is a well known zoonotic disease, called "rabbit fever", mainly affecting rabbits and hares, but also small rodents. Human infection occurs often following tick bites or bloodsucking insects, or in hunters or slaughterers handling infected animals. Bites by mice have also been reported as a cause of tularemia. For the first time we report this case of tularemia as a result of an attack by a bird of prey. We assume that the bird acted as a vector just carrying the F. tularensis on its claws or beak, but we cannot exclude an infection of the bird itself. Several other joggers had also been attacked by a common buzzard in the same area shortly after the above described event and one of these also became infected with F. tularensis.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.17236/sat00153 | DOI Listing |
Vet Sci
January 2025
Department of Genetics and Hereditary Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Birds are inherently social creatures that rely on pairing to enhance their well-being. Since many bird species lack obvious physical differences between females and males, sex identification is essential for ensuring their welfare. Additionally, early determination of the sexes of birds is crucial for their breeders, especially considering that most companion birds do not display clear sexual characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Toxicol Chem
January 2025
Biology Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Merkez, Rize, Türkiye.
Plastic pollution constitutes one of the major environmental problems of our time, and in recent years, it has emerged as a significant threat to the environment and to various organisms, including bird species. In this context, this study, which provides the first data in Türkiye, aimed to determine the level of microplastic (MP) pollution in 12 bird species (Eurasian buzzard; short-toed snake-eagle; white stork; northern long-eared owl; common barn-owl; ruddy shelduck; Eurasian eagle-owl; scarlet macaw; common pheasant; Indian peafowl; common kestrel; and gray parrot). The results indicate that MPs were detected in 50% of the specimens (n = 20), with an average of one MP/item per individual.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasitol Res
January 2025
School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Haemosporidians, a group of vector-borne parasites that parasitize the blood cells and internal organs of various animal species, are reported to cause severe pathology in raptors. Species belonging to the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon are the ones of greatest wildlife importance. The common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) are the most numerous raptor species in Europe.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPol J Vet Sci
December 2024
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases, Oczapowskiego 13, 10-718 Olsztyn, Poland.
Birds of prey raised in captivity have direct contact with the environment and are fed raw meat various animals, which increases the risk of infections caused by parasites, including endoparasites. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of endoparasites in predatory birds of the orders Accipitriformes and Falconiformes that are used in falconry in Poland. Fresh feces were sampled from 52 birds, including 16 saker falcons (Falco cherrug), 8 lanner falcons (Falco biarmicus), 7 peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), 8 Harris's hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus), 7 Eurasian goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), 3 common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), 1 Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), 1 red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), and 1 common buzzard (Buteo buteo).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Neurol
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Background: Upper limb dysfunction is a common debilitating feature of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). We aimed to examine the longitudinal trajectory of the iPad®-based Manual Dexterity Test (MDT) and predictors of change over time.
Methods: We prospectively enrolled RRMS patients (limited to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) < 4).
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