Journal of Wildlife Diseases 

About: Journal of Wildlife Diseases is an academic journal published by Wildlife Disease Association. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Population & Odocoileus. It has an ISSN identifier of 0090-3558. Over the lifetime, 6350 publications have been published receiving 136856 citations. The journal is also known as: JWD online.

Chronic wasting disease of captive mule deer: a spongiform encephalopathy.

Abstract: In the past 12 years (1967–79) a syndrome we identify as chronic wasting disease has been observed in 53 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) and one black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) held in captivity in several wildlife facilities in Colorado and more recently in Wyoming. Clinical signs were seen in adult deer and included behavioral alterations, progressive weight loss and death in 2 weeks to 8 months. Gross necropsy findings included emaciation and excess rumen fluid admixed with sand and gravel. Consistent histopathologic change was limited to the central nervous system and characterized by widespread spongiform transformation of the neuropil, single or multiple intracytoplasmic vacuoles in neuronal perikaryons and intense astrocytic hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Presented is a clinical characterization of chronic wasting disease and pathologic evidence supporting the conclusion that the disease is a specific spontaneously occurring form of spongiform encephalopathy.

An annotated checklist of pathogenic microorganisms associated with migratory birds

Abstract: The potential for transport and dissemination of certain pathogenic microorganisms by migratory birds is of concern. Migratory birds might be involved in dispersal of microorganisms as their biological carriers, mechanical carriers, or as carriers of infected hematophagous ecto- parasites (e.g., ixodid ticks). Many species of microorganisms pathogenic to homeothermic ver- tebrates including humans have been associated with free-living migratory birds. Migratory birds of diverse species can play significant roles in the ecology and circulation of some arboviruses (e.g., eastern and western equine encephalomyelitis and Sindbis alphaviruses, West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis flaviviruses), influenza A virus, Newcastle disease virus, duck plague herpes- virus, Chlamydophila psittaci, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica, Pasteurella multocida, Mycobacterium avium, Candida spp., and avian hematozoans. The efficiency of dispersal of pathogenic microorganisms depends on a wide variety of biotic and abiotic factors affecting the survival of the agent in, or disap- pearance from, a habitat or ecosystem in a new geographic area.

Bovine Tuberculosis in Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer From Michigan

Abstract: A 4.5 yr-old male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) killed by a hunter during the 1994 firearm hunting season in northeastern Michigan (USA) had lesions suggestive of tuberculosis and was positive on culture for Mycobacterium bovis the causative agent for bovine tuberculosis. Subsequently, a survey of 354 hunter-harvested white-tailed deer for tuberculosis was conducted in this area from 15 November 1995 through 5 January 1996. Heads and/or lungs from deer were examined grossly and microscopically for lesions suggestive of bovine tuberculosis. Gross lesions suggestive of tuberculosis were seen in 15 deer. Tissues from 16 deer had acid-fast bacilli on histological examination and in 12 cases mycobacterial isolates from lymph nodes and/or lungs were identified as M. bovis. In addition, lymph nodes from 12 deer (11 females and 1 male) without gross or microscopic lesions were pooled into 1 sample from which M. bovis was cultured. Although more male (9) than female (3) deer had bovine tuberculosis in...

Immobilization of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) with Telazol in the Canadian Arctic.

Abstract: In 1986, 213 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) were immobilized with Telazol® on the sea ice of the eastern Beaufort Sea during April and May, and 106 along the western coast of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba (Canada) in September. No animals died from handling. The efficacy of this drug at different seasons and the physiological responses of the immobilized bears were compared. A single injection of 8 to 9 mg of Telazol per kg of body weight gave a rapid full immobilization with satisfactory analgesia, and faster recovery than other drugs for which there is no antagonist. The reactions of the bears could be reliably and easily interpreted from a safe distance before the animal was approached. There was a wide range of tolerance to high dosages and bears appeared able to thermoregulate while immobilized. The mortality rate due to handling was lower than with any other drug used to date.

Spongiform encephalopathy of Rocky Mountain elk.

Abstract: A disease with striking clinical and pathologic similarities to the spongiform encephalopathies is described in six Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) maintained in wildlife facilities in Colorado and Wyoming. Clinical signs included behavioral alterations and progressive weight loss over a period of weeks or months. Consistent microscopic lesions were limited to the central nervous system and characterized by widespread spongiform transformation of the neuropil, intracytoplasmic vacuoles in neuronal perikaryons, and astrocytic hypertrophy and hyperplasia.