Sentinel feral swine (Sus scrofa) on Ossabaw Island, Georgia (USA), were serologically monitored for antibodies to vesicular stomatitis New Jersey serotype (VSNJ) virus from 17 April to 27 August 1990. Seroconversions to VSNJ virus were detected in 24% of swine island-wide. Differences in the incidence of seroconversion were detected between swine sampled in the Pleistocene and Holocene formations of the island suggesting that the presence of virus is forest type dependent. Based on the consistency in onset and spatial distribution of seroconversions with data from 1981 to 1985, this is a very stable host-parasite system.

Sequential virus isolation attempts from nasal swabs, tonsil swabs, and blood were made on a subsample of 54 sentinel swine from 9 May to 4 July 1990. The VSNJ virus was isolated from five swine from 16 May to 20 June. Vesicular lesions were detected on only two of these animals. Although infections in these feral swine were short-lived (<7 days) and were followed by a strong neutralizing antibody response, VSNJ virus was detected in a single group of swine for a period exceeding 1 month. From these data, it appears that feral swine could provide a source of virus to feeding arthropods for extended periods of time. The failure to detect a viremia in these animals, however, indicates that a source other than blood may be required for transmission to occur.

An epizootic suspected to be caused by parapoxviruses occurred in winter, 1984–85, among wild Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus) with nodular or papular lesions in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Virus isolations were attempted on 30 animals using bovine fetal testicle cell cultures. Viral agents growing with cytopathic effects were isolated from six animals. The agents were identified as parapoxvirus from electron microscopic findings and physico-chemical characteristics.

Antibody prevalence to the isolated agent, named S-1, was examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. No antibodies were detected among 153 sera obtained during two winters 1981–82 and 1982–83, but one of 189 sera collected in the winter of 1983–84 was positive. In contrast, 75 (32%) of 237 sera had antibodies to S-1 in 1984–85, when the disease was first detected. Antibody prevalences of 1984–85 were highest (39%) in December 1984, the first month of animal capture, and declined gradually to 20% in March 1985.

Seventeen epizootics of canine distemper (CD) involving at least 615 raccoons (Procyon lotor) were identified between 1 September 1977 and 25 March 1991 in New Jersey (USA). Epizootics occurred three times at four year intervals in three areas. Based on this cycling, the wide distribution of CD cases, and their occurrence between epizootics, I propose an enzootic status for CD in New Jersey raccoons. The peak period prevalence of raccoon canine distemper cases occurred at the end of the mating season in March. Another period of CD activity began with increased movements of the young in September. Epizootics were associated with river drainages and other wetlands. Age and sex distribution of raccoons with CD was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from that of an asymptomatic composite sample of four northern New Jersey raccoon populations. Lethargy was the most commonly reported clinical sign in raccoons with alert or aggressive behavior rarely observed.

Rabies was confirmed as the cause of death of one African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) in the Serengeti region, Tanzania. One adult African wild dog in the same pack showed central nervous signs consistent with rabies infection. Inactivated rabies vaccine was administered intramuscularly to African wild dogs in two packs, by dart or by hand following anesthesia. These individuals comprised all known adults in the Serengeti National Park. In a limited study of seroprevalence of rabies antibody carried out at the time of vaccination, 3 of 12 African wild dogs sampled in the Serengeti had rabies serum neutralizing antibody titers before vaccination. Paired serum samples from two individuals sampled after vaccination showed increased antibody titers.

Serum samples collected from feral swine (Sus scrofa) throughout Florida (USA) from 1980 to 1989 were tested for antibodies to pseudorabies virus (PRV) by the serum neutralization test, the latex agglutination test, or by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Seropositive swine were detected at 11 of 13 sites with a composite seroprevalence of 34.8% (579 of 1,662 samples; range =5.9% to 58.2%) for sites with seropositive swine. Data on age and sex of the swine were available from three sites. Seroprevalence in males and females did not differ significantly (P = 0.62 for the combined data). Seroprevalence in adult (≥8 mo) and juvenile swine (<8 mo) was significantly different at all sites (P < 0.05 for the combined data). From these data, PRV infections appear to occur widely in populations of Florida feral swine and may seriously undermine efforts to eradicate this virus from the domestic swine population of the USA.

Serum samples collected from feral swine (Sus scrofa) throughout Florida (USA) from 1974 to 1989 were tested for antibodies to Brucella sp. by the card test, the standard tube test, the rivanol test or the complement fixation test. Seropositive swine were detected at six of 18 sites with a composite prevalence of 23.4% (238 of 1,015 samples; range = 5.5% to 33.3%) for sites with seropositive swine. At one site for which age and sex data were available there was no significant difference (P = 0.50) in seroprevalence between males and females. Antibody prevalence in adult (≥8 mo) and juvenile swine (<8 mo), however, was significantly different (P < 0.05). Based on these data, Brucella sp. infections are limited only to certain populations of feral swine. To avoid the spread of Brucella sp. organisms, however, relocation of feral swine is not recommended.

Evidence for infection with the spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, was sought in Ixodes cookei and in groundhogs (Marmota monax) in southern Ontario, Canada, and ticks fed on experimentally inoculated hosts were examined for the spirochete. Borrelia burgdorferi was not detected by immunofluorescent examination of 110 larval, nymphal or adult I. cookei collected from the environment, or taken from humans and other animals. Three groundhogs inoculated with B. burgdorferi developed titers of 1:20 to 1:80 by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test, but B. burgdorferi was not isolated from the spleens, kidneys, or urinary bladders of these animals. One of 30 wild groundhogs had an antibody titer of 1:20 to B. burgdorferi. Three (5%) of 59 I. cookei larvae fed on B. burgdorferi-infected hamsters became infected, in comparison with 23 (28%) of 82 I. dammini larvae fed on the same hosts. Borrelia burgdorferi was present in 5%, 16% and 4% of molted I. cookei nymphs fed on infected hamsters, rats or a groundhog, respectively; prevalences of infection in I. dammini fed on the same hosts were significantly (P < 0.05) higher (45%, 36% and 23%, respectively), as was the intensity of infection. A naive groundhog on which I. cookei nymphs from an infected cohort fed did not become infected with B. burgdorferi, but it is uncertain whether an infected tick engorged on the experimental host. Ixodes cookei seems to be an inefficient vector of B. burgdorferi, and is unlikely to be significant in nature. Groundhogs are potential wildlife reservoirs of B. burgdorferi, based on their capacity to transmit infection to I. dammini.

Personnel at The Marine Mammal Center (The Center) treated 1,446 stranded marine mammals recovered from the central and northern California (USA) coast from 1984 through 1990, including California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus), Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), and Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi). The primary disease findings in stranded California sea lions were renal disease, renal disease complicated by severe verminous pneumonia, verminous pneumonia, seizures of unknown etiology, and renal disease complicated by severe pneumonia of unknown etiology. Stranded elephant seals included pups, yearlings with dermatological problems, and neonates. Most harbor seals admitted to The Center were underweight and premature pups. Stranded northern fur seals included animals with seizures of unknown etiology and emaciated pups. Stranded Steller sea lions included underweight pups and aged adult females with pneumonia. Two Guadalupe fur seals had hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. Incidental findings at the time of stranding among the six species included verminous pneumonia and pneumonia of unknown etiology, renal disease, internal parasitism, ophthalmologic problems, gastrointestinal disorders, otitis externa, and external wounds.

In order to study transmission patterns of Notocotylus attenuatus five 3-wk-old domestic ducks, five 8-wk-old rats and ten 4-wk-old mice were infected with the parasite. All ducks became infected and all flukes were recovered from the intestinal ceca. Worms moved down the length of the cecum during development and as the parasites grew they changed their method of attachment. Flukes became gravid by day 16 post-infection, after which growth ceased. Egg filaments appear to play a role in the formation and movement of worm egg clusters from the distal portion of the cecum to the lumen of small intestine. Rodents also became infected with the parasite producing granulomatous nodular lesions in the lower small intestine but all flukes in the granulomata were dead. It is unlikely that transmission of this trematode can depend on mice and rats.

Forty-four of 50 arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) in Iceland harbored 15 species of intestinal parasites, including Protozoa: Eimeria sp. or Isospora sp. (in 4%); Trematoda: Cryptocotyle lingua (24%), Plagiorchis elegans (4%), Brachylaemus sp. (12%), Tristriata sp. (10%), and Spelotrema sp. (8%); Cestoda: Mesocestoides canislagopodis (72%), Schistocephalus solidus (2%), and Diphyllobothrium dendriticum (4%); Nematoda: Toxascaris leonina (50%), Toxocara canis (2%), Uncinaria stenocephala (4%), and eggs of the lung worm Capillaria aerophila (6%); and Acanthocephala: Polymorphus meyeri (8%) and Corynosoma hadweni (2%). Only four of the species previously had been recorded in Iceland. Eleven species are new records in Iceland and six appear to be new host records. Two additional nematodes, Stegophorus stercorarii and Syphacia sp., probably were ingested accidentally with the prey. Foxes from coastal habitats harbored 14 parasitic species while only five species were found in foxes from inland habitats. Arctic foxes from coastal habitats generally had higher helminth burdens and harbored more parasitic species per fox than foxes from inland habitats.

The behavior and injuries of raccoons held for 12 and 24 hr in the Soft Catch^™ and the EGG^™ traps were studied in simulated natural environments. Nine raccoons held for 12 hr in the Soft Catch^™ received minor injuries. However, one of nine raccoons held for 24 hr in this trap mutilated itself. The EGG^™ trap caused only minor injuries to nine raccoons held for 12 hr, and nine others held for 24 hr. Thus the EGG^™ trap can be expected, at a 95% level of confidence, to hold ≥70% of the raccoons on traplines for 24 hr without serious injury. Raccoons captured in the Soft Catch^™ fought their surroundings more than the trap. Those captured in the EGG^™ trap fought the trap more than their surroundings. During the 24-hr capture study, escape behavior was more intense during the first 12 hr of capture, during both day and night.

Hematologic and blood chemistry parameters were measured in 149 free-ranging American bison (Bison bison) from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming (USA). Additionally, histopathologic evaluations of lung, liver, spleen, kidney, and mesenteric and bronchial lymph nodes were made from ten animals. Forty-five fecal samples were screened for the presence of helminth ova. Leukopenia and markedly low blood urea nitrogen concentrations were the most notable differences observed from other bison populations. All tissues examined were essentially normal; there was evidence of moderate intestinal parasite burdens.

We investigated the effects of a turf application of the insecticide diazinon AG500 on Canada geese (Branta canadensis) on a golf course in coastal Washington (USA). On both 19 and 26 March 1987, 1 ha of turf on a golf course located in Birch Bay, Washington was treated with diazinon AG500 at a target application rate of 2.2 kg active ingredient per hectare (Al/ha). Treated areas were then irrigated with 6 mm water. Grass and water samples were collected from three different sites one day before and 1, 3, 7 and 14 days after each application. Diazinon residues ≥20 ppm were found in golf course grasses for one week after each application. Diazinon residues in study area ponds and creeks were ≥17 ppb. Samples from two irrigation puddles one day post-application had 1.00 and 0.20 ppm of diazinon, respectively. Numbers of geese present declined following diazinon application; however, no goose mortality was observed. Geese spent 422 and 538 min feeding on the treated areas after the first and second diazinon applications, respectively. One goose feeding in treated areas demonstrated signs of poisoning (lethargy, ataxia) for several hours. Two other geese feeding in the treated areas may have been slightly intoxicated. During carcass searches, three American wigeon (Anas americana) carcasses were found. Based on brain cholinesterase (ChE) levels and gastrointestinal (GI) tract residues of diazinon present, we concluded that these wigeon died from diazinon poisoning. Numerous songbirds (Passeriformes) also fed on the treated turf but no apparent response to the insecticide was observed.

The first occurrence of phocine distemper (PD) disease in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from the United States is reported. Two seals stranded on Long Island, New York (USA) in February 1992 with clinical signs of respiratory distress, fever, and depression. Pneumonia and diffuse pulmonary congestion were the most significant post mortem findings. On histologic examination one seal had a diffuse broncho-interstitial pneumonia with formation of syncytia. The principal lesion in the second animal was nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis. Using immunoperoxidase staining, PD viral antigen was found in the cytoplasm of bronchiolar epithelium and cerebral cortex neurons. With a differential virus neutralization test, there were higher titers against phocine distemper virus (PDV) than against canine distemper virus. Thus, PDV is the most likely agent responsible for the observed lesions.

Thirteen of 20 eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) sera collected near Delaware, Ohio (USA) in 1991 were positive by indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for antibody to rabbit syncytium virus (RSV), a Kemerovo serogroup orbivirus. In addition, two of 10 domestic bovine sera and three of 30 sheep sera collected in southeastern Ohio gave weak positive IFAT reactions to RSV.

Two raccoons (Procyon lotor) were inoculated in the masseter muscles with 10⁵⁹ mouse intracerebral lethal dose₅₀ (MICLD₅₀) of a rabies virus isolated from a naturally infected Iowa (USA) striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). Five striped skunks were inoculated with either 10⁰⁷ or 10²¹ MICLD₅₀ of the same isolate. All five skunks died within 35 days following inoculation. Both raccoons survived 273 days without adverse effects, and virus was not isolated from saliva samples taken at between 25 and 273 days following inoculation.

Borrelia burgdorferi was isolated from the blood of a bushy-tailed wood rat (Neotoma cinerea) from northeastern California, USA. This is the first isolation of live B. burgdorferi spirochetes from a wild animal in California. Spirochetes were observed in stained tissues from the brain, liver, spleen, and kidneys.

One hundred and thirty-four (26%) of 511 sera from 11 wild animal species in eight prefectures in Japan had antibody titers to Coxiella burnetii by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. High prevalences were observed in Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus) (78%), Hokkaido deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis) (69%), Japanese hares (Lepus brachyurus) (63%), Japanese deer (Cervus nippon centralis) (56%), and to some extent in Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) (28%). A low prevalence (13%) was observed in nutrias (Myocastor coypus). Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus), wild rats (Muroides sp.), raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus), wild pigs (Sus scrofa leucomystax), and masked palm civets (Paguma larvata) had no detectable antibodies to C. burnetii. Thus, six of 11 wild animal species in Japan were exposed to C. burnetii. Based on the high prevalences in some species, they may be a potential source of infection to both domestic animal and human populations.

Mucor amphibiorum, a fungus previously isolated from frogs and toads, is reported from free-living platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, from rivers in northern Tasmania. This fungus is responsible for the severe ulcerative skin condition originally described by Munday and Peel (1983). Mucor amphibiorum was isolated from dermal lesions on four separate occasions. The gross and histopathological appearance of the fungal lesions were similar to the earlier description. In vivo this fungus develops as spherical forms containing a number of daughter spherules; no mycelia are seen in tissue sections. By contrast, the in vitro growth consists of aerial aseptate mycelia and sporangia, features typical of the genus Mucor. This is the first report of this organism causing a fatal disease in a mammal. Susceptibility to infection may be due to the platypus having a body temperature of 32 C while the maximum temperature for growth of M. amphibiorum is 36 C.

Lobo's disease was diagnosed in a free-ranging male bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus examined as part of a live-capture and release program conducted in Matagorda Bay, Texas, USA, during July 1992. Diagnosis was based on typical presentation of a raised skin lesion, with sub-epidermal granuloma and demonstration of typical features of the organism by light microscopy, using hematoxylin and eosin, and methenamine silver stains. This is the first instance of Lobo's disease found in a dolphin on the western coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

At least 70 wild green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, died in the Moreton Bay area of southeast Queensland, Australia over 6 wk in spring 1991. Based on the necropsy of 24 turtles, there was a severe enteritis or encephalitis associated with Caryospora cheloniae, a coccidial pathogen previously recorded only in farm reared Ch. mydas hatchlings. Infection was characterized by the presence of coccidia in extra-intestinal lesions. Oocysts were observed to sporulate, after which sporozoites escaped into seawater to form a novel stellate configuration. We conclude that C. cheloniae is pathogenic for life stages other than hatchling Ch. mydas and that naturally-occurring coccidiosis is a significant disease of free-living Ch. mydas.

Sporulated oocysts (mean dimensions = 13.0 × 10.8 μm) and sporocysts (11.3 × 5.5 μm) of a coccidian resembling Frenkelia sp. or Sarcocystis sp. were present in the lamina propria of the small intestine of a naturally infected northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) collected near Medford, Oregon (USA). Dimensions of these oocysts and sporocysts appear to be considerably smaller than those from other sarcocystid species with avian definitive hosts. Additionally, numerous developmental stages and unsporulated oocysts (mean dimensions 22.8 × 17.8 μm) of a possible species of Isospora also were observed in the intestinal epithelium. This constitutes the first report of enteric coccidia from spotted owls. Neither parasite appeared to cause the death of the bird.

Following detection of Echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) illegally imported into South Carolina (USA) for release in fox-chasing enclosures, a survey for E. multilocularis was conducted in four enclosures in Georgia (USA) and six enclosures in South Carolina. Survey methods included examination of potential small mammal intermediate hosts (n =390) for E. multilocularis larvae, examination of fox and coyote (Canis latrans) scats (n =59) for taeniid eggs, and examination of one possible canine definitive hosts for adult E. multilocularis. All intermediate and definitive hosts examined were negative for E. multilocularis and taeniid eggs were not recovered from fox and coyote fecal samples. Thus, E. multilocularis may not yet be established in fox-chasing enclosures in Georgia and South Carolina. Despite the failure to demonstrate E. multilocularis in the fox-chasing enclosures surveyed, translocation of wild canids from known enzootic regions should be discouraged because E. multilocularis is known to be ecologically adaptable and because contact with potentially infected definitive hosts during translocation is a public health risk.

Based on microscopic examination of the brains of seven wild-caught nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum), we observed a severe meningoencephalitis associated with numerous parasitic granulomas. The parasites were larval nematodes with morphologic characteristics of the Superfamily Dracunculoidea. Although meningeal larval aggregates were associated with chronic inflammation, additional parasitic nodules found on the endocardial surface and perimandibular region did not provoke an inflammatory response. Neither the route of infection nor life cycle were determined.

Three cetaceans trom Monterey Bay, California (USA), were infected with lung nematodes. A beaked whale calf, Mesoplodon sp. was infected with adult Halocercus sp. This represents a new host record for this nematode. The lungs of a northern right whale dolphin calf, Lissodelphis borealis, contained an unidentified nematode similar in size to Halocercus sp. The presence of Phyllobothrium delphinitype cestode larvae in its blubber is evidence that the calf was feeding on invertebrates. A pregnant harbor porpoise, Phocoena phocoena was infected with the lung nematode H. invaginatus, but the fetus was uninfected. We found no direct evidence of a transplacental mode of transmission for Halocercus sp.

Non-caseating granulomas containing larval spirurid nematodes (Spiroxys contorta) were observed in the gastric submucosa and muscularis externa of two pallid spiny softshells (Apalone spinifera pallida) from northcentral Texas (USA). In early granulomas, nematodes were not surrounded by a fibrous capsule but in older, mature granulomas, a fibrous capsule was present. Granulomas without nematodes also were present.

Specimens of Spiculopteragia spiculoptera and S. asymmetrica were recovered from the abomasa of five of ten naturally infected red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Texas (USA). Female specimens of Spiculopteragia were present in all five animals. Male specimens of S. spiculoptera and S. asymmetrica were present in one of five and three of five red deer, respectively. Spiculopteragia spiculoptera has not previously been recognized in the United States and the present report constitutes the first records of Spiculopteragia spp. in red deer from North America. It is likely that species of Spiculopteragia have been introduced to North America with the import of exotic cervids on several occasions. Focal populations of these nematodes have been established in North America; however, distribution of the parasites likely coincides with areas of residence of introduced populations of red deer and fallow deer (Cervus dama) in the Nearctic.

Longistrongylus curvispiculum was recovered from free ranging sable (Hippotragus niger), addax (Addax nasomaculatus) and biesa oryx (Oryx beisa) on two ranches in central Texas (USA). These nematodes represented a small portion of the total abomasal worm burden dominated by Haemonchus contortus. Female L. curvispiculum easily could be confused with other ostertaginae, but the spicules of the males were diagnostic.

We present the first prevalence data of hepatic capillariasis in muskrats in Pennsylvania and Connecticut (USA). The prevalence of hepatic capillariasis in five groups of muskrats coming from different locations and numbering 81, 229, 11, 19, and 20 animals, was 42%, 78%, 36%, 16%, and 0%, respectively. Liver lesions varied from minimal to severe multifocal granulomatous hepatitis, often containing adult worms or eggs.