Comparison of Intravenous Medetomidine and Medetomidine/Ketamine for Immobilization of Free-Ranging Variable Flying Foxes (Pteropus hypomelanus)

Medetomidine (0.03 mg/kg) and medetomidine/ketamine (0.05/5.0 and 0.025/2.5 mg/kg), administered by intravenous injection, were evaluated for short-term immobilization of wild-caught variable flying foxes (Pteropus hypomelanus). Medetomidine alone produced incomplete chemical restraint and a stressful, prolonged induction. Both ketamine/medetomidine doses produced a smooth induction and complete immobilization. The combined medetomidine/ketamine dose of 0.025/2.5 mg/kg produced a rapid induction (232±224 sec) with minimal struggling and vocalization, a complete and effective immobilization period, and tended to lead to a faster and better quality recovery than medetomidine alone or a higher dose of medetomidine and ketamine (0.05/5.0 mg/kg), thus reducing holding time and permitting an earlier release of the bat back into the wild

Hematology and serum chemistry reference ranges of free-ranging moose (Alces Alces) in Norway

This article is also available here: http://www.jwildlifedis.org/Baseline reference ranges of serum chemistry and hematology data can be important indicators for the status of both individuals or populations of wild animals that are affected by emerging pathogens, toxicants, or other causes of disease. Frequently, reference ranges for these values are not available for wildlife species or subspecies. We present hematologic and serum chemistry reference ranges for moose (Alces alces) adults, yearlings, and calves in Norway sampled from 1992–2000. Additionally, we demonstrated that both induction time and chase time were correlated with initial rectal temperature, although they were not significantly correlated with cortisol, aspartate aminotransferase, glucose, or creatine kinase. Overall, the reference ranges given here are similar to those given for American moose, with a few differences that can be attributed to environment, testing methodology, or subspecies or species status. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of reference ranges for moose in Norway

Farm-level risk factors of increased abortion and mortality in domestic ruminants during the 2010 Rift Valley fever outbreak in central South Africa

(1) Background: Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreaks in domestic ruminants have severe socio-economic impacts. Climate-based continental predictions providing early warnings to regions at risk for RVF outbreaks are not of a high enough resolution for ruminant owners to assess their individual risk. (2) Methods: We analyzed risk factors for RVF occurrence and severity at the farm level using the number of domestic ruminant deaths and abortions reported by farmers in central South Africa during the 2010 RVF outbreaks using a Bayesian multinomial hurdle framework. (3) Results: We found strong support that the proportion of days with precipitation, the number of water sources, and the proportion of goats in the herd were positively associated with increased severity of RVF (the numbers of deaths and abortions). We did not find an association between any risk factors and whether RVF was reported on farms. (4) Conclusions: At the farm level we identified risk factors of RVF severity; however, there was little support for risk factors of RVF occurrence. The identification of farm-level risk factors for Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) occurrence would support and potentially improve current prediction methods and would provide animal owners with critical information needed in order to assess their herd’s risk of RVFV infection

Percent immobilized, induction time (mean ± standard deviation) and recovery time (mean ± standard deviation) for wild-caught variable flying foxes (<i>Pteropus hypomelanus</i>) administered medetomidine and medetomidine/ketamine by intravenous injection.

<p>*Fisher's Exact test; p<0.001.</p><p>The use of medetomidine alone resulted in a significantly higher anesthetic failure rate compared to the other two anesthetic protocols.</p

Factors affecting the use of biosecurity measures for the protection of ruminant livestock and farm workers against infectious diseases in central South Africa

Background: Biosecurity measures have been introduced to limit economic losses and zoonotic exposures to humans by preventing and controlling animal diseases. However, they are implemented on individual farms with varying frequency. Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate which biosecurity measures were used by farmers to prevent infectious diseases in ruminant livestock and to identify factors that influenced these decisions. Method and Materials: We conducted a survey in 264 ruminant livestock farmers in a 40000km2 area in the Free State and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa. We used descriptive statistics, to characterize biosecurity measures and farm attributes, then multivariable binomial regression to assess the strength of the association between the attributes and the implementation of biosecurity measures including property fencing, separate equipment use on different species, separate rearing of species, isolation of sick animals, isolation of pregnant animals, quarantine of new animals, animal transport cleaning, vaccination, tick control and insect control. Results: Ninety-nine percent of farmers reported using at least one of the ten biosecurity measures investigated, (median [M]: 6; range: 0–10). The most frequently used biosecurity measures were tick control (81%, 214/264), vaccination (80%, 211/264) and isolation of sick animals (72%, 190/264). More biosecurity measures were used on farms with 65–282 animals (M:6; odds ratio [OR]:1.52) or farms with 283–12030 animals (M:7; OR:1.87) than on farms with fewer than 65 animals (M:4). Furthermore, farmers who kept two animal species (M:7; OR:1.41) or three or more species (M:7) used more biosecurity measures than single-species operations (M:4). Farmers with privately owned land used more biosecurity measures (M:6; OR:1.51) than those grazing their animals on communal land (M:3.5). Farms that reported previous Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreaks used more biosecurity measures (M:7; OR:1.25) compared to farms without RVF reports (M:6) and those that purchased animals in the 12 months prior to the survey (M:7; OR:1.19) compared to those that did not (M:6).When introducing new animals into their herds (n = 122), most farmers used fewer biosecurity measures than they did for their existing herd: 34% (41/122) used multiple biosecurity measures like those of vaccination, tick control, quarantine or antibiotic use, whereas 36% (44/122) used only one and 30% (37/122) used none. Discussion and Recommendations: Certain farm features, primarily those related to size and commercialization were associated with more frequent use of biosecurity measures. Given the variation in the application of biosecurity measures, more awareness and technical assistance are needed to support the implementation of a biosecurity management plan appropriate for the type of farm operation and available resources