Genome sequence of an alphaherpesvirus from a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

Beluga whale alphaherpesvirus 1 was isolated from a blowhole swab taken from a juvenile beluga whale. The genome is 144,144 bp in size and contains 86 putative genes. The virus groups phylogenetically with members of the genus Varicellovirus in subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae and is the first alphaherpesvirus sequenced from a marine mammal

Fluctuation of the dynamic load nature in the power transmission train

U ovom se radu analizira utjecaj parametara: režima rada, konstrukcijskih parametara i parametara stanja prijenosnika snage na dinamičko opterećenje pojedinih njegovih elemenata. Pored analitičkog razmatranja, dani su i rezultati eksperimentalnog ispitivanja utjecaja parametara režima rada i stanja prijenosnika na vrijednost momenta poluvratila jednog putničkog vozila. Na osnovu teorijskih i eksperimentalnih ispitivanja doneseni su zaključci o utjecaju parametara na opterećenje elemenata prijenosnika snage. U radu su također prikazane i usporedbe između korištenih modela i metoda ispitivanja.This paper analyses the impact of the selected parameters: operating mode, design parameters and condition of power transmission system onto the dynamic load of some on its components. Apart from analytical considerations, we also offer the experimental results related to the influence of the operating mode parameters and the condition of power transmission train system onto the torque of a passenger’s car axle-shaft. On the basis of the theoretical and experimental research, we drew some conclusions related to the impact of some parameters on the power transmission load. Furthermore, we have given the comparative study of the used models and researching methods

Anticoagulant Residual Concentration and Poisoning in Birds Following a Large-Scale Aerial Application of 25 ppm Brodifacoum Bait for Rat Eradication on Rat Island, Alaska

To eradicate invasive Norway rats, an aerial broadcast of the rodenticide Brodifacoum-25W Conservation was conducted on 2,777-ha Rat Island, within the Aleutian Islands Unit of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, between 29 September and 5 October 2008. During subsequent visits to Rat Island (in spring and fall 2009) to check for evidence of remaining rats and to look for evidence of nontarget mortality, personnel found an unexpectedly high number of dead birds: more than 420 carcasses, mostly glaucous-winged gulls and bald eagles, but also included 24 other species. Some carcasses had tissue suitable for analysis and were collected. Seventy bird carcasses were necropsied and cause of death was determined for 50 birds; 45 died of brodifacoum toxicosis. Necropsy determined almost all gulls and eagles had extensive hemorrhaging, consistent with brodifacoum poisoning. All eagles and all but 1 gull tested positive for brodifacoum residues. Positive tests for brodifacoum also were recorded for single specimens of emperor goose, northern fulmar, pelagic cormorant, peregrine falcon, rock sandpiper, and gray-crowned rosy finch. Two Lapland longspurs tested positive for exposure to brodifacoum. Nontarget bird mortality from brodifacoum exposure at Rat Island was higher than predicted in the Environmental Assessment

A Virtual Necropsy: Applications of 3D Scanning for Marine Mammal Pathology and Education

Stranded large whales represent an opportunity to learn about the anatomy and health of these cryptic free-ranging animals. However, where time and access is frequently limited, law enforcement and management priorities often take precedence over research, outreach, and educational uses. On 14 March 2021, a dead female adult humpback whale was reported stranded on an uninhabited island 15 miles west of Sitka, Alaska. The whale was three-dimensionally scanned using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and photogrammetry before, during, and at multiple time points after a necropsy, including full decomposition 17 days later (NOAA Fisheries permit 18786-01). These scans were organized and displayed on the site Sketchfab with annotations and made publically available as a “4D virtual necropsy” (the fourth dimension is time). After one month, our user survey indicated widespread interest in the platform by both the local community and worldwide by stranding professionals, researchers, and educators. We are unaware of another 3D scan involving a large whale with soft tissue for teaching, research, or public display, despite the ease of 3D scanning with current technologies and the wide-ranging applications

Orf virus infection in Alaskan mountain goats, Dall’s sheep, muskoxen, caribou and Sitka black-tailed deer

Background: The zoonotic Orf virus (ORFV; genus Parapoxvirus, Poxviridae family) occurs worldwide and is transmit‑ted between sheep and goats, wildlife and man. Archived tissue samples from 16 Alaskan wildlife cases, representing mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus, n= 8), Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli, n= 3), muskox (Ovibos moschatus, n= 3), Sitka black‑tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis, n= 1) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti, n= 1), were analyzed. Results: Clinical signs and pathology were most severe in mountain goats, affecting most mucocutaneous regions, including palpebrae, nares, lips, anus, prepuce or vulva, as well as coronary bands. The proliferative masses were solid and nodular, covered by dark friable crusts. For Dall’s sheep lambs and juveniles, the gross lesions were similar to those of mountain goats, but not as extensive. The muskoxen displayed ulcerative lesions on the legs. The caribou had two ulcerative lesions on the upper lip, as well as lesions on the distal part of the legs, around the main and dew claws. A large hairless spherical mass, with the characteristics of a fibroma, was sampled from a Sitka black‑tailed deer, which did not show proliferative lesions typical of an ORFV infection. Polymerase chain reaction analyses for B2L, GIF, vIL‑10 and AT I demonstrated ORFV specific DNA in all cases. Sequences from Dall’s sheep formed a separate cluster, comparable to ORFV from domestic sheep. Sequences from the other species were different from the Dall’s sheep sequences, but almost identical to each other. Conclusions: This is the first major investigation of parapoxvirus infections in large Alaskan game species, and the first report of parapoxvirus infection in caribou and Sitka black‑tailed deer. This study shows that most of the wild ruminant species in Alaska and from most parts of Alaska, can carry and be affected by ORFV. These findings call for attention to transmission of ORFV from wildlife to livestock and to hunters, subsistence harvesters, and wildlife biologists

Transuterine infection by Baylisascaris transfuga: Neurological migration and fatal debilitation in sibling moose calves (Alces alces gigas) from Alaska

Larval Baylisascaris nematodes (L3), resulting from transuterine infection and neural migration, were discovered in the cerebrum of sibling moose calves (Alces alces gigas) near 1-3 days in age from Alaska. We provide the first definitive identification, linking morphology, biogeography, and molecular phylogenetics, of Baylisascaris transfuga in naturally infected ungulates. Life history and involvement of paratenic hosts across a broader assemblage of mammals, from rodents to ungulates, in the transmission of B. transfuga remains undefined. Neural infections, debilitating young moose, may seasonally predispose calves to predation by brown bears, facilitating transmission to definitive hosts. Discovery of fatal neurological infections by L3 of B. transfuga in mammalian hosts serves to demonstrate the potential for zoonotic infection, as widely established for B. procyonis, in other regions and where raccoon definitive hosts are abundant. In zones of sympatry for multi-species assemblages of Baylisascaris across the Holarctic region presumptive identification of B. procyonis in cases of neurological larval migrans must be considered with caution. Diagnostics in neural and somatic larval migrans involving species of Baylisascaris in mammalian and other vertebrate hosts should include molecular-based and authoritative identification established in a phylogenetic context

Alphaherpesvirus: Isolation, Identification, Partial Characterisation, Associated Pathologic Findings and Epidemiology in Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Alaska and Arctic Canada

Live, dead stranded, and harvested beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) in Alaska and the western Canadian Arctic were screened for viruses utilizing a primary beluga cell line. Samples consisted of swabs from blowhole, anus, and genital tract. Virus cytopathic effect was seen after incubation 6-30 days post infection, and virus-like particles consistent with herpesvirus were observed upon electron microscopy. DNA extraction, cetacean-specific polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase gene fragments of approximately 700 nucleotides revealed the presence of a new species of alphaherpesvirus. Culture positive isolates were recovered from all swab types, from 2001 to 2016. PCR testing of swab and skin lesions from Bristol Bay, Alaska belugas revealed that the herpesvirus was present in the blowholes of a high proportion of the animals. Results suggest that belugas from Canadian and Alaskan locations are infected with alphaherpesvirus. Eight culture positive belugas were identified from Alaska, all but one were adults and all had evidence of skin disease. No Canadian belugas showed signs of skin disease. Virus was isolated from three separate populations indicating it is likely enzootic in belugas. This is the first report of an alphaherpesvirus isolated and propagated from a monodontid species.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author