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This report describes one aspect of successful air transport developed over the past 20 years in Alask

Occasional Publications on Northern Life, No. 04

The need to exchange information on research in reindeer and caribou diseases became apparent to investigators attending the Second International Reindeer/Caribou Symposium in Roros, Norway, in 1979. Initially, bibliographies were to be exchanged by being submitted to and subsequently distributed by workers at the University of Alaska. When the bibliographies were submitted, it seemed sensible to computerize the lists to facilitate searches for specific information in the future. An apparently simple task became amazingly complex. This is the resultant collection of publications by reindeer/caribou disease researchers. Because researchers in wildlife diseases tend to work on more than one species or topic, out of interest or necessity, a decision was made to include all of a person's references rather than to limit them to strictly reindeer/caribou diseases. The authors hope this will provide a good basis for exchange of information among all those interested in reindeer/caribou diseases

Some herding, record keeping and treatment methods used in Alaskan reindeer herds

Approximately 20000 reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Alaska are gathered once or twice yearly to facilitate identification, serologic sampling, treatment and antler removal. Various air and land craft are used to bring the animals into a corral system from which they can be herded into a padded, pneumatically operated, squeeze apparatus. Ear tags are applied or read if already in place and ears are notched. A portable, computerized rapid data retrieval system is used to record reproductive success, vaccination and treatment status and other miscellaneous information. Ivermectin is being administered in the early winter months to treat reindeer in many herds for warbles, nasal bots and internal parasites. A killed, homologous Brucella suis type 4 vaccine is being used in two large (3500) herds. Efforts are being made to incorporate other innovative methods to improve herding and corralling methods

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Reindeer in western Alaska have been described as a free-ranging, semi-domesticated animal. Herd management is minimal and animals are less tractable when compared to domestic livestock. Consequently, when reindeer are moved through a corral system they are more susceptible to stress. Stress can occur as a result of circumstances that are related to nutritional, social (crowding), induced psychological or physiological trauma, and parasitic problems, all of which can be interrelated. Excessive stress can reduce herd productivity by lowering reproductive rates, weight gains, survivorship, and immune response. Stress during corralling can result in trauma from overcrowding and trampling, inadequate food and water, disturbance of normal behavioral patterns, and exhaustion. Proper corral design and its operation play a vital role in both prevention of injury and the level of stress the reindeer experience

Translocation of reindeer from South Georgia to the Falkland Islands

This report describes the first translocation of reindeer Rangifer tarandus from South Georgia to the Falkland Islands, in the South Atlantic Ocean. Reindeer were introduced from Norway to the subantarctic island of South Georgia on three occasions in the early 1900s by Norwegian whalers, and today they exist as two discrete herds, numbering approximately 2600 individuals in total. Because of concerns over the impact on native vegetation, the long-term eradication of reindeer from South Georgia has recently been proposed. A translocation of reindeer to the Falkland Islands was undertaken in 2001 by the Falkland Island Government with two objectives: (1) to preserve the genetic resources of at least one of the South Georgia herds; and (2) to facilitate the diversification of the agricultural sector of the Falkland Islands by establishing a commercial reindeer herd. Techniques developed and used in North America for the successful relocation of large numbers of calves were adopted for the translocation. A total of 59 calves (26 females and 33 males) were successfully translocated from South Georgia to the Falklands Islands in 2001, and subsequently produced their first offspring in 2003. Good husbandry practices and an understanding of biology and behaviour are essential for the successful translocation of reindeer.Flytting av rein fra Sør-Georgia til FalklandsøyeneAbstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Artikkelen beskriver den første overføring av rein Rangifer tarandus fra Sør-Georgia til Falklandsøyene i søratlanteren. Tamrein fra Norge ble flyttet til den subarktiske øya Sør-Georgia ved tre anledninger i perioden 1911 til 1925 i forbindelse med den norske hvalfangsten der. I dag består bestanden av rundt regnet 2600 dyr fordelt på to geografisk atskilte flokker. Av hensyn til den naturlige vegetasjonen på øya er det forslag om å på sikt utrydde reinbestanden på øya. Regjeringen på Falklandsøyene foretok en første overføring av rein fra Sør-Georgia i 2001 ut fra en målsetting om å 1) bevare genetiske ressurser fra minst en av de to reinflokkene, og 2) øke mulighetene innenfor landbrukssektoren på Falklandsøyene ved å etablere en kommersiell reinflokk der. Overføringen ble utført med metoder som hadde vist seg formålstjenlige ved flytting og nylokalisering av kalver i Nord-Amerika. Totalt ble 59 kalver overført i 2001 derav 26 hunndyr. De overførte reinene produserte kalver i 2003. God driftspraksis og biologisk og atferdsmessig forståelse var viktig for en vellykket overføring

Effects of live Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine on reindeer later challenge exposed with Brucella suis type 4

Twelve reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) were vaccinated with Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine and challenge exposed with B. suis type 4 two and one-half months later during mid-gestation. An additional 10 reindeer served as non-vaccinated controls. A sharp serologic titer response was observed in both vaccinates and controls. Brucella suis type 4 was isolated from tissues and blood from most controls (8 of 10, and 7 of 10 respectively). Seven of 11 vaccinated cows aborted, gave birth to weak fawns that died, or were not pregnant at the completion of the experiment. Brucella suis type 4 was isolated from the tissue of 4 of 12 vaccinates at necropsy. It was concluded that, under the conditions of this experiment, B. abortus strain 19 vaccine in reindeer did not provide adequate protection against challenge exposure with virulent B. suis type 4 organisms

Effects of live Brucella abortus strain 19 vaccine on reindeer

Twenty female and seven male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) were vaccinated subcutaneously in the right shoulder with a 1-ml dose of approximately 1.2 x 108 colony forming units of Brucella abortus strain 19, the standard reduced dose for cattle. An additional three females and one male served as non-vaccinated sentinels. Brucella abortus strain 19 was isolated from two of three fetuses aborted by vaccinated females during the first of two fawning seasons. Serologic titers to brucellosis in the vaccinates peaked by 46 days post-vaccination. Shedding of B. abortus strain 19 by vaccinated animals was indicated by seroconversion of all four sentinels. Titers in the sentinels were low and sporadic. Brucella abortus strain 19 was isolated from the tissues and fetus of a pregnant female 51 days post-vaccination and from the carpal joint of another female 7 months post-vaccination. Based on these results and a previous challenge experiment, it was concluded that Brucella abortus strain 19 is not a suitable vaccine to use in a brucellosis control program in reindeer

Tissue-resident Lymphocytes Are Released During Hypothermic and Normothermic Machine Perfusion of Human Donor Kidneys

BACKGROUND: Machine perfusion is the preferred preservation method for deceased donor kidneys. Perfusate fluid, which contains a complex mixture of components, offers potential insight into the organ's viability and function. This study explored immune cell release, particularly tissue-resident lymphocytes (TRLs), during donor kidney machine perfusion and its correlation with injury markers.METHODS: Perfusate samples from hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP; n = 26) and normothermic machine perfusion (NMP; n = 16) of human donor kidneys were analyzed for TRLs using flow cytometry. Residency was defined by expressions of CD69, CD103, and CD49as. TRL release was quantified exclusively in NMP. Additionally, levels of cell-free DNA, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, and soluble E-cadherin (sE-cadherin) were measured in NMP supernatants with quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.RESULTS: Both HMP and NMP samples contained a heterogeneous population of TRLs, including CD4+ tissue-resident memory T cells, CD8+ tissue-resident memory T cells, tissue-resident natural killer cells, tissue-resident natural killer T cells, and helper-like innate lymphoid cells. Median TRL proportions among total CD45+ lymphocytes were 0.89% (NMP) and 0.84% (HMP). TRL quantities in NMP did not correlate with donor characteristics, perfusion parameters, posttransplant outcomes, or cell-free DNA and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin concentrations. However, CD103+ TRL release positively correlated with the release of sE-cadherin, the ligand for the CD103 integrin.CONCLUSIONS: Human donor kidneys release TRLs during both HMP and NMP. The release of CD103+ TRLs was associated with the loss of their ligand sE-cadherin but not with general transplant injury biomarkers.</p

Early uneven ear input induces long-lasting differences in left-right motor function

How asymmetries in motor behavior become established normally or atypically in mammals remains unclear. An established model for motor asymmetry that is conserved across mammals can be obtained by experimentally inducing asymmetric striatal dopamine activity. However, the factors that can cause motor asymmetries in the absence of experimental manipulations to the brain remain unknown. Here, we show that mice with inner ear dysfunction display a robust left or right rotational preference, and this motor preference reflects an atypical asymmetry in cortico-striatal neurotransmission. By unilaterally targeting striatal activity with an antagonist of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), a downstream integrator of striatal neurotransmitter signaling, we can reverse or exaggerate rotational preference in these mice. By surgically biasing vestibular failure to one ear, we can dictate the direction of motor preference, illustrating the influence of uneven vestibular failure in establishing the outward asymmetries in motor preference. The inner ear±induced striatal asymmetries identified here intersect with non±ear-induced asymmetries previously linked to lateralized motor behavior across species and suggest that aspects of left±right brain function in mammals can be ontogenetically influenced by inner ear input. Consistent with inner ear input contributing to motor asymmetry, we also show that, in humans with normal ear function, the motor-dominant hemisphere, measured as handedness, is ipsilateral to the ear with weaker vestibular input. Despite a long-standing fascination with asymmetries in left±right brain function, very little is known about the causes of functional brain asymmetry in mammals, which appear independent of the mechanisms that create anatomical asymmetries during development. Asymmetries in motor function are a common example and include preferred turning direction, handedness, and footedness. In this study, using mouse models, we establish a causal link between transient imbalances in degenerating inner ear function and the establishment of stable asymmetries in neural pathways that regulate motor activity and in motor behavior. Our study also suggests that shared mechanisms may underlie lateralized motor behaviors across mammalian species. For example, we show that in humans with normal ear function, the strength of the vestibular response from each ear in the forebrain correlates with asymmetric motor behavior, measured as handedness. In a broader sense, our study reveals a conceptually novel role for sensory input in shaping the asymmetric distribution of brain function, a process for which there is otherwise no clear mechanism

Virus-specific T_RM cells of both donor and recipient origin reside in human kidney transplants

Tissue-resident lymphocytes (TRLs) are critical for local protection against viral pathogens in peripheral tissue. However, it is unclear if TRLs perform a similar role in transplanted organs under chronic immunosuppressed conditions. In this study, we aimed to characterize the TRL compartment in human kidney transplant nephrectomies and examine its potential role in antiviral immunity. The TRL compartment of kidney transplants contained diverse innate, innate-like, and adaptive TRL populations expressing the canonical residency markers CD69, CD103, and CD49a. Chimerism of donor and recipient cells was present in 43% of kidney transplants and occurred in all TRL subpopulations. Paired single-cell transcriptome and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing showed that donor and recipient tissue–resident memory T (TRM) cells exhibit striking similarities in their transcriptomic profiles and share numerous TCR clonotypes predicted to target viral pathogens. Virus dextramer staining further confirmed that CD8 TRM cells of both donor and recipient origin express TCRs with specificities against common viruses, including CMV, EBV, BK polyomavirus, and influenza A. Overall, the study results demonstrate that a diverse population of TRLs resides in kidney transplants and offer compelling evidence that TRM cells of both donor and recipient origin reside within this TRL population and may contribute to local protection against viral pathogens.</p