Filarial nematodes belonging to the superorders Diplotriaenoidea and Aproctoidea from wild and captive birds in Japan

Eight species of filarial nematodes of the superorders Diplotriaenoidea and Aproctoidea were collected from the lung, air sac, abdominal cavity, and subdermal layer of the neck of wild and captive birds in Japan. The species of the filarial nematodes were identified as Diplotriaena bargusinica, D. henryi, Serratospiculum kwangsiensis, S. tendo, Hamatospiculum accipitris, H. cylindricum, H. quadridens, and Lissonema noctuae based on morphometry and pathogenicity. D. henryi from Poecile varius, H. accipitris from Accipiter gentilis, H. cylindricum from Lanius bucephalus and H. quadridens from Otus flammeolus represent the first host records worldwide. Moreover, D. henryi, S. kwangsiensis, H. cylindricum, and L. noctuae were the first geographical records from Japan

Long-Term Monitoring of Fecal Steroid Hormones in Female Snow Leopards (Panthera uncia) during Pregnancy or Pseudopregnancy

Knowledge of the basic reproductive physiology of snow leopards is required urgently in order to develop a suitable management conditions under captivity. In this study, the long-term monitoring of concentrations of three steroid hormones in fecal matter of three female snow leopards was performed using enzyme immunoassays: (1) estradiol-17β, (2) progesterone and (3) cortisol metabolite. Two of the female animals were housed with a male during the winter breeding season, and copulated around the day the estradiol-17β metabolite peaked subsequently becoming pregnant. The other female was treated in two different ways: (1) first housed with a male in all year round and then (2) in the winter season only. She did not mate with him on the first occasion, but did so latter around when estradiol-17β metabolite peaked, and became pseudopregnant. During pregnancy, progesterone metabolite concentrations increased for 92 or 94 days, with this period being approximately twice as long as in the pseudopregnant case (31, 42, 49 and 53 days). The levels of cortisol metabolite in the pseudopregnant female (1.35 µg/g) were significantly higher than in the pregnant females (0.33 and 0.24 µg/g) (P<0.05). Similarly, during the breeding season, the levels of estradiol-17β metabolite in the pseudopregnant female (2.18 µg/g) were significantly higher than those in the pregnant females (0.81 and 0.85 µg/g) (P<0.05). Unlike cortisol the average levels of estradiol-17β during the breeding season were independent of reproductive success

Daily fecal progesterone metabolite concentrations in three female snow leopards (A: female A, B: female B, C: female C).

<p>The shaded areas, two-headed arrows and white arrowheads are explained in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0019314#pone-0019314-g001" target="_blank">Fig.1</a>. The black arrowheads designate the day of parturition. The thin two-headed arrows and the number of days represent the pregnancy or pseudopregnancy duration.</p

Daily fecal estradiol-17β metabolite concentrations in three female snow leopards (A: female A, B: female B, C: female C).

<p>The shaded areas represent the breeding season, (i.e., December to May). The two-headed arrows show the period that the female was housed with a male, white arrowheads show the day of last copulation. The asterisks indicate the estradiol-17β metabolite peaks.</p

Daily fecal cortisol metabolite concentrations in three female snow leopards (A: female A, B: female B, C: female C).

<p>The shaded areas, two-headed arrows, and white arrowheads are explained in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0019314#pone-0019314-g001" target="_blank">Fig.1</a>.</p