Management of reactive arthritis in a juvenile gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) with long-term sulfasalazine therapy

A juvenile western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) experienced recurrent fever, lethargy, diarrhea, and/or arthritis starting at age 6 mo. During an episode at age 15 mo, Shigella sp. was isolated from diarrheic feces. At age 41 mo, reactive arthritis was diagnosed. In addition, the gorilla's growth was retarded. All arthritic attacks were managed symptomatically prior to age 4 yr, at which time a severe episode precipitated the implementation of therapy with sulfasalazine, an arthritis suppressive medication. Examination 27 mo later revealed cessation of progressive joint pathology although the animal exhibited decreased range of motion in most joints. The gorilla has been on sulfasalazine therapy for 4 yr without lameness. Growth has resumed, and there has been no radiographic evidence of progressive joint degeneration. Immunogenetic analysis of whole blood obtained at age 68 mo identified the gorilla major histocompatibility class I allele, Gogo-B*0101, which has limited nucleotide sequence similarity to HLA-B27, an allele associated with postinfection reactive arthritis in humans. Sulfasalazine therapy effectively managed reactive arthritis in this gorilla and should be considered for similarly frequently affected animals. Juvenile gorillas, in populations with a history of clinical shigellosis and/or postdiarrhea arthritis, may benefit from prophylactic sulfasalazine therapy after episodes of bacterial enterocolitis. Sulfasalazine therapy should be considered in all gorillas, juvenile and adult, experiencing confirmed Shigella sp.-associated enterocolitis

Standing sedation with medetomidine and butorphanol in captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Doses for standing sedation allowing for various procedures in otherwise inaccessible, untrained captive African elephant bulls are presented. Thirty-three standing sedations were performed in 12 males aged 8–30 years (one to four sedations per animal). Each bull received a combination of 0.009 ± 0.002 mg/kg medetomidine and 0.03 ± 0.007 mg/kg butorphanol. Full sedation was reached on average 25.5 min after injection. The addition of hyaluronidase (1000–2000 IU) significantly reduced time to full sedation to 16.5 min (paired t test, P = 0.024). Reversal was induced with intramuscular atipamezole 0.008 (±0.002) and naltrexone 0.035 (±0.015) mg/kg. Recovery took on average 7 min (3–18 min). The medetomidine/ butorphanol combination provided safe standing sedation for smaller procedures.U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (African elephant fund AFE 0705), the International Elephant Foundation (Birmingham Zoo, USA).Technology Innovation Agency (Project number TAHC12 - 00042) (Pretoria, South Africa). The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD, Grant number D/11/44481).http://www.elsevier.com/locate/tvjl2017-03-31hb2016Production Animal Studie

Ethical considerations in fish research

Fishes are used in a wide range of scientific studies, from conservation research with potential benefits to the species used to biomedical research with potential human benefits. Fish research can take place in both laboratories and field environments and methods used represent a continuum from non-invasive observations, handling, through to experimental manipulation. While some countries have legislation or guidance regarding the use of fish in research, many do not and there exists a diversity of scientific opinions on the sentience of fish and how we determine welfare. Nevertheless, there is a growing pressure on the scientific community to take more responsibility for the animals they work with through maximising the benefits of their research to humans or animals while minimising welfare or survival costs to their study animals. In this review, we focus primarily on the refinement of common methods used in fish research based on emerging knowledge with the aim of improving the welfare of fish used in scientific studies. We consider the use of anaesthetics and analgesics and how we mark individuals for identification purposes. We highlight the main ethical concerns facing researchers in both laboratory and field environments and identify areas that need urgent future research. We hope that this review will help inform those who wish to refine their ethical practices and stimulate thought among fish researchers for further avenues of refinement. Improved ethics and welfare of fishes will inevitably lead to increased scientific rigour and is in the best interests of both fishes and scientists