Festschrift für Hans Hisch zum 65. Geburtstag gewidmet von seinen Freunden, Kollegen und Schülern. Wien: Selbstverl. des Instituts für Orientalistik 1996

BACKGROUND: One of the main aims of forensic investigation is the detection and location of people and substances of interest, such as missing people and illegal drugs. Dogs (Canis lupus var. familiaris) have had an important role in legal and forensic investigations for decades; nonetheless canines’ keen sense of smell has never been utilized in either the surveillance or control of wildlife diseases. The rapid removal and treatment of infected carcasses and/or sick animals is a key task in the management of infectious diseases, but it is usually difficult or impractical to carry out in the wild. RESULTS: In this paper we report on a study running over a period of 15 years, in which - for the first time to our knowledge - two disease-detector dogs were trained to follow the scent of Sarcoptes-infected animals and to find carcasses, even under the snow, and apparently no false positives were detected in fieldwork. Sarcoptic mange-detector dogs were used to collect the carcasses of 292 mangy wild animals and to identify, separate from their herd, and capture 63 mange-infected wild animals in the Italian Alps. CONCLUSIONS: Properly trained disease-detector dogs are an efficient and straightforward tool for surveillance and control of sarcoptic mange in affected wild animal populations

Spatial and temporal explorative analysis of sarcoptic mange in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra)

The sarcoptic mange epizootic affecting chamois in the Dolomites Alps since 1995 has risen considerable concern in a management and conservation perspective, due to its strong impact on chamois and ibex populations. A remarkable amount of data has been collected by different wildlife research and management institutions, in order to analyze mange patterns and develop possible strategies to control the disease. The present study is aimed at providing a population-related figure of the spatial and temporal dynamics of clinical sarcoptic mange in alpine chamois, proposing an approach in which relevant basic concepts and parameters, as the definition of the epidemic front and its spreading speed, can be estimated and framed. The epidemic front was referred to the different mountain massifs, corresponding to well established management units of the chamois in the study area; moreover, the mange-related mortality peak at the massif level was used (in substitution of the index case/s) for temporal analysis of the disease spreading. Two speeds of the front have been estimated: a first raw average speed of about 3.38 km/year, and a second refined speed of 4.64 +/- 3.12 Km/year, more consistent to the variability in the field. The time series analysis showed that the impact of mange increases over the late winter months, reaching a peak in early spring. Our results strengthen the conclusions of previous studies, proposing a new frame to include other studies in progress on the Alpine chamois-Sarcoptes interaction

Sarcoptic-mange detector dogs used to identify infected animals during outbreaks in wildlife

Abstract Background One of the main aims of forensic investigation is the detection and location of people and substances of interest, such as missing people and illegal drugs. Dogs (Canis lupus var. familiaris) have had an important role in legal and forensic investigations for decades; nonetheless canines’ keen sense of smell has never been utilized in either the surveillance or control of wildlife diseases. The rapid removal and treatment of infected carcasses and/or sick animals is a key task in the management of infectious diseases, but it is usually difficult or impractical to carry out in the wild. Results In this paper we report on a study running over a period of 15 years, in which - for the first time to our knowledge - two disease-detector dogs were trained to follow the scent of Sarcoptes-infected animals and to find carcasses, even under the snow, and apparently no false positives were detected in fieldwork. Sarcoptic mange-detector dogs were used to collect the carcasses of 292 mangy wild animals and to identify, separate from their herd, and capture 63 mange-infected wild animals in the Italian Alps. Conclusions Properly trained disease-detector dogs are an efficient and straightforward tool for surveillance and control of sarcoptic mange in affected wild animal populations.</p

The opportunistic Sarcoptes scabiei: A new episode from giraffe in the drought-suffering Kenya

The ubiquitous Sarcoptes mite is unexplainable emerging and re-emerging parasite, threat- ening biodiversity and human health. When a new outbreak occurs, it is not clear if it is a genuine emergence resulting from a new incidence or apparent emergence result- ing from increased detection. In this paper we report, for the first time to our knowledge, an outbreak of sarcoptic mange in giraffes in the wild. Three decaying carcasses and five free-ranging subadult reticulated giraffes were observed to have mange-like lesions in the drought-suffering Wajir Region in North Eastern Kenya, while apparently all sympatric wild and domestic animals were mange-free. Affected giraffes were captured and success- fully treated. The possible relations between this outbreak and annual seasons, animal age-classes and sex, and spatial distribution are discussedPeer reviewe