Cryptosporidium and Giardia in marine-foraging river otters (Lontra canadensis) from the Puget Sound Georgia Basin ecosystem.

Species of Cryptosporidium and Giardia can infect humans and wildlife and have the potential to be transmitted between these 2 groups; yet, very little is known about these protozoans in marine wildlife. Feces of river otters (Lontra canadensis), a common marine wildlife species in the Puget Sound Georgia Basin, were examined for species of Cryptosporidium and Giardia to determine their role in the epidemiology of these pathogens. Using ZnSO4 flotation and immunomagnetic separation, followed by direct immunofluorescent antibody detection (IMS/DFA), we identified Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts in 9 fecal samples from 6 locations and Giardia sp. cysts in 11 fecal samples from 7 locations. The putative risk factors of proximate human population and degree of anthropogenic shoreline modification were not associated with the detection of Cryptosporidium or Giardia spp. in river otter feces. Amplification of DNA from the IMS/DFA slide scrapings was successful for 1 sample containing > 500 Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts. Sequences from the Cryptosporidium 18S rRNA and the COWP loci were most similar to the ferret Cryptosporidium sp. genotype. River otters could serve as reservoirs for Cryptosporidium and Giardia species in marine ecosystems. More work is needed to better understand the zoonotic potential of the genotypes they carry as well as their implications for river otter health.

Epidermoptid mange in Laysan albatross fledglings in Hawaii.

Mange caused by the epidermoptid mite Myialges nudus (Acari: Epidermoptidae) is described in 31 dead fledgling Laysan albatrosses (Phoebastria immutabilis) from Midway Atoll (Hawaii, USA) sampled from 18 June to 10 July 1990 and from 21 June to 22 July 1991. This is the first record for this parasite from this host. Mites were collected from the skin; were located primarily in the stratum corneum; and were associated with mild to severe granulomatous inflammation, hyperkeratosis, dermal edema, ballooning degeneration of keratinocytes, neovascularization, and subdermal fibrosis. The severity of inflammation in some birds suggested that dermatitis due to M. nudus could be a significant cause of morbidity, or even mortality, in these birds.

T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder in an aged rhesus macaque.

A CD8+ T-cell leukemia was diagnosed in an aged female rhesus macaque. Although leukemia and lymphoma in nonhuman primates are commonly associated with simian T-lymphotropic virus, gibbon ape leukemia virus, oncogenic herpesviruses, and types C, D, and E retroviruses, this monkey was not infected with any of these viruses. However, the monkey did have antibodies against herpesvirus saimiri. This likely represents cross-reactivity of the herpesvirus saimiri assay with rhesus monkey rhadinovirus (RRV) antibodies; RRV was first described in rhesus macaques that were identified as having antibodies against herpesvirus saimiri. Rhesus rhadinovirus is a gamma herpesvirus, related antigenically to herpesvirus saimiri and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), which have been linked to lymphoproliferative disorders in primates and humans, respectively. Moreover, an oncogene has been recently identified in the RRV genome that is equivalent in position to the herpesvirus saimiri and KSHV oncogenes. Presently, the association of RRV infection with disease in nonhuman primates is unknown.

Characterization of the onset of menopause in the rhesus macaque.

The objective of this study was to assess ovarian activity in a cohort of aged female rhesus macaques. Menstrual records for 26 rhesus macaques ages 20-29 yr were evaluated over a 1-yr period, and daily urinary estrone conjugate (E1C) and pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (Hygeia [Hy]-PdG) levels were determined for 12 wk. Each animal was categorized as either pre-, peri-, or postmenopausal based on menstrual and hormonal data. Eleven animals (mean age 22.5 yr) were premenopausal, thirteen (mean age 24 yr) were perimenopausal, and two (mean age 29.5 yr) were postmenopausal. Hormone profiles for perimenopausal animals reveal prolonged follicular phases and/or a lack of patterned Hy-PdG dynamics. Breakthrough bleeding occurred in four of these perimenopausal animals. The postmenopausal animals were amenorrheic and exhibited low E1C levels (less than 10 ng/mg creatinine). The results of this study illustrate that the decline of ovarian function in female macaques during the third decade of life parallels the menstrual and hormonal events associated with the climacteric in women, and that menopause does occur in rhesus macaques.

Reproductive senescence predicts cognitive decline in aged female monkeys.

The present investigation provide evidences from a non-human primate model that naturally occurring menopause predicts a prominent signature of age-related cognitive decline. Young and aged rhesus monkeys were tested on a delayed response (DR) task known to the sensitive to aging, and reproductive status was evaluated according to menstrual cyclicity and urinary hormone profiles. Peri-/postmenopausal monkeys exhibited significant DR impairments relative to either age-matched premenopausal females, or young control subjects. In addition, markers of endocrine decline in the aged animals were selectively correlated with behavioral performance measures that distinguished premenopausal and peri-/postmenopausal monkeys. These results document that menopause is coupled to cognitive decline in the monkey, and they establish a valuable primate model for defining the effects of endocrine aging on brain and behavioral function.

A survey for selected viral, chlamydial, and parasitic diseases in wild dusky-headed parakeets (Aratinga weddellii) and tui parakeets (Brotogeris sanctithomae) in Peru.

Thirty-eight free-ranging dusky-headed parakeets (Aratinga weddellii) and 13 tui parakeets (Brotogeris sanctithomae) were caught and released in Parque Nacional del Manu in southeastern Peru from 19 July to 5 August 1993. Blood and fecal samples were collected and sera were evaluated for titers to Pacheco's disease herpesvirus, psittacine polyomavirus, paramyxovirus-1, and Chlamydia psittaci. Fecal samples were examined for evidence of ascarid or coccidial infection by fecal flotation, and blood smears were examined for hemoparasites. Five (50%) of 10 A. weddellii serum samples tested by complement fixation (CF) for psittacine polyomavirus antibodies were positive, and three (19%) of 16 A. weddellii samples tested by virus neutralization (VN) for psittacine polyomavirus antibodies were positive, yielding a total of 8 (38%) of the 21 A. weddellii samples positive for psittacine polyomavirus. Based on CF for herpesvirus, four (11%) of 38 A. weddellii samples had antibodies against herpesvirus. All B. sanctithomae were negative for psittacine polyomavirus and psittacine herpesvirus. Thirty-five of the A. weddellii tested were negative for Chlamydia psittaci by CF, latex agglutination, and elementary body agglutination, and all B. sanctithomae were negative for Chlamydia psittaci by the CF test. Nine A. weddellii and eight B. sanctithomae evaluated for paramyxovirus-1 titers by the hemagglutination inhibition test were negative. All fecal samples were negative for ascarids or coccidia by fecal flotation, and all blood smears were negative for hemoparasites by direct microscopic examination. This is the first known description of psittacine polyomavirus and psittacine herpesvirus in free-ranging parrots. Serologic evidence of Pacheco's disease herpesvirus in wild A. weddellii is interesting in light of the fact that Aratinga spp. are considered to be possible carriers of this virus in captivity.