Wildlife pathology

Question 1

What is the most common cause of death in zoo animals?

Answer 1

Stress- Captivity.

then probably

disease

ill treatment

Question 2

What are the common diseases in zoo animals?

Answer 2

Mostly dependant on malnutrition so:

obesity

dental disease

gout

metabolic bone disease

metastatic mineralisation

hypovitaminoses

iron storage disease

Question 3

What is gout?

Answer 3

A disease in which defective metabolism of uric acid causes arthritis, especially in smaller bones of the feet. this causes severe acute inflammation and pain.

Question 4

What is tophi?

Answer 4

Uric acid crystals accumulating in the tissue.

Due to elevated blood uric acid levels

Question 5

What is haemosiderosis?

Answer 5

Is the accumulation of haemosiderin in tissues without alteration. Iron storage disease is the associated is pathologic lesions of haemosiderin containing lesions.

Question 6

What is canine rabies?

Answer 6

It is a viral disease that is a lysavirus. RNA virus highly neutrophilic.

Causes encephalitis with varied clinical signs

Classically dumb or furious forms

Question 7

What is the pathogenesis of canine rabies?

Answer 7

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Question 8

How is rabies diagnosed?

Answer 8

No seroconversion till later in the disease.

No specific gross lesions of the disease

So requires laboratory testing of the brain tissue. Standard methods are recommended by OIE.

Then fluorescent antibody test is the gold standard test.

Secondary tests include ELISA and IHC.

Question 9

What is gliolis?

Answer 9

Glial nodule formation

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Question 10

How are the blood cells in mammals broken down into?

Mainly there two categories?

Then broken either further?

Answer 10

Leukocytes- Granulocytes

• neutrophils
• basophils
• eosinophils

Mononuclear cells

_-_Lymphocytes

-monocytes

Haemostatic cells-

-platelets

Question 11

What type of red blood cells are in the avian and exotic body?

Answer 11

Thrombocytes

Question 12

Define the term parasitism?

Answer 12

An intimate relationship between two organisms where one species lives at the expense of the other host.

Question 13

What are the different pathogenic effects that a parasite may have on its host?

Answer 13

interfere with the normal functioning of an organ.

stimulate hypersensitivity reactions

induce an ascending paralysis in animals they feed on as a result of neurotoxins injected with their

saliva

transmit a wide variety of diseases

Question 14

How do chemical contaminants make beluga whales more susceptible to infection?

Answer 14

By suppressing host immune function.

Question 15

How do parasites affect host numbers of the reproductive system? Give an example?

Answer 15

Factors that can interupt the experiment are: External factors that could affect that host parasite relationship

ethical considerations

Introduction of the nematode, Heligosomoides polygyrus into a mouse colony reduced the host population density by almost 20-fold. Mouse numbers did recover slightly after the initial fall as parasites were eliminated and transmission rates reduced.

Question 16

How do parasites affect host mortality rates? Examples?

Answer 16

Parasites are also thought to be responsible for the death of their hosts - brought about by a shortage of food

“A few years ago there was a mass death of eiders in the Wadden Sea (part of North Sea next to The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark) due to large numbers of acanthocephalan parasites, which use crabs as their intermediate hosts. Normally, eider ducks feed on cockles though, in some years, cockle numbers may be much lower than normal due to a combination of factors such as water temperature, weather conditions and over fishing by man. It is then that eiders feed more on crabs, acquire large worm burdens which, in turn, increases mortality in young eiders”

Question 17

How do parasites affect host behavior?Example?

Answer 17

Parasites might also bring about the death of their hosts by altering their behaviour.

“The blood-sucking mite, Varroa destructor, (i) infects larval bees and causes deformity during their growth in the brood cells; (ii) transmits certain bee viruses (deformed wing virus, acute paralysis virus of bees); and (iii) has been shown to disrupt the normal behaviour of adult worker bees, i.e. instead of returning to their home hive after finding a source of nectar, infested mites will often go to new hives and so aid the spread of the parasite.”

Question 18

How do parasites affect their host location? Example?

Answer 18

Parasites are also capable of influencing the distribution of their host species

“The tsetse fly, Glossina found only in sub-Saharan Africa, transmits several species of trypanosomes, which are protozoan parasites responsible for sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in animals. The disease is characterised by exhaustion of the lymphoid system, anaemia, emaciation and death in both animals and man. In the absence of effective tsetse control measures, a large belt of land across central Africa, where the fly is found, is rendered unfit for rearing domestic livestock. “

Question 19

Name some positive affects of parasites?

Answer 19

1) Protection against predators
2) Protection against other parasites
3) Advantage over competitor host species
4) Advantage in adverse environment