Pharmacokinetics of doxycycline after parenteral administration in the Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata).

Fourteen adult Houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata) infected with Chlamydia psittaci were administered doxycycline at 100 mg/kg body weight in seven intramuscular or subcutaneous injections at intervals of 7, 7, 7, 6, 6, and 5 days. Blood levels of doxycycline were measured after the first and seventh injections at the following intervals: 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, and 180 hours. During these two periods, most of the birds showed plasma doxycycline levels in excess of 1 micrograms/ml, demonstrating effective doxycycline levels for 45 days. A multifactorial analysis of variance revealed no significant differences between males and females, between the two routes of administration, or among all four factors.

Chlamydiosis in a captive group of Houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata).

A chlamydiosis outbreak occurred in a Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata) captive breeding group in Saudi Arabia, inducing peracute deaths, highly variable clinical signs, and pathological and histological lesions. Typical inclusion bodies in stained impression smears of spleen and prevalence (80%) of antibodies against Chlamydia, detected by a competitive enzyme immunoassay test, provided the bases for the diagnosis. This is the first report on a chlamydiosis outbreak in birds of the family Otididae.

Serological survey for bovine bacterial and viral pathogens in captive Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx Pallas, 1776).

Tests for antibodies to bovine bacterial and viral pathogens were conducted on 239 sera from 128 Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) from seven locations (Taif, Riyadh and Mahazat as Said, Saudi Arabia; San Diego, United States of America [USA]; Shaumari, Jordan; Qatar; and Bahrain). No antibodies to Pasteurella multocida type E or epizootic haemorrhagic disease 1 virus were found. Antibodies to Brucella abortus, P. multocida type B, P. multocida type D, lumpy skin disease virus and Akabane virus were detected in 2, 1, 5, 2 and 1 animals, respectively. Evidence of P. multocida type A, Coxiella burnetti, Chlamydia psittaci and parainfluenza 3 virus was found in 3 herds (prevalence in the main herd [n = 78]: 8%), 3 herds (8%), 6 herds (7%) and 5 herds (15%), respectively. Evidence of antibodies against bluetongue virus was found in five oryx from the USA and in one oryx from the Taif herd. Antibody vaccinal titres against rinderpest virus (and the virus of peste des petits ruminants, due to cross-reactions) were found in almost all the herds. This is the first report of antibodies against B. abortus, C. burnetti, C. psittaci, parainfluenza 3 virus and Akabane virus in the genus Oryx.

Biochemical parameters following capture myopathy in one Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx).

Twenty-three biochemistry parameters and hematocrit were followed during 10 days in a 13 months old Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx) during capture myopathy. An increase was found in bilirubin, creatine-kinase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase levels, but not in potassium level. Most of the parameters analyzed were the first given for this species.

Hematological and serum chemistry values for Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx).

Blood samples obtained from 73 captive Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) were analyzed for hematology and serum chemistry values. Compared with other data from this animal RBC, WBC, bilirubin and ASAT values are lower, but glucose, urea and uric acid values are higher.

Serum chemistry values for Arabian sand gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa marica).

Values for urea, creatinine, glucose, total bilirubin, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphates, magnesium, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate deshydrogenase, and creatine-kinase are reported for the first time for 32 sand gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa marica) in Saudi Arabia. Comparisons were made between two groups: one sampled before a trip and the other sampled after a 14 hr trip. Only aspartate aminotransferase was higher in the second group; magnesium and phosphates were lower in that group.

Capripoxvirus disease in an Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) from Saudi Arabia.

Lumpy skin disease caused by a capripoxvirus was observed in a captive-bred female Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx) at the National Wildlife Research Center, Taif, Saudi Arabia. Clinical signs included severe general depression with fever, anorexia, greater than 1,000 nodular cutaneous lesions and gradual recovery over 2 mo. The virus was found by electron microscopy and paired sera showed an increasing virus neutralization antibody titer against capripoxvirus. A serologic survey of the herd of 90 oryx showed a low prevalence (2%) of this infection. This report describes the first case of lumpy skin disease in an Arabian oryx.

Chromosomal evolution in gazelles.

The chromosomes of nine gazelle species and two other Antilopinae species (Antidorcas marsupialis and Antilope cervicapra) were prepared from fibroblast cultures. G- and C-band karyotypes were constructed, and when possible, autosomal arms were numbered according to the cattle standard karyotype. Diploid chromosome numbers ranged from 30 to 58. Based on band similarity, chromosome-arm homoeologies were extensive, whereas shared homoeologous biarmed chromosomes were rare. Therefore evolution in this genus could have occurred mainly by speciation following monobrachial homoeology of centric fusions. X to autosome translocations were common in the whole genus. Furthermore, chromosome Y was also involved in an autosome translocation in gazelles from the subgenus Nanger and in Gazella thomsoni and G. rufifrons. Based on these karyotypic data a phylogenetic tree is proposed. This phylogenetic reconstruction confirms most of the taxonomic relationships obtained by morphological analyses for this group of species. The main novelties are the proximity of G. rufifrons and G. thomsoni and the inclusion of Antilope cervicapra in the gazelle group.

Genetic study of Gazella gazella: chromosomal and allozymic data.

Some subspecies of Gazella gazella are studied by means of protein electrophoresis (gazella, cora, and erlangeri) and cytogenetics (gazella, cora, erlangeri and farasani), and are compared to G. subgutturosa. Variability parameters and genetic distances are computed from allozyme data at 24 loci. Percentages of polymorphic loci range between 0 and 20.8%, mean numbers of alleles per locus between 1 and 1.25 and mean heterozygosities between 0 and 0.088. Inside G. gazella genetic distances range between 0.011 and 0.074 (Rogers' distance) and between 0.017 and 0.075 (Nei's distance). Genetic distances between subspecies of G. gazella and G. subgutturosa are around 0.16. C, GTG, and RBG banded karyotypes are given. The results are congruent with the subspecific status of G. g. gazella, G. g. cora, G. g. erlangeri and G. g. farasani, showing no karyological and only slight allozymic differences between them. These results may be important from a conservation point of view, for these populations whose ranges have been significantly declining over the last decades.

An unusual Gazella dama karyotype.

The chromosomes of a female gazelle (Gazella dama) were investigated using GTG, RBG and C banding techniques. Their banding patterns showed that autosomes are involved in a complex of four Robertsonian translocations.

Chromosomal polymorphism in sand gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa marica).

A total of 84 Gazella subgutturosa from three captive populations (two in Saudi Arabia, one in Qatar) were karyotyped. The number of chromosomes is 33, 32, or 31 for the males and 32, 31, or 30 for the females because of the X-autosome translocation that is common in the genus and a centric fusion between the two pairs of acrocentric chromosomes. The G- and R-banded karyotypes of gazelles translocated show that this fusion is the same as that previously reported for gazelles from Jordan. The precise origin of these populations is not known, but in every case the first animals are said to come from the wild in Saudi Arabia. This chromosomal translocation appears to be a populational polymorphism and not the result of hybridization between two different subspecies of G. subgutturosa.