Cardiovascular effects of intravenous vatinoxan (MK-467) in medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam anaesthetised red deer (Cervus elaphus).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of intravenous vatinoxan administration on bradycardia, hypertension and level of anaesthesia induced by medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam in red deer (Cervus elaphus). STUDY DESIGN AND ANIMALS: A total of 10 healthy red deer were included in a randomised, controlled, experimental, crossover study. METHODS: Deer were administered a combination of 0.1 mg kg-1 medetomidine hydrochloride and 2.5 mg kg-1 tiletamine-zolazepam intramuscularly, followed by 0.1 mg kg-1 vatinoxan hydrochloride or equivalent volume of saline intravenously (IV) 35 minutes after anaesthetic induction. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), respiration rate (fR), end-tidal CO2 (Pe'CO2), arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), rectal temperature (RT) and level of anaesthesia were assessed before saline/vatinoxan administration (baseline) and at intervals for 25 minutes thereafter. Differences within treatments (change from baseline) and between treatments were analysed with linear mixed effect models (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Maximal (81 ± 10 beats minute-1) HR occurred 90 seconds after vatinoxan injection and remained significantly above baseline (42 ± 4 beats minute-1) for 15 minutes. MAP significantly decreased from baseline (122 ± 10 mmHg) to a minimum MAP of 83 ± 6 mmHg 60 seconds after vatinoxan and remained below baseline until end of anaesthesia. HR remained unchanged from baseline (43 ± 5 beats minute-1) with the saline treatment, whereas MAP decreased significantly (112 ± 16 mmHg) from baseline after 20 minutes. Pe'CO2, fR and SpO2 showed no significant differences between treatments, whereas RT decreased significantly 25 minutes after vatinoxan. Level of anaesthesia was not significantly influenced by vatinoxan. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Vatinoxan reversed hypertension and bradycardia induced by medetomidine without causing hypotension or affecting the level of anaesthesia in red deer. However, the effect on HR subsided 15 minutes after vatinoxan IV administration. Vatinoxan has the potential to reduce anaesthetic side effects in non-domestic ruminants immobilised with medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam.

Basking hamsters reduce resting metabolism, body temperature and energy costs during rewarming from torpor.

Basking can substantially reduce thermoregulatory energy expenditure of mammals. We tested the hypothesis that the largely white winter fur of hamsters (Phodopus sungorus), originating from Asian steppes, may be related to camouflage to permit sun basking on or near snow. Winter-acclimated hamsters in our study were largely white and had a high proclivity to bask when resting and torpid. Resting hamsters reduced metabolic rate (MR) significantly (>30%) when basking at ambient temperatures (Ta) of ∼15 and 0°C. Interestingly, body temperature (Tb) also was significantly reduced from 34.7±0.6°C (Ta 15°C, not basking) to 30.4±2.0°C (Ta 0°C, basking), which resulted in an extremely low (<50% of predicted) apparent thermal conductance. Induced torpor (food withheld) during respirometry at Ta 15°C occurred on 83.3±36.0% of days and the minimum torpor MR was 36% of basal MR at an average Tb of 22.0±2.6°C; movement to the basking lamp occurred at Tb<20.0°C. Energy expenditure for rewarming was significantly reduced (by >50%) during radiant heat-assisted rewarming; however, radiant heat per se without an endogenous contribution by animals did not strongly affect metabolism and Tb during torpor. Our data show that basking substantially modifies thermal energetics in hamsters, with a drop of resting Tb and MR not previously observed and a reduction of rewarming costs. The energy savings afforded by basking in hamsters suggest that this behaviour is of energetic significance not only for mammals living in deserts, where basking is common, but also for P. sungorus and probably other cold-climate mammals.

Red deer as maintenance host for bovine tuberculosis, Alpine region.

To estimate the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in the Alpine region, we studied the epidemiology of Mycobacterium caprae in wildlife during the 2009-2012 hunting seasons. Free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) were a maintenance host in a hot-spot area, mainly located in Austria.

Characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. carrying the mecC gene, isolated from wildlife.

OBJECTIVES: A recently identified mecA homologue, mecC, in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been isolated from humans and different animal hosts. The aim of this study was to determine antimicrobial resistance and provide molecular characterization of MRSA and methicillin-resistant non-Staphylococcus aureus staphylococci (MRnSA) isolated from wildlife that carried the gene mecC. METHODS: Five S. aureus and one coagulase-negative Staphylococcus isolate displaying phenotypic oxacillin resistance, but not recognized with conventional PCR for mecA, were further characterized by a polyphasic approach. The presence of mecC in all isolates was determined using specific PCR. PCR targeting Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) genes of MRSA was performed. MRSA isolates were genotyped by spa typing and multilocus sequence typing. All isolates were genotyped by staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing. 16S rDNA sequence analysis for MRnSA identification was performed. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for all isolates. RESULTS: All five MRSA isolates contained the mecC gene, were PVL negative, carried SCCmec type XI and belonged to ST130 (where ST stands for sequence type), with spa types t843, t10513 or t3256, or to ST2620, with spa type t4335. The MRnSA isolate, most closely related to Staphylococcus stepanovicii, carried mecA and blaZ genes related to SCCmec XI. MRSA isolates exhibited resistance to the ß-lactams only. CONCLUSIONS: The MRSA isolates described in this study represent the first detection of mecC-positive MRSA in a European otter (Lutra lutra) and a European brown hare (Lepus europaeus). The MRnSA isolate represents the first isolation of MRnSA from a Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx).

Comparison of S(+)-ketamine and ketamine, with medetomidine, for field anaesthesia in the European brown hare (Lepus europaeus).

OBJECTIVE: To compare anaesthesia and recovery parameters of racemic ketamine or S(+)-ketamine in combination with medetomidine for intramuscular (IM) field anaesthesia in the European brown hare (EBH) (Lepus europaeus). STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, prospective, blinded clinical trial. ANIMALS: 20 adult EBH (eight male, 12 female), mean ± SD weight 3360 341). METHODS: Medetomidine (0.2 mg kg(-1) ) and ketamine (30 mg kg(-1) ) (K-M group) or S(+)-ketamine (15 mg kg(-1) ) (S-M group) were administered by IM injection. Time until first effect and loss of righting reflex were recorded. During sedation and anaesthesia heart rate, saturation of arterial haemoglobin, respiratory rate, side stream end tidal CO(2) (Pe'CO(2) ), non invasive blood pressure, body temperature, cardiorespiratory parameters, palpebral reflex, jaw tone and nociception were recorded every 5 minutes. Medetomidine was antagonized with IM atipamezole (1 mg kg(-1) ) 45 minutes after treatment injection. Time until first head lift, standing and total recovery time (T-Recov) were recorded. Incidences of falling and involuntary movements during recovery were counted. Recovery quality was scored by visual analogue scale. Descriptive statistics were used to visualize maintenance data. All other data were included in multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: Surgical anesthesia was not produced reliably with either protocol. Hypoxaemia occurred in both groups (SpO(2) < 90%). During recovery, falling was noted significantly less often (p < 0.001) in the S-M group (13 ± 7) versus the K-M group (27 ± 13). T-Recov was long, lasting for more than 3 hours in individuals with no significant differences between groups. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: S(+)-ketamine showed only minor advantages over racemic ketamine. Surgical anaesthesia was not achieved reliably with either protocol. Oxygen supplementation should be considered to prevent hypoxaemia. Further research is needed to develop an injectable field protocol adequate for surgical procedures, but with a rapid smooth recovery.

Arterial pH and Blood Lactate Levels of Anesthetized Mongolian Khulan ( Equus hemionus hemionus) in the Mongolian Gobi Correlate with Induction Time.

Research and conservation of wide-ranging wild equids in most cases necessitate capture and handling of individuals. For free-roaming Mongolian khulan ( Equus hemionus hemionus), also known as the khulan, capture involves a strenuous, high-speed chase, and physiologic responses have yet to be elucidated. We analyzed sequential arterial blood gas (ABG) samples as a proxy for respiratory and metabolic status of khulan during capture-related anesthesia. We recorded precise chase and induction times and monitored vital parameters and ABG from free-ranging khulan during anesthesia performed for GPS collaring. At the initiation of anesthesia, animals had ABG values similar to those recorded for thoroughbred horses ( Equus caballus ) after maximal exercise. Longer induction times resulted in higher arterial pH (P<0.001) and lower blood lactate (P<0.002). This trend of improvement continued over the course of anesthesia. The most important factor explaining pH and lactate was the time that elapsed between cessation of the chase and obtaining the first ABG sample, which, under field conditions, is tightly linked to induction time. All animals recovered uneventfully. Our data show that khulan recover and shift their metabolic status back toward expected normal values during opioid-based field anesthesia.

Hibernation in the pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus): multiday torpor in primates is not restricted to Madagascar.

Hibernation and short daily torpor are states of energy conservation with reduced metabolism and body temperature. Both hibernation, also called multiday torpor, and daily torpor are common among mammals and occur in at least 11 orders. Within the primates, there is a peculiar situation, because to date torpor has been almost exclusively reported for Malagasy lemurs. The single exception is the African lesser bushbaby, which is capable of daily torpor, but uses it only under extremely adverse conditions. For true hibernation, the geographical restriction was absolute. No primate outside of Madagascar was previously known to hibernate. Since hibernation is commonly viewed as an ancient, plesiomorphic trait, theoretically this could mean that hibernation as an overwintering strategy was lost in all other primates in mainland Africa, Asia, and the Americas. However, we hypothesized that a good candidate species for the use of hibernation, outside of Madagascar should be the pygmy slow loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus), a small primate inhabiting tropical forests. Here, we show that pygmy slow lorises exposed to natural climatic conditions in northern Vietnam during winter indeed undergo torpor lasting up to 63 h, that is, hibernation. Thus, hibernation has been retained in at least one primate outside of Madagascar.

How to spend the summer? Free-living dormice (Glis glis) can hibernate for 11 months in non-reproductive years.

Edible dormice are arboreal rodents adapted to yearly fluctuations in seed production of European beech, a major food source for this species. In years of low beech seed abundance, dormice skip reproduction and non-reproductive dormice fed ad libitum in captivity can display summer dormancy in addition to winter hibernation. To test whether summer dormancy, that is, a very early onset of hibernation, actually occurs in free-living dormice, we monitored core body temperature (Tb) over ~12 months in 17 animals during a year of beech seeding failure in the Vienna Woods. We found that 8 out of 17 dormice indeed re-entered hibernation as early as in June/July, with five of them having extreme hibernation durations of 11 months or more (total range: 7.8-11.4 months). Thus, we show for the first time that a free-living mammal relying on natural food resources can continuously hibernate for >11 months. Early onset of hibernation was associated with high body mass in the spring, but the distribution of hibernation onset was bimodal with prolonged hibernation starting either early (prior to July 28) or late (after August 30). This could not be explained by differences in body mass alone. Animals with a late hibernation onset continued to maintain high nocturnal Tb's throughout summer but used short, shallow torpor bouts (mean duration 7.44 ± 0.9 h), as well as occasional multiday torpor for up to 161 h.

Diversity of enterobacteria including ß-lactamase producing isolates associated with the Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris).

The aim of this study was to determine diversity in members of the family Enterobacteriaceae including the beta-lactamase producing isolates associated with the Spanish slug (Arion vulgaris). 81 isolates, each representing a distinct colonial morphotype, were obtained from fecal samples of Spanish slugs and analyzed. Genetically heterogeneous or similar groups were assessed among the isolates by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR and further characterized by 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Representative strains were allocated to the genera Citrobacter, Raoultella, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Kluyvera, and Buttiauxella. Fifteen isolates, most closely related to Citrobacter freundii and Escherichia coli, displayed an AmpC phenotype, one E. coli isolate showed an ESBL phenotype. These isolates were phenotypically and genotypically characterized by their antimicrobial resistance pattern. Phylogenetic background and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) of the E. coli isolates were determined. The multi-drug resistant TEM-1 E. coli positive isolate belongs to the phylogenetic group A and ST10. The CMY-2 positive E. coli isolate belongs to the phylogenetic group D and ST117. Our results show that the common garden slug represents an important potential vector of ß-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Surgical castration of the male common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius).

In a prospective, clinical, surgery study we report here for the first time, in detail, on the surgical castration of 10 captive adult male common hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius). The successful procedures, a species-specific modification of standard equine castration techniques, provide valuable insight into the spatially dynamic nature of the common hippopotamus testis. The use of ultrasonography to locate the testis before and during the procedures and species-specific positioning during surgery greatly facilitated this distinctive procedure. Additionally, this surgical method provides an important additional tool for captive management of the common hippopotamus. Castration of individual males not only facilitates population control but can potentially also be employed to limit intermale aggression.

Comparison of ESBL--and AmpC producing Enterobacteriaceae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from migratory and resident population of rooks (Corvus frugilegus) in Austria.

In order to test whether rooks (Corvus frugilegus) represent good indicators for the potential circulation of antibiotics in their native habitat, two populations with different migratory behavior were tested for the presence of beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In all, 54 and 102 samples of fresh feces of a migratory and a resident population were investigated. A total of 24 and 3 cefotaxime-resistant enterobacterial isolates were obtained from the migratory and resident population, respectively. In these isolates CTX-M-1 (n = 15), CTX-M-3 (n = 3), and CTX-M-15 (n = 3) genes were detected. TEM-1 and OXA-1 were associated with CTX-M in 3 and 2 isolates, respectively. In two E. coli isolates CMY-2 could be detected, where from one isolate displayed an overexpression of chromosomal AmpC as well. Among E. coli isolates the most common phylogenetic group was A (n = 11) and ST1683 (n = 5). In one E. coli of B2-ST131 the rfbO25b locus was detected. Three Enterobacter isolates were stably derepressed AmpC-producers. In five samples of the migratory population, PVL positive MRSA could be isolated. Two isolates were typed SCCmec IVa, spa type t127, and ST1. Three isolates carried a SCCmec type IVc, with spa type t852 and ST22. The highly significant difference of the occurrence of antibiotic resistance between the migratory population from eastern Europe compared to resident population in our study indicates that rooks may be good indicator species for the evaluation of environmental contamination with antibiotic resistant bacteria, especially due to their ecology, foraging behavior and differing migratory behavior.

Use of a medetomidine-ketamine combination for anesthesia in captive common hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius).

OBJECTIVE: To establish an anesthetic protocol suitable for surgical interventions in hippopotami (Hippopotamus amphibius). DESIGN: Prospective case series. ANIMALS: 10 adult male hippopotami undergoing castration. PROCEDURES: A combination of medetomidine (60 to 80 mg/kg [27.3 to 36.4 mg/lb]) and ketamine (1 mg/kg [0.45 mg/lb]) was administered IM on the basis of mean estimated weights of 1,330 ± 333 kg (2,926 ± 733 lb; median, 1,350 kg [2,790 lb]; range, 900 to 2,000 kg [1,980 to 4,400 lb]). Monitoring included sequential blood gas analyses, pulse oximetry, and capnography. Reversal of anesthesia with atipamezole (0.34 ± 0.06 mg/kg [0.15 ± 0.027 mg/lb]; median, 0.33 mg/kg [0.15 mg/lb]; range, 300 to 500 mg total dose]) was uneventful and rapid in all cases. RESULTS: Complete immobilization and a surgical anesthetic plane were achieved 27 ± 11.8 minutes (median, 24.5 minutes [range, 14 to 44 minutes]) after initial injection. Anesthesia (97.3 ± 35.3 minutes; median, 95 minutes [range, 57 to 188 minutes]) was maintained with 3.4 ± 2.2 (median, 3) additional doses of ketamine (0.1 to 0.4 mg/kg [0.045 to 0.18 mg/lb]). Transitory apnea of 4.71 ± 2.87 minutes (median, 4 minutes [range, 1 to 9 minutes]) was documented in 5 animals. Apnea during anesthesia was viewed as a physiologic condition in this semiaquatic mammal because related vital parameters (heart rate, pH, peripheral hemoglobin oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry, venous partial pressure of CO(2), and lactate and HCO(3) concentrations) remained unchanged and did not differ significantly than those parameters for the 5 animals with continuous respiration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Both in captivity and in the wild, common hippopotami are difficult to anesthetize. The combination of medetomidine and ketamine provided an excellent surgical plane of anesthesia and a self-limiting dive response.