Detection of prions from spiked and free-ranging carnivore feces.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly contagious, fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious prions (PrPCWD) affecting wild and captive cervids. Although experimental feeding studies have demonstrated prions in feces of crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), coyotes (Canis latrans), and cougars (Puma concolor), the role of scavengers and predators in CWD epidemiology remains poorly understood. Here we applied the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay to detect PrPCWD in feces from cervid consumers, to advance surveillance approaches, which could be used to improve disease research and adaptive management of CWD. We assessed recovery and detection of PrPCWD by experimental spiking of PrPCWD into carnivore feces from 9 species sourced from CWD-free populations or captive facilities. We then applied this technique to detect PrPCWD from feces of predators and scavengers in free-ranging populations. Our results demonstrate that spiked PrPCWD is detectable from feces of free-ranging mammalian and avian carnivores using RT-QuIC. Results show that PrPCWD acquired in natural settings is detectable in feces from free-ranging carnivores, and that PrPCWD rates of detection in carnivore feces reflect relative prevalence estimates observed in the corresponding cervid populations. This study adapts an important diagnostic tool for CWD, allowing investigation of the epidemiology of CWD at the community-level.

Energetic costs of mange in wolves estimated from infrared thermography.

Parasites, by definition, extract energy from their hosts and thus affect trophic and food web dynamics even when the parasite may have limited effects on host population size. We studied the energetic costs of mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) in wolves (Canis lupus) using thermal cameras to estimate heat losses associated with compromised insulation during the winter. We combined the field data of known, naturally infected wolves with a data set on captive wolves with shaved patches of fur as a positive control to simulate mange-induced hair loss. We predict that during the winter in Montana, more severe mange infection increases heat loss by around 5.2-12 MJ per night (1,240-2,850 kcal, or a 65-78% increase) for small and large wolves, respectively, accounting for wind effects. To maintain body temperature would require a significant proportion of a healthy wolf's total daily energy demands (18-22 MJ/day). We also predict how these thermal costs may increase in colder climates by comparing our predictions in Bozeman, Montana to those from a place with lower ambient temperatures (Fairbanks, Alaska). Contrary to our expectations, the 14°C differential between these regions was not as important as the potential differences in wind speed. These large increases in energetic demands can be mitigated by either increasing consumption rates or decreasing other energy demands. Data from GPS-collared wolves indicated that healthy wolves move, on average, 17 km per day, which was reduced by 1.5, 1.8, and 6.5 km for light, medium, and severe hair loss. In addition, the wolf with the most hair loss was less active at night and more active during the day, which is the converse of the movement patterns of healthy wolves. At the individual level, mange infections create significant energy demands and altered behavioral patterns, this may have cascading effects on prey consumption rates, food web dynamics, predator-prey interactions, and scavenger communities.

Social living mitigates the costs of a chronic illness in a cooperative carnivore.

Infection risk is assumed to increase with social group size, and thus be a cost of group living. We assess infection risk and costs with respect to group size using data from an epidemic of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) among grey wolves (Canis lupus). We demonstrate that group size does not predict infection risk and that individual costs of infection, in terms of reduced survival, can be entirely offset by having sufficient numbers of pack-mates. Infected individuals experience increased mortality hazards with increasing proportions of infected pack-mates, but healthy individuals remain unaffected. The social support of group hunting and territory defence are two possible mechanisms mediating infection costs. This is likely a common phenomenon among other social species and chronic infections, but difficult to detect in systems where infection status cannot be measured continuously over time.

Microcirculatory changes associated with gastric tube formation in the pig.

The standard reconstruction after esophagectomy is the formation of a gastric tube with partial devascularization of the lesser curvature. The purpose of this experimental study was to establish an animal model in order to analyze microcirculation associated with the formation of a gastric tube. In 17 pigs tissue perfusion was measured with a laser Doppler imager (LDI) and partial tissue oxygen pressure (ptO(2)) with a Clark-type polarographic oxygen electrode before and after formation of a gastric tube in well-defined regions of the stomach. The operative procedure included the dissection of the left gastric and short gastric arteries; the left gastroepiploic artery along the greater curvature was preserved. LDI and ptO(2) baseline measurement were significantly lower in the fundus compared to the antrum and corpus. After formation of a gastric tube LDI and ptO(2) baseline values calculated from the mean measurements of the antrum, corpus and fundus decreased significantly (LDI: 1,099 PU +/- 228 SD to 601 PU +/- 125 SD, p < 0.0001; ptO(2): 50.8 mm Hg +/- 5.9 SD to 40.7 mm Hg +/- 9.3 SD, p = 0.0003). Microcirculatory changes did not correlate with changes of cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance. This study suggests that the pig is an appropriate model to investigate microcirculation associated with gastric tube formation. Its use for esophageal reconstruction by pull-up of the gastric interponate is limited.

[Effect of welding arcs on the eyes of patients with contact lenses (literature study)]. / Wirkung von Schweisslichtbögen auf die Augen von Kontaktlinsenträgern (Literaturstudie).

Two accidents had been reported from abroad, within which contact lense users grew blind after staying quite near at electrical arcs. It is supposed that the contact lenses had been "welded" with the cornea by influence of the electromagnetic radiation. Removal of lenses shall have caused the cornea "ablation" and thus the subjects permanent blindness. Nilsson et al. (1, 2, 5) performed intensive animal tests which proved, that contact lenses get hot in special spectral ranges thus underlying a certain drying up. The "welding" between contact lenses and the cornea could not be confirmed by test animals, but partial glueing of contact lenses and cornea and surface lesions of the epithelium as well in some cases. Hüer and Conrads (3, 4) experimenting on enucleated pigs' eyes, reported on similar results.