Pterygodermatites (Mesopectines) whartoni (Nematoda: Rictulariidae) encysted larvae in invasive Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) from Florida, United States.

Species of Pterygodermatites are spirurid nematodes that have expanded their geographic distribution worldwide. They infect a variety of mammalian definitive hosts with few reports of potential paratenic infections in amphibian and reptile hosts. In this study, we report Pterygodermatites sp. larvae identified in free-ranging, invasive Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis), from central Florida, United States. Encysted larvae were recovered from the skeletal muscle and/or the coelomic cavity of three frogs; molecular characterization of the small subunit (18S) ribosomal RNA and cytochrome oxidase I genes of the parasites matched reported sequences of Pterygodermatites (Mesopectines) whartoni (Tubangui, 1931). This is a parasite native to Southeastern Asia and to the best of the authors' knowledge, it is the first report of the species in the New World. The recovery of invasive Pterygodermatites from invasive Cuban treefrogs in North America highlights the growing concern regarding the potential impact non-native parasites and invasive species may have on native wildlife populations.

Geometric, landmark-guided technique reduces tissue trauma, surgery time, and subjective difficulty for canine peripheral lymphadenectomies: an educational crossover study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of a geometric, landmark-guided lymphadenectomy (LL) approach to peripheral lymph nodes (LNs) on successful LN identification, surgical time, tissue trauma, and ease of LN identification compared to standard lymphadenectomy (SL) and methylene blue-guided lymphadenectomy (MBL). SAMPLE: 18 adult, mixed-breed canine cadavers operated on by 7 veterinarians and 5 fourth-year veterinary students between July 23 and October 12, 2022. METHODS: Participants were provided standardized, publicly available materials regarding the anatomy and surgical techniques for SL of 3 peripheral lymphocentrums: superficial cervical, axillary (ALN), and superficial inguinal (SILN). Participants performed the 3 SLs unilaterally on canine cadavers. Thereafter, they were randomly assigned to 2 crossover groups: MBL and LL. All dissections were separated by at least 2 weeks for each participant. Primary outcome measures included successful LN identification, surgical time, tissue trauma scores, and subjective difficulty. RESULTS: Successful LN identification was highest with LL (86%) compared to SL (69%) and MBL (67%). Subjective difficulty scores were reduced with LL for SILN dissections. Tissue trauma scores were reduced when using LL for ALN and SILN compared to MBL and SL. Time to LN identification was reduced for ALN with LL. No significant differences were observed between MBL and SL, or for the superficial cervical dissections. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Peripheral lymphadenectomies are time consuming and difficult for veterinarians in early stages of surgical training. Little surgical guidance is provided within current literature. Geometric, landmark-guided lymphadenectomies may improve LN identification success and reduce surgical time, tissue trauma, and procedure difficulty, which could encourage their clinical application.

Rat Lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) in the Invasive Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in Central Florida, USA.

Cuban treefrogs, Osteopilus septentrionalis, were grossly examined for parasites and parasite species confirmed by PCR. Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae were recovered from the hind leg muscle of O. septentrionalis. This is the first report of the zoonotic rat lungworm in the Cuban treefrog and new geographic location (Volusia County) in Florida, US.